Moonglet

Pesarattu is a traditional breakfast of the south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, especially in the northern parts of the state where it commonly prepared at homes and eateries across the region. It is basically a pancake prepared with soaked and ground whole mung beans and sometimes with the skinned yellow variety. It is ground  with the addition of ginger, green chillies, cumin and salt to add flavor and usually served with ginger chutney.  

Moong dal chilla or pudla or polis, are again pancakes prepared with mung beans and are mostly popular in northern and western parts of India. They can be made of desired consistency - thick or thin and is a popular street food as well in the region. You can add finely chopped vegetables to make them nutritious or can stuff them with a spicy paneer, potato or any vegetable filling of your choice. Or they can be served plain with some ketchup or green chutney. 

I came across another version called moonglet sometime last year which has become a new favorite at home. To be honest, I eat pesarattu because they are healthy where as my husband eats it because I am the one who decides the menu and cooks, and he has no other option. You get the drift, right? 😀 Basically no one gets enthusiastic at our home when I prepare pesarattu. This changed when we tasted these moonglet for the first time. 

Moonglet (or the lentil omelet) are also made with the yellow mung which are basically the whole mung beans that are hulled and split. These beans are quick to cook and easily digestible. If planning to make breakfast, soak yellow moong beans overnight or soak them around noon, if planning for evening snack / dinner. They can be soaked just for an hour too, in a time crunch. 

These thicker version pancakes are gluten-free and can be turned vegan by skipping butter in the recipe. What makes these protein rich moonglets different is the addition of fruit salt to the batter which makes the pancakes airy and fluffy. When cooked to a perfect golden brown and crispy with a generous addition of oil and butter, these make a great treat even to the naysayers of pesarattu. These wholesome and nutritious pancakes can be served with a chutney of your choice or some ketchup.

Ingredients: (Yield - 3)

1 cup yellow moongdal

1 tsp. salt or to taste

1 tsp. cumin seeds

1 tsp. grated ginger

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1/4 cup finely chopped tomato

1/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper

1 green chili, finely chopped

2 tbsp. minced cilantro

1/2 tsp. Eno's fruit salt

Oil and butter as needed

Directions:

1. Soak moong dal for an hour or two in enough water. (It can be soaked overnight too if planning for breakfast and doesn't want to waste time for soaking in the morning.)

2. Drain the water used to soak and grind moong and salt together into a thick batter adding water if necessary. (I added slightly more than 1/4 cup of water in total.) 

3. Transfer the batter to a bowl. Add cumin seeds, ginger, chopped onion, tomato, bell pepper, chili and cilantro and mix well.

4. Add Eno's fruit salt and sprinkle a tablespoon of water over it and immediately whisk it with a ladle. Add some water if the batter appears too thick.

* Heat a small pan with some depth and pour oil or butter generously. (I used more about 2 tbsp. oil. Mine was a 8 inch pan with inner circumference of 6 inches). 

5. Pour 2 to 3 ladles (about 1/2 to 3/4 cup) of batter into the pan. 

6. Cover and cook on low flame until it turns golden brown on the bottom side. Don't rush since the pancake needs to be cooked through as it is thicker than usual ones.

7. Flip it and gently score a '+' on the surface with the spatula. 

8. Pour oil / butter over it. (I used a tbsp. of butter.)

* Continue to cook until the other side turns golden brown as well. 

* Transfer it with a spatula onto a plate and repeat the steps with the remaining batter.

* Serve it warm with a chutney / ketchup.

This post is an entry for Blogging Marathon and check the link to find out what other marathoners are cooking.

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