A - Z Indian Street Foods ~ R for Ram Ladoo

The word 'ladoo' usually conjures up an image of roundly shaped delicious sweet for Indians. However there is also a savory 'ladoo' associated with Delhi chaats known as ram ladoo. In this case, deep fried savory balls are prepared from a batter of moong and chana dals and drizzled with spicy, tangy green chutney and grated radish. However I thought of adding sweet chutney as well for more flavor. The recipe is not very elaborate if you have the chutneys prepared in advance or store bought. It can be divided into two parts. The first one is the preparation of moong-chana ladoo / vada and the second part is assembling before serving. I usually buy daikon instead of radish and that is what I used in this recipe. I was skeptical about the addition of radish / daikon in the recipe until I tasted it to notice how well it compliments the dish. My husband and I loved ram ladoo very much and ate the second round drizzling some yogurt as well which was like eating moong dahi vada.

Ingredients for moong vadas:
3/4 cup yellow moong dal
A handful of chana dal / Bengal gram 
2 or more green chillies, roughly chopped
1 tsp. ginger pieces
1/8 tsp. asafoetida powder
Salt to taste
2 tbsp. finely chopped cilantro
Oil for deep frying

Ingredients for ram ladoo:
Moong vadas
1/2 cup peeled and grated white radish / daikon 
Green chutney
Sweet tamarind chutney
Lemon juice to taste
Chaat masala
Minced cilantro to garnish

Method:
* Soak moong dal and chana dal for about 3 hours. Drain and grind them along with chillies, ginger, asafoetida and salt adding no water. (Add about a tbsp. water only if needed. Try not to add water since the batter would be runny and difficult to shape the ladoos.)
* Transfer the ground batter to a bowl and add cilantro. Whisk the mixture well.
* Heat oil in a frying pan or a kadai. Drop spoonfuls of batter into the hot oil. (I shaped them into rounds using my hands.) Fry as many as ladoo as the pan can fit without overcrowding.

* Lower the flame and fry flipping the 'ladoo' intermittently until they turn golden brown throughout. Remove them with a slotted spoon and drain them on absorbent towels.

Assembling part:
* Combine grated radish and cilantro together.
* Place 4 to 6 laddus in a serving dish. Spoon a tsp. each of green chutney and sweet tamarind chutney over them. Next put a tbsp. of radish - cilantro mixture, 1/2 tsp. lemon juice, 2 pinches of chaat masala. Add a layer of chutneys again if needed.
* Serve them immediately.

So far, on this series, 
A for Aloo Kabli
B for Bajra Vada
C for Chooda Matar
D for Dahi Batata Puri
E for Elaichi - Kesar Lassi
F for Fulwadi
G for Ghugni Chaat
H for Hare Chane Ki Chaat
I for Indori Garaadu Chaat
J for Jamun Bun
K for Khakra - Chana Bhel 
L for Locho
M for Masala Puri Chaat
N for Nippattu Masala Chaat
O for Onion Pakoda  
P for Palakhova Bun
Q for Qabuli Chana Chaat

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 87

An InLinkz Link-up

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Easy Breezy Ragi Muddhe & Radish Sambhar

A ragi muddhe served with some spicy sambhar is totally a satisfying and fulfilling meal. Muddhe pronounced as  mu - they with a stress on they. Muddhey refers to the circular shaped big morsel of cooked ragi flour.

The state of Karnataka accounts for almost half of the total production of ragi (finger millet) in India and no wonder that it is one of their chief crops. However ragi is popular mostly in the Southern regions of that state and here the grain is eaten in one form or another in most of the households. Ragi has been prized for its health benefits for centuries. It is rich in iron and calcium, diabetic friendly and is said to cool one's body. The facts that it is available abundantly at a cheaper price and is comfortably fulfilling make it more popular among the economically weaker section.
Ragi rotti and ragi muddhe have to be the most quintessentially popular ones among the ragi dishes prepared. I have to however stress that all Kannadigas don't eat muddhe and rotti scores more points over it since it is eaten widely through out the state. Ragi muddhe rules over rice especially in and around regions of Bangalore. A big muddhe + saaru lunch and dinner is a pretty common sight in most of the households, irrespective of one's social / economic status. This is not a restaurant item, though. I remember seeing some military hotels displaying the 'muddhe ready' boards outside. I don't know whether the new eateries presenting 'themed' food now serve muddhe in the name of traditional food. Sadly, I am no longer familiar with the Bangalore scenario except eating at the Indiranagar Shantisagar once or twice in the last decade.
Liking 'ragi' is an acquired taste and liking a 'muddhe' is more so. Many may not find the earthy flavor of ragi very inviting unless they are used to it or want to reap the benefits of this healthy grain. If you are a new user, I would recommend rottis / huri hittu to try. Probably ragi muddhe is the last thing to attempt because of its flavor and texture. Also preparing it in the traditional way is said to be trickier and needs expertise. I must admit that I was not a fan of muddhe until a couple of years ago even though I grew up eating all the other delicious ragi preparations. When M mentioned that his mother used to prepare ragi sankati (ragi - rice preparation) and all his siblings used to enjoy it, I hopped onto the blogosphere looking for an easier version and landed at Madhu's place. She happens to be one of my early blogger buddies and blogs no longer after her move to India.
Coming back to the recipe, this is a very easy version and is hard to mess up. All one need to do is just follow the measurements and instructions precisely. I have been making this for years now and the recipe is a keeper.

