Daal Dhoka

I have been highly inspired recenlty with the number of food blogs I have been visiting and so I decided to post recipes freqeuntly. People say I cook well and honestly, that when I didn't know any till 9 years back is a HUGE Compliment. :D.
As I mentioned earlier too, I am having a hard time deciding the food menu every other day as I have decided to stick to a strict vegetarian diet this year, all through the month of sawan. Head scratching and all I made Daal Dhoka for dinner last evening and as always forgot to click the pictures :(
But of course I have the recipe here for those of you who may some day visit my blog. The recipe I used is from my mom. She used to make the same using masoor daal also, but the one here I did using chana daal.

Daal Dhoka Curry

Ingredients:
Chana dal- 2 cups
Ginger paste 3 tsps
Cumin powder-2 tsps
Coaiander Powder-2tsps
Red chilly Powder (Optional) - 1tsp
Turmeric Powder-2 tsps
Cumin seeds-1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds-1 tsp
Salt-2 tsps or as per taste
Tomatoes- 4 (finely chopped)
Green chilly/Whole Red Chilly: 4
Mustard Oil for frying

Method
Soak the chana daal for 2-3 hours
Grind the daal to a fine paste using little water.
Mix the ginger paste, chilly powder, turmeric and salt
In a Heavy bottomed pan, add 1 tsp oil and splutter the cumin seeds
Add the Dal mixture to this and cook for sometime till the paste starts becoming a little sticky
Oil a flat dish/plate
Pour the daal mixture into it flattening it with a spatula while still hot
Let it cool for around 10 mins.
Cut into diamond shaped pieces
The dal dhoka is ready

To fry the dhokas now:
Heat oil in a kadahi/wok
Deep fry the daal dhoka till they turn brown
Fry all the pieces

In the remaining oil
Splutter the fenugreek seeds and add the whole red chilly or green chilly
Add the ginger past, cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, salt and tomatoes.
Fry for sometime till oil starts leaving the bottom of the pan
Add 2 glasses of water.
Boil for sometime and then add the fried dhokas
Garnish with Coriander leaves
Serve with roti or rice

I need readers for my blogposts. Especially the recipe posts. I don't know how to go about it yet..would ask a few friends to link my blog to theirs.