It's that time of the year again, when Ramadan is knocking on our door. When it comes to iftar, I like making new and healthy food but there are some traditional items without which, iftar seems incomplete in my home. Growing up, it didn't matter what we had, there were two items that had to be there on the table - daal puri and doi bora. I think every household has its own recipes for these two items, and today I am sharing the ones that I grew up eating.
Daal puri
Ingredients:For the stuffing:
1/2 cup red lentil/masoor daal
1/4 cup crispy caramelised onion
1/2 tsp toasted cumin powder
2 dried red chili
Hand full chopped coriander
Salt to taste
For the dough:
2 cups of plain flour
2 tbsp oil
1 cup water
Salt to taste
Directions:Make the stuffing first. Soak the daal for an hour. Rinse it well. Boil the daal with just enough water to soften it but not make it too mushy. Make sure to evaporate all the water while it's cooking. Set it aside and let it cool down.
Fry the dry chili in oil and let it cool down. Crush it with your hand. Now mix all the ingredients for the stuffing and set aside.
For the dough, mix the salt and oil with the flour. Add the water, leaving 1/4 cup water aside. Start mixing the dough. Add the rest of the water as needed. Make a smooth and soft dough. Cover the dough and set aside for an hour.
To make the puri, take a small portion of the dough and flatten it on your palm. Add one teaspoon of the stuffing in the middle and carefully bring all the side of the dough together on top and close the dough. Make sure to seal it well. Repeat with rest of the dough.
Heat enough oil in a deep pan over medium high heat. With a rolling pin, roll the stuffed balls slightly. Make sure not to roll it too much, or else the stuffing will come out. Once the oil is hot, deep fry the puris until they are golden brown. Serve with cucumber and your favorite chutney.
Doi Bora
Ingredients:1/2 cup urad/maskolai daal
1 kilo plain yogurt
1 tbsp fresh mint paste
2 tbsp whole coriander seeds
4 dried red chili
1 tsp toasted cumin powder
1 tsp black salt/bit lobon
4 tbsp sugar
Salt to taste
Sweet tamarind chutney:
1/2 cup tamarind pulp
1 cup of sugar
2 tsp five spice/panch phoron
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp mustard oil
Salt to taste
Directions:Wash the daal and soak it the night before. Next day, wash it again and grind it into a smooth paste. You can use a food processor or any grinding tools you have at home. Do not use too much water, just enough to grind it well.
Now use a hand held beater or a whisk to beat the daal well. Beat it until it starts to become light and fluffy. To check the fluffiness of the daal, drop a small portion of the daal in a bowl of water. If it floats, that means the daal is ready for frying.
Heat plenty of oil in a deep frying pan. In a medium size bowl, add about one litre of water and mix 2 tablespoons of salt. Set it aside.
Once the oil is hot, it's time to fry the daal. The oil temperature should be medium hot. Take a small portion of the daal and flatten it with your finger and drop it in the oil. Repeat with rest of the daal. Fry the balls until they become a dark golden colour. It takes about five to seven minutes. Once it's fried, drop them immediately into the salted water. Let it soak for 15 to 20 minutes.
To prepare the yogurt mixture, dry toast the coriander seeds and the dried red chili and cool them down. Once cooled, grind them into a coarse texture. Do not make a fine powder.
Now mix everything for the yogurt mixture together and set aside. Adjust the spice, sugar and salt according to your taste.
Take the lentil balls out of the water one at a time and press them gently in between your palms to get rid of any extra water. Put them in the yogurt mixture. Once done with all the boras, put it in the fridge.
To make the tamarind chutney, grind the panch phoron coarsely. Heat the oil in a small pan. Add the panch phoron and the chili. Mix for five seconds and add the tamarind pulp. Mix it well and add salt and sugar. Let it come to a boil and thicken a bit. Once thickened, let it cool down completely.
To serve, just sprinkle on some extra ground coriander and chili powder and add the tamarind chutney. Serve cold.