Ingredients:
1 cup - Ragi flour
2 cups - Water
Salt to taste (I usually don't add it.)
(Basically ragi flour : water ratio needs to be 1 : 2)

Method:
* Bring a cup of water to boil in a pan.
* Meanwhile, combine a cup of ragi flour and a cup of water to form a smooth paste. Keep it aside.
* While water is boiling, slowly add the ragi paste and salt to it. Keep stirring with a wooden spoon until it comes together with out any lumps. When it appears cooked, remove from the fire. 
When the cooked dough is still warm, wet your hands and shape it into balls of desired size. (I skip this step since I make small quantity and eat it once done. Mine is done in around 8 - 10 minutes.)

One would not sit and chew ragi muddhe morsels like one usually does with rice. They usually dip a small portion of the muddhe in a generous amount of a spicy saaru / gravy (bassaru / massappu / a spicy green leafy vegetable stew) and just swallow/gulp it since it sticks to the roof of the mouth if eaten leisurely.
M loves with eggplant sambhar but recently I have started to serve ragi muddhe with all kinds of sambhars and so it was radish sambhar this time. Now here is the recipe for radish sambhar.

Ingredients: (For 6 servings:)
2/3 cup toor dal / pigeon peas
1 cup radish pieces (Radish peeled and cut into thin discs. Regular long white ones  / daikon can be substituted. )
1/8 tsp turmeric powder
1 Tbsp sambhar powder
Salt to taste
1.5 tsp chili powder
4 Tbsp or as needed - tamarind juice (a lime sized tamarind soaked in water and juice squeezed.)
For tadka: 2 tsp oil, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, a pinch of asafoetida powder and few curry leaves

Making sambhar:
* Wash the toordal in two exchanges of water. Add 1.5 cups of water, radish discs and turmeric powder to the dal container and place it in a pressure cooker and cook till the dal is almost mushy. Alternatively, it can be cooked on stovetop in a kadai / deep based pan adding water as needed and stirring in between.
* Take a kadai / pan and add the cooked dal and vegetable. Mash it a little bit with the back of a ladle. Then add sambhar powder, chili powder, salt and tamarind juice. Add extra water to bring to sambhar consistency. Mix well and turn on the heat. Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed. Bring it to a rolling boil. Lower the heat and allow the sambhar to simmer for a couple of minutes more.
* Meanwhile, heat oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves. When the mustard seeds start to sizzle, add the asafoetida powder and turn off the stove. Add this tadka to the cooked sambhar and mix well.

Note:
1. There is another version, where rice is added to muddhe while cooking.
2. Traditionally, a wooden gadget called muddhe kolu is used to stir the muddhe. I find a wooden spatula does the job and using a nonstick pan makes it further easier.

This is my 'Ragi' themed post on the fourth day of this BM#6. Check what the other marathoners are cooking.

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Masoor Dal Sambhar

I opt for masoor dal when I need to cook a quick meal. This orange hued dal which turns yellow on cooking is one of the fastest cooking bean. It neither needs prior soaking nor a pressure cooker (to speed up the cooking process) as in the case of other beans. Besides those quick fix meals which are done in about 20 minutes, I reserve this dal even to those ocassions when I am feeling lethargic but still need a substantial meal. I usually prepare a sambhar or simple yet delicious dal tadka using masoor dal.



Though toordal is the commonly used bean to prepare sambhar, some other beans such as masoordal works well too. Sambhar - the signature South Indian vegetable - lentil stew gets its flavor and oomph from sambhar powder - the spice mixture used in the dish.
Coming to sambhar powder, there is no standard recipe as such. Probably, there are as many variations as the number of households in the region. Even in our families, everyone doesn't follow the same recipe for the sambhar powder. Each have their own cherished recipe which they follow and enjoy. The recipe which I am giving is from M's SILs which I personally like.
Sambhar Powder Recipe:
Ingredients for sambhar powder:
Chanadal - 1/4 cup
Coriander seeds - 1 cup (Quantity can be decreased / increased by 1/2 cup depending upon the spiciness preferred.)
Fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp
Shredded copra - 1/2 cup
Red Chillies - 10- 15

Method:
Dry fry the chana dal in a saute pan on low-medium flame till it turns reddish. Remove the chanadal and add the coriander seeds to the same pan and fry them. Pay attention as they burn easily. When they start to turn brownish and release aroma, add the fenugreek seeds & the red chillies. Saute them for a few seconds and turn off the stove. Cool the mixture and grind it into fine powder using a spice grinder. Store it in an airtight container.
Note: Decrease / increase the quantity of ingredients proportionately depending upon how much sambhar powder needs to be prepared.



Sambhar Recipe:
Ingredients required:
1/2 cup masoor dal
2 cups chopped veggies (I used carrots, green beans, radish, tomato & fresh soy beans)
3.5 cups water
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sambhar powder
1&1/2 tsp chili powder
Lime sized tamarind ( Soak the tamarind in a cup of water or nuke it in a microwave along with little water for about a couple of minutes. Squeeze the tamarind well with your fingers or put through a sieve and collect the thick pulp. Throw away the husks & residue.)
For tadka / popu: 1 tsp canola/peanut oil, 1 tsp each of mustard & cumin seeds, a little asafoetida and curry leaves

The cooking part:
Wash the masoordal in two changes of water. Then add it to an Indian style wok/deeper sauce pan. Add the vegetables, water and turmeric powder to it and cook it on medium - high heat till the dal is cooked.
After the dal is cooked, add the salt, chili powder, sambhar powder, 3 Tbsp tamarind puree and mix well. Taste and adjust the salt/tamarind if needed and add a little water if the sambhar is thicker. Bring it to a rolling boil, turn down the heat and let the sambhar simmer for about a couple of minutes more.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds & cumin seeds to it. When mustard seeds start to pop, add the asafoetida & curry leaves and turn off the stove.
Add this to the sambhar and mix well.
Serve this with hot, steamed rice and a tsp of ghee.



This goes to Think Spice - Think Coriander Seeds, guest hosted by Priya and the event creator is Sunitha.

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