My First Recipe Post

Author: Rekha Gupta

Back then, there weren’t any smart phones , no you tube /Social media etc. Amongst the many things of entertainment, socialising was a big thing and we would be hosting parties almost every weekend . Thus began my tryst with new innovations and experiments of recipes. Cooking for me has always been close to my heart and nothing less than an expression of love/care/affection. This combined with Passion , and a feeling to make my family and friends feel special each time , I came up with some delectable unique recipes which I want to share with all of you. Go ahead and try and feel free to post your feedback and ask any queries you may have.

MANGOCHI; A rich gravy dish with moong dal pakodis . Servings: 4

For better and easy understanding I have listed the ingredients alongside the steps. ( so you don’t you have to scroll back again and again )

For the Moong Pakodis:

Moong Dhuli Dal- 1cup , salt 1\2 tsp. , asafoetida [heeng] a pinch. Ghee 1cup for deep frying. (and why ghee, well, I will have a full post on this bit soon, but for now use ghee please).C@RG

Wash dal 5-6 times then soak it in 4 cups water for 5 hours. grind it with 2 tbsp of chilled water . If need be add 2 tbsp water , the batter should neither be thick nor thin, transfer the batter in a big bowl add salt and asafoetida, now beat the batter with your hand in one direction for more than 5 minutes till light ,fluffy and aerated. Test it by dropping a drop of batter in a bowl filled with water, if it floats on top, the batter is now ready for deep frying .

Heat a karahi,add ghee when hot, drop pakoris with finger tips or use a big spoon. Drop 8-10 pakodis at a time , put the flame on medium , after a minute turn them so they are golden brown on both sides . When golden ,take out in a plate and fry the next batch till all are fried. DO not dip in gravy immediately . C@RG

Ingredients for Gravy [side by side ]

Ghee 2 tbl sp. ,jeera 1tea sp. , haldi 1\2 tea sp., red chillie 1\2 tea sp., heeng 2 pinch.

Take Onions- 2 big : chopped finely,

Garlic- 8 cloves

Tomatoes- 10 and ginger half inch : wash and puree both together in a grinder ],garlic 6 cloves . [you will need so many tomatoes believe me for u need lots of gravy for the pakoris to soak in.

Boiling water -6 cups .

Steps :

Heat a kadahi ,add ghee , add jeera ,when it crackles add very finely chopped onions and saute till light brown , now add finely chopped garlic and saute till golden brown.

Add haldi ,red chilli ,heeng , & immediately add tomatoes and ginger puree. Saute the masala till it leaves ghee and looks red in colour (rich ).

Add boiling water and salt to taste. Cover and let the gravy cook on medium flame for 10 minutes till its semi thick. [not too thick as mangochis will soak ] When Ghee floats on top of the gravy its ready then flame off and dip mangochi in gravy , leave for 15-20 minutes , garnish with whole fried green chillies and fresh corriander leaves.

Enjoy the melt in mouth mangochis with paranthas/puris or plain rotis

Author: Rekha Gupta