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5 from 7 votes

Beetroot Dal with Onion Bhajji

Ingredients

For the Dal

  • 3 small beets scrubbed
  • 70 g moong dal lentils dried
  • 4 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • ¼ teaspoon black mustard seeds
  • ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
  • ¼ teaspoon coriander seeds
  • 1 medium red onion chopped finely
  • ½ green chilli deseeded and chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • teaspoon chilli powder
  • ¼ teaspoon cumin ground
  • ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
  • teaspoon turmeric
  • pinch maldon salt
  • 300 ml vegan stock
  • 2 teaspoon lime juice

For the Bhajji

  • 2 large onions halved and then sliced thinly, ideally with a mandolin
  • 110 g chickpea flower
  • 40 g rice flour
  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon chilli powder
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 16 tablespoon water
  • 1 litre of vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

To Make the Dal

  • In a saucepan, add the moong dal and bring to the boil over a medium heat. leave to boil for around 20-30 minutes or until soft and cooked through. Set aside.
  • Put the beets in a small saucepan of boiling water over a medium heat.
  • Boil for around 15-20 minutes or until a knife can be inserted into the beet very easily.
  • Once boiled, remove the beets and put them into a bowl of cold water to cool them down.
  • Once cooled, peel the beets and grate them finely. Set them aside.
  • In a large saucepan, add the oil. Place over medium high heat and add the seeds. Toast gently for a minute until the mustard seeds start to pop then immediately add the onion and garlic. Fry for a few minutes until the onion is turning translucent. Add the chilli, fry for a minute.
  • Add the grated beetroot and stir. Add the spices the salt and the lentils, along with the stock.
  • Cover and let simmer for around 10 minutes or until the sauce is nice and thick. Right before serving, stir in the lime juice.

To Make the Bhajji

  • Place a large saucepan on the hob over medium heat. Bring the oil to around 180c or until a pinch of chickpea flour bubbles gently.
  • Mix together the flours and the spices and salt. Toss the sliced onions in the flour mix and start adding water a few tablespoons at a time until the batter forms.
  • Once the oil is to temperature, pick up around 2tbsp of onion bhajji mix with two forks and lower gently into the oil. Fry for around a minute in total, flipping half way through. Remove the bhajji and rest on kitchen towel momentarily while you fry the rest of the mix. Serve a few bhajji on top of the dal with some rice on the side.