Urad Dal Pakora

White Lentil Fritter

Ingredients:
  2 cups Urad Dal (small white lentils)
  1 1/2 teaspoons salt or to taste
  1 teaspoon red chili powder or to taste
  enough oil to fill a fying pan or deep fryer
  OPT. 1/2 teaspoon dal ka masala

Procedure:

Soak the lentils in water overnight.
Drain and grind in a food processor. (A blender will grind it too fine.*) It should be ground rather coarsley, like sand, maybe a little coarser. It will be crispier if it is a little coarse. Add the spices and mix well. Heat oil a deep fryer of frying pan. Test heat by dropping a tiny bit of batter into the oil. It should immediately rise to the surface. Retest until oil reaches this heat level. Drop by teaspoon full into the hot oil (about enough to be the size of a walnut). The fritter should rise immediately to the surface and hold its shape. (If it falls apart, it may have too much liquid. Add a tablespoon of chick pea flour to thicken the mixture). Fry until golden brown. Sprinkle with dal ka masala (not necessary) serve and eat immediately.

Serve as an appetizer with Hari Duniya Chutney or ketchup.
*((If you don't have a machine to grind the lentils...the difficulty rating of this recipe just skyrocketed... Get a rock, take lentils to sidewalk, dump out, grind with rock, scrape up and take back in house. Prepare, eat, call dentist to repair broken tooth from bits of sidewalk.))