If you are tired of monotonous dishes, you can try a lentil vegetable dish. It is very tasty and can be quickly prepared at home. Sometimes there may not be vegetables in the house, or you might just want something other than the usual pumpkin and zucchini; in such cases, the lentil pancake dish is an excellent option.
Preparing this dish does not require complex vegetable chopping or long preparation time. You only need to prepare the lentil dough, and thus you can get a delicious dish. The taste of this vegetable dish is especially good with hot rice, bread, or paratha. Therefore, next time you want something tasty or don't have suitable vegetables, be sure to try the lentil pancake dish. Its taste will impress you so much that you will want to cook it again and again.
For the pancakes:
1 cup of lentils (besan), ½ teaspoon of ajwain, ¼ teaspoon of turmeric powder, ¼ teaspoon of red pepper powder, ½ teaspoon of coriander powder, ½ teaspoon of vegetable or refined oil, salt to taste.
For frying the pancakes:
2 medium onions, finely chopped, 2 medium tomatoes, puree, 1 teaspoon of ginger and garlic paste, 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds, a pinch of asafoetida, a little mustard powder (optional), turmeric powder, coriander powder, red pepper powder to taste, ½ teaspoon of garam masala, water and oil as needed.
To prepare the lentil pancake vegetable dish, first take the lentils in a bowl. Add ajwain, turmeric, red pepper powder, and salt. Then gradually add water to make the dough. It is important to ensure that the dough is neither too runny nor too thick.
Heat a frying pan and grease it with a small amount of oil or refined oil. Place the lentil dough and spread it with a spoon into a round shape. When the pancake is cooked on one side, roll it up. This will help the layers of the pancake to stick together, and the sauce will be able to penetrate inside easily. Fry the roll on both sides until light golden brown. Repeat the process until all the pancakes are ready. After the pancakes cool down, cut them into small pieces with a knife.
To prepare the sauce, heat the oil in a pot. Add cumin and asafoetida. When the cumin starts sizzling, add the finely chopped onion and fry until golden brown. Then add the ginger and garlic paste and cook for some time. Add the tomato puree along with turmeric, coriander, red pepper, and mustard powder, and simmer the spices until the oil begins to separate.
When the spices are well roasted, add water as needed. It should be remembered that the lentil base absorbs the sauce, so you need to add a little more water. After the sauce boils, add the cut pieces of pancakes. Simmer over low heat for 5-7 minutes so that the pancakes fully absorb the flavor of the spices.
Finally, add garam masala, crushed cumin, and finely chopped herbs, then turn off the heat. Serve the finished lentil pancake vegetable dish with hot rice, bread, or paratha and enjoy its taste.