Sindhi Whole Green Gram dal & Aloo Took

Blogging Marathon# 28: Week 3/ Day 2
Theme: Sindhi Dishes
Dish: Sindhi Mung-a & Aloo Took

For day 2 of BM under 'Sindhi dishes' theme, I made 2 very delicious and simple dishes. Dal with moong beans and a dry curry with potato. I had a lot of Sindhi dishes bookmarked to try like this amazing Sindhi Saibhaji, Kokis and other veggies dishes. But my husband's been travelling and I didn't want to make these just for myself because even if I make just a little bit, there will be a lot leftover for me to eat for a whole week. So after browsing through Vaishali's & Alka's blogs, I ended up with 2 dishes that can be made with minimum ingredients and in small quantity, so I won't have too much leftover.

First up is this simple dal made with whole moong beans. I love all beans, both for their health benefits and texture. When I saw the recipe on Vaishali's blog, I thought how different can it be from the dishes I'm used to. But I was pleasantly surprised on how much flavor just finely chopped ginger and garlic imparts to a dish.

Sindhi Mung-a

Ingredients:

Whole Green gram (Moong beans) - 1cup

Green Chilies - 2, finely chopped

Ginger - 1" piece, finely grated

Garlic - 1-2 cloves, grated

Tomato puree - 3tbsp (or add 1 ripe tomato)

Red chili powder - ¼tsp 

Turmeric powder - ¼tsp
Salt - to taste

Method:

• Soak the beans for 2-4 hours. Then pressure cook them with some salt until tender.
• Heat 2tsp ghee in a small sauce pan, add finely chopped/ grated green chilies, ginger and garlic. Cook on low flame until they start smelling fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Next add the tomato puree and cook for 1-2 minutes.
• Add turmeric and red chili powder.
• Finally add the cooked mung beans and salt. Add water to get the desired consistency and cook for 3-4 minutes. Serve hot with a Sindhi curry and roti for a complete meal. 

I had this spicy and tasty dal with some deep fried potato goodness, aloo took. I had the oil that I used to fry the pakwan and so decided to go ahead and indulge myself in this high calorie yumminess. Potatoes are double fried to golden, so they are crispy on the outside and creamy & airy on the inside. Recipe adapted from Alka's recipe and Vaishali's recipe.

Aloo Took

Ingredients:
Potatoes - 3 medium
Ground Coriander - ¼tsp
Ground Cumin - ¼tsp
Red Chili Powder - ¼tsp
Black Pepper - ¼tsp
Garam Masala - ¼tsp
Aamchoor powder (dry mango powder) - ¼tsp
Salt - to taste

Method:

• Cut the potatoes into thick slices, about 2-3 slices from 1 medium potato. With a sharp knife,  score the flat sides of the slices. Sprinkle some salt and set them aside for 5 minutes. I pat dried them with a paper towel before drying just so that the moisture doesn't cause oil to splutter. Then deep fry these potato slices on low flame until they look cooked through. Remove onto a paper lined plate and let cool.
• Once the potatoes are cool enough to touch, flatten them between your palms. Deep fry these again until golden on both sides.
• In the meantime, mix all the dry spices along with salt. Once the potatoes are ready, sprinkle the masala mix on top and enjoy them hot with a gravy dish of choice and rice or roti.

Lets check out what my fellow marathoners have cooked today for BM# 28.