Dal Dumplings with Mint and Tamarind Chutney

Beans and legumes are amongst my favourite ingredients to cook with and a staple of the vegetarian repertoire. They often find their way into soups and stews, but today I thought I'd share something a little different: spiced dumplings! These are much like an Indian take on falafel, made with channa and urid dals and spiced with ginger, coriander and Indian spices. They're fun to eat and a perfect partner for mint and tamarind chutney. Enjoy!

Channa and Urid Dal Dumplings

Serves: 4 | Dietary: Vegan

Ingredients:

• 100g channa dal
• 100g urid dal
• 2 green chillis
• 4 dried red chillis
• 2 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp chopped ginger
• 2 tbsp coriander, chopped
• ½ small red onion, grated
• ¼ tsp kalonji seeds
• pinch of asoefotida
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp bicarbonate soda
• Sunflower oil for frying

Method

1. Soak the dals overnight or a minimum 4 hours, then rinse them well. Put them in a food processor and blend with the green and red chilli, adding the water and lemon juice until well combined, but still a bit grainy. Stir in the ginger, coriander and onion, kalonji, asofoetida and season to taste with the salt, stir in the bicarbonate of soda.
2. Heat the oil in a Wok, to 1/3 the way and deep fry or shallow fry in a deep frying pan
3. Scoop out 1 tbsp of the mixture with wet fingers or a tablespoon and drop gently into oil and fry until golden brown – 3-4 minutes
4. Serve with mint and tamarind chutney (recipe below).

Mint and Tamarind Chutney

Dietary: Vegan

Ingredients:

• 50g fresh coriander, leaf and stem
• 50g fresh mint, destalked
• 3 small green chillies
• 1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tbsp jaggery
• 2 tbsp tamarind paste
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tablespoons lime juice

Method:

Chop the coriander and mint. Put them into a food processor or a pestle and mortar and grind with the chillis, salt, cumin seeds and jaggery until a smooth paste is formed. Stir in the tamarind, water and lime juice.