serves
4
prep
45 minutes
cook
10 minutes
difficulty
Mid
serves
4
people
preparation
45
minutes
cooking
10
minutes
difficulty
Mid
level
Ingredients
- 20 g mung dal
- 20 g channa dal
- 20 g masoor dal
- 20 g urad dal
- Salt, to taste
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- Vegetable oil, for deep – frying
Toppings
- 250 g thick Greek yoghurt
- 2 baby golden beetroot, thinly sliced
- 2 baby candy beetroots, thinly sliced
- Squeeze of lemon juice
- Mint leaves, to garnish
Soaking time: 5 hours
Instructions
- Place all the dal in a large bowl, cover with plenty of cold water and stand for 5 hours.
- Meanwhile, for the toppings, place the yoghurt in a piece of muslin or cheesecloth. Tie into a bag and hang in the fridge over a bowl to drain the whey. You can do this the night before if time permits.
- Drain the dal, then place in a food processor with the salt, sugar, turmeric, chilli powder and ground coriander until a coarse paste forms. Place the paste in a non – stick frying pan and stir over medium heat for a few minutes to dry it out a little and to bring the paste together. Place the cooked paste into one half of a small baking tray so that it is about 1 ½ cm thick. Cool to room temperature then slice into squares.
- While the dal paste is cooling, thinly slice the beetroots on a mandolin and toss in a bowl with the lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Spoon the hung yoghurt into a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle if you wish.
- Heat the oil for deep – frying in a deep saucepan to 190˚C. Deep fry the indrahar for a few minutes or until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towel. Top the indrahar with the yoghurt, beetroot slices and micro mint and serve immediately.
Delve into the diversity of Indian cuisine with India Unplated, Thursdays 8pm on SBS Food.
Photography by Andrew Dorn.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
