Dal Pakwan

Ingredients :

For Dal :

250gms chana dal (Split Bengal gram)

1 small tomato

1 medium sized onion

2 - 3 green chillies

1 teaspoon cumin seeds( Jeera)

5- 6 curry leaves

Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Oil - 1 tablespoon

A pinch of asafoetida (hing)

1 teaspoon amchur (dry mango powder)

Salt to taste

For Pakwan :

2 cups Plain flour

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds or Ajwain (Caraway seeds)

Oil for frying

Water for kneading

Salt to taste

Method :

For Dal :

Wash and soak the dal for an hour. Heat oil in  a pan, add asafoetida, chopped onion and fry for a couple of minutes. Add grated tomato and fry till they are soft. Add dal, turmeric powder, salt, little water and pressure cook it till one whistle. Dal should be tender but not mushy. Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds, curry leaves and when they crackle, add cooked dal and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes. While serving sprinkle amchur powder, chilly powder, tamarind and dates chutney, green chutney and finely chopped onions. Serve hot with fried pakwans.

For Pakwans :

Mix the flour with cumin seeds, caraway seeds, salt,little oil and sufficient water and make a dough. Let it rest for at least for 15 minutes. Divide it into 10-12 small portions. Roll out each portion like a chapathi. Prick the surface with a fork, so that it doesn't puff out while frying.Heat oil in a pan till smoking point, then slide in the pakwan one by one and fry it on low flame until crisp and golden in colour. Serve hot with pakwan.