Lentil dumplings in coconut curry

I got to taste this curry for the first time during my recent visit to India. That time I never bothered to get the recipe for this curry. Few weeks back I went to my friends place and we got to talk about this recipe and she said she makes it in different ways. I know this recipe needs only lentils and coconut so I mailed her asking for the recipe as I was running out of veggies. She promptly replied my mail and that’s how I tried this recipe today. This looks like malai kofta but this curry is made of lentils steamed and cooked in coconut curry sauce. Here goes the recipe!!!

Method to make the lentil dumplings

• Soak ½ cup chana dal & ½ cup toor dal in water for 2- 3 hours.

• Grind the dals with 2-3 red chilies, 1 tsp cumin seeds, and salt without adding water. Grind to a coarse paste and not to a thick paste.

• To the ground paste add ½ big onion finely chopped and mix with the paste. Make lemon size balls with your hands.

• Arrange the balls on idly moulds and steam cook for 9- 10 minutes until the ball gets cooked.
  

Making lentil dumpling with coconut curry

• For the curry heat the pan with 2-3 tsp oil, add mustard, cumin, and curry leaves and saute for few minutes.

• Add ½ big onion finely chopped, 1 tomato finely chopped, ¼ tsp fenugreek powder, and pinch of asafetida and saute them well.

• Add 1 ½ tsp chili powder, 3 ½ tsp coriander powder, ½ tsp turmeric powder, lemon size tamarind soaked in 1 cup of water, and salt. Mix everything and cook on low-medium heat for few minutes.

• Grind ½ - ¾ cup of coconut and pour it to the curry and cook for another few minutes.

• Slowly drop the lentil dumplings to the curry and cook for another few minutes.

Serve hot with rice :)

See Priya's lentil dumpling curry, Sudha's lentil dumplings in Yogurt sauce
and Manpasand's Lentil soup