Dahi Bara/Lentil dumpling in curd

150 gm Urad dal/white lentil

250 ml dahi/curd

100 ml refined oil for frying

Tamarind Sauce*

1 Tbsp whole jeera/ cumin seeds

1 tsp paprika powder

Salt and sugar to taste

1. Wash and soak urad dal for about 6 hours.
2. Grind it with as minimum water as possible to a very fine paste.  Keep it in the fridge for an hour.
3. Add little cold water if it is too thick and beat to a creamy thick mixture. (If a small portion of the mixture is dropped in water floats, then beating is complete.)

4. Roast  jeera on a heavy pan over medium heat till the aroma of jeera is released. 

5. Allow it to cool and then grind into fine powder. 

6. Add salt to taste and ½ tsp of jeera powder to the creamy dal mixture and mix well.

7. Make the dahi-water: take 2-3 Tbsp of curd and beat it until smooth.  Add 1 cup of water to it.  Add salt and sugar to your taste and ½ tsp of the jeera powder and mix well.  Pour dahi-water onto a wider container as shown in the picture.

8. To shape the baras/dumplings: cover the bottom side of a tea mug with cling film as shown in the picture. 

9. Heat a heavy pan with the oil. Reduce the heat to medium. 

10. Oil the cling film on the mug. 

11. Spoon a small portion of the dal mixture on it and with a wet finger make a hole at the centre. 

12. Carefully slide over the bara into the hot oil.

13. Fry the bara over low heat until golden brown on both sides, turning it once. 

14. Remove from the oil and place it in the prepared dahi water. 

15. Let it get soaked for some time and turn over to the other side. 

16. When the bara is completely soaked, remove it to a dry plate. 

17. Repeat step 10 to step 16  til the mixture is done.

18. Place all the baras on a serving dish. 

19. Beat the remaining dahi well with salt and sugar to your taste. Add 1/2 tsp of little jeera powder and mix well. Pour the dahi over the baras. 

20. Lightly pour tamarind sauce over the dahi.  Sprinkle the remaining jeera and paprika powder on top and serve.

75 gm tamarind

120 gm sugar

1 Tbsp refined oil

½ tsp mustard seeds

½  tsp sauf/aniseeds

½ tsp kaljeera/black cumin seeds

½ tsp salt

1 tsp finely chopped green chillies

1. Soak tamarind in 1 cup of water for about 30 minutes. Squeeze out the pulp and strain it.

2. Heat a heavy pan with 1 Tbsp of refined oil.

3. Add ½ tsp of mustard seeds.  When the mustard seeds crackle add the chopped chillies and then the tamarind pulp. 

4. Add ½ tsp of salt and allow it to boil. 

5. Add the sugar and simmer for about 3 minutes.

6. In the meantime roast kaljeera and saunf over low heat. When the aroma comes out, switch off the heat and allow to cool.

7. Grind to fine powder.

8. Add 1/2 tsp of the kaljeera  mixture to the tamarind sauce and remove from the heat. It is yummy !