KOVAKKAI USULLI

KOVAKKAI USULLI

Ingredients

1/2 cup toor dal
2 tbsp chana dal
2 dried red chillies
1/4 tsp hing
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp salt
1 spring curry leaves
1 tbsp oil

Little coconut grates
2 cups length-wise slit kovakkai
1 tsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds for tempering
Salt to taste

Preparation for Usuli:

Soak 1/2 cup toor dal with 2 tbsp chana dal, either overnight or for 3 hours in warm water. Grind this to a coarse paste with 2 broken dried red chillies, 1/4 tsp of asafoetida powder, pinch of turmeric powder, 1 tsp salt and a few coconut without adding any water.
Steam this paste in an idli-steamer or a regular steamer for 10-15 minutes until the lentil paste is cooked. Remove to a bowl once cooled and crumble into small pea-sized pieces. Keep aside.

Directions:

Place the slit pieces of kovakkai in microwave safe bowl, sprinkle some water ,add little salt and cook them on high for 5 minutes. Keep aside.
In a non stick pan, heat 1 tbsp oil, and put in the crumbled usili. Stir them around on medium flame till golden and slightly crispy.
In the same pan, take 1 tsp oil, put in the mustard seeds and broken red chilli pieces. Once they crackle, put it the cooked kovakkai, salt to taste, stir around for 2 minutes.
Add the stir fried usili and stir together for 2 minutes until they have come together.
Serve hot with Mor Kozhambu ,Mor Kootu and rice along with some appalams.

Notes:

You could make double the batch, and freeze the lentil 'idlis' for the next time you are making this. Making the Usili is the only time consuming part of this recipe.

Mor kozhambu is the best combination with Usuli as this dish is already heavy with lentils. Combining this with sambhar, which is again made with lentils, makes it a very tough to digest combination.