Lentil Cakes | Recipe

This has to be one of my favourite vegetarian dishes of all time. It is a Satvic recipe (no garlic or onions are used in it), so is a popular dish for religious festivities. It does require patience to make it, as it’s a long process with two stages of cooking, but the results are so worth it. This dish was usually made when my parents had invited guests for dinner and we would look forward to the leftovers the next day, when the lentil cakes had absorbed more of the gravy.

Ingredients

For the lentil cakes

• 250g Bengal gram lentils
• (chana dal), soaked in water overnight
• 1 tablespoon desiccated (dried
• unsweetened shredded) coconut
• 2-cm piece of fresh ginger, grated
• 1 green chilli, roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon asafoetida
• ½ teaspoon carom seeds
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon rapeseed (canola) oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• vegetable oil, for greasing and shallow frying
• 2 tablespoons plain (all-purpose) flour

For the gravy

• 2 tablespoons mustard oil
• 2 potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 1½ teaspoons cumin seeds
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• 2.5-cm piece of fresh ginger, grated
• 2 tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon Bengali Garam Masala
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 green bird’s eye chilli, slit lengthways
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon ghee

Method

Start with the lentil cakes. Drain the soaked lentils and put them in a blender along with the coconut, ginger, chilli, asafoetida, carom seeds, ground cumin, sugar and salt. Add about 5 tablespoons of water and blend to a semi-coarse mixture. Do not make the paste too smooth or the lentil cakes will break when frying.

Heat a karai or wok over a medium heat and add the tablespoon of rapeseed oil. When hot, add the cumin seeds and cook until the aromas release. Carefully add the spice paste – it will sizzle. Cook for 6 minutes, stirring constantly to ensure the mixture doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. The mixture will begin to thicken as the water evaporates. Continue to stir until the mixture starts to look like a dough, then remove from the heat.

Oil the work surface with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Place the lentil mixture on the surface and use a straight-edged spatula to flatten it out into a square shape, about 2cm thick. Smooth out the edges and top. Carefully divide the square into 20 equal small squares and gently separate each one on the work surface.

Heat enough oil for shallow-frying in a karai, wok or deep frying pan (skillet).

Meanwhile, put the flour in a small bowl and add 6 tablespoons of water. Mix to a thin white paste.

When the oil is hot, take a lentil square and dip it in the flour paste. Ensure is well coated, then gently lower it into the hot oil. Repeat with all the lentil squares, ensuring you don’t add too many in one go. Fry for about 4 minutes until the lentil cakes begin to turn a golden colour. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and place on a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain.

Repeat until all the lentil cakes are cooked and set them aside.