Khara Kadabu - Steamed Lentil Dumplings

A traditional dish never goes out of fashion! This definitely applies to age old recipes that are not only delicious but make you nostalgic with memories of enjoying them. 

Khara Kadabu is one of those dishes, traditionally made during festive occasions in North Karnataka, it's nutritious and protein packed.

Here it is, my verison of KHARA KADABU/STEAMED LENTIL DUMPLINGS:

Ingredients: For the filling, 1 cup Channa Daal (split chickpea lentil) soaked for atleast a few hours, 1/4 cup shredded coconut, 1 tbsp crushed ginger, few chillies, handful coriander leaves, 1 tspn tumeric powder, salt to taste.

For covering, 1 cup fine rice flour, 1 tbspn butter/ghee, 1.5 cups water.

Make: First make the covering. In a pan, bring water to boil, add in ghee and just a spoon of the rice flour. Gradually add in all of the rice flour continuously stirring to avoid lumps. Turn off heat and mix it al well, cover and let it rest. 

Next make the filling. In a mixer, put in the soaked lentils and all of the other ingredients as above. Grind it just a little, based on how coarse you like it. We like it smoother, so grind it a little more. 

To make the dumplings, take a golf sized ball of the rice flour dough with lightly greased hands and roll flat using baking paper (as it will stick to rolling pin if rolled directly). Put in 1 spoon of filling and close by pressing gently. Steam all of them in a steamer for about 20 minutes. The dumplings should be soft and bouncy so easy to remove from the steaming plates.

Serve hot with your favourite chutney!

Dhokla - Steamed Savoury Cake

Snacking does not always have to be unhealthy - infact, with a little bit of effort snacking can be so healthy it becomes part of your daily healthy food intake! 

Traditionally from the Gujurat region of India, Dhokla is just that, a healthy snack that is made from steaming chickpea flour making it both high in protein and low in calories.

There are many variants to the traditional recipe but sharing my version which is easy and quick as well tastes great! Here it is: DHOKLA - Steamed Savoury Cake.

Ingredients: 1 cup of chickpea flour (besan/gram flour), 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 and 1/2 cup of water, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon olive oil. For seasoning, 1 teaspoon oil, 1 teaspoon mustard seeds, 1 teaspoon shredded coconut, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder, handful of chopped coriander, chopped chillies if desired.

Make: In a bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, sugar, salt, olive oil and water together to form a smooth batter with out any lumps. Leave aside covered for about 15 minutes. Grease your steaming dish with a bit of oil then pour in the batter to steam for about 20 minutes. When steamed, sprinkle the shredded coconut and chopped coriander on top. Let it cool for a little while then add the seasoning - in a pan, heat mustard seeds and chillies in oil and pour all over the Dhokla. Cut into pieces and enjoy with a hot cuppa!