Poushtik Moti (Seasoned and spiced Rice balls)

Wish you All a very Happy Diwali..

Hope everyone is enjoying the festival. Today's post is going to be short because I've to cook for Diwali lunch, then attend an early Thanksgiving party in the evening. Too many things going on in the head and in the kitchen, so I'm going to keep this post short and simple.

This dish is perfect for days like the one I'm having today. Too many things going on and suddenly you realize that you have only sweet dishes and forgot to make the savory dish. You also don't want to make anything deep fried, then this dish is perfect for you.

All you need is rice rawa or cream of rice and you have a fabulous savory snack or a dish to offer to God as prasad. I saw this recipe on a cooking show, the name 'Poushtik Moti' intrigued me and I noted the recipe down. It was not until much later that the situation described above happened in our house and I decided to try this dish. Poushtik means healthy and Moti means pearls, so this dish literally means 'Healthy Pearls'.

Ingredients:

Rice rawa (store bought or home-made) - 1cup

Salt - to taste
Mustard seeds - 1tsp

Cumin seeds - 1tsp

Chana dal - 2tsp

Urad dal - 2tsp

Dry red chili - 1

Green chilies - 2, slit

Almonds - 2tsp, chopped

Cashews - 2tsp, chopped

Turmeric - ½tsp

Method:

• Bring 2~2½cups of water to a boil. Add salt to taste. Then slowly add rawa stirring continuously to avoid lumps. Cook covered on medium-low flame until rawa is completely cooked through and water is absorbed.
• Cool the mixture and form small balls. Set aside.
• Heat 1~2tbsp ghee in a saute pan; add mustard and cumin seeds; once the seeds start to splutter, add rest of the ingredients and saute until dals and nuts are golden. 
• Add the rice balls and mix well so everything is evenly coated with the tempering ingredients. Serve hot.

Sending these over to Valli's 'Cooking with Cookbook Challenge'.