Tadka

The Amchi soul in me jumps at the sight of Taro leaves, Bread Fruit, Bamboo Shoots and many such rarely available ingredients. Similarly with time, my Amchi Soul has split into two personalities. Its new born twin is Bong, you see… It jumps at the sight of Date Palm Jaggery, Gobindo Bhog Rice, Bodi and the like! A couple of months back we discovered this Bengali Store which stocked up all such goodies which are hardly seen anywhere in Bangalore. Just looking at all that the store had to offer made me nostalgic. I was reminded of our ‘Paara’s Mudikhana dokan’ (local grocery store) and the faces of the storekeepers came floating in my mind like movie clippings. I stood there inspecting each and every shelf to ensure I was not missing anything. I spotted this ‘Tadka masala’ which Bhabi used to use whenever she made Tadka at home. It was then that I realized I hadn’t eaten Tadka in ages…

Green gram captivated me for the first time when Bhabi prepared this dish at home to go along with Puris for breakfast. She also added eggs to it which made it even more special. Tadka can be served with Rotis for lunch or dinner as well…

Ingredients:

Green Gram – 1 cup, washed and soaked overnight

Onion – 2, medium sized, finely chopped

Tomatoes – 2, medium sized, finely chopped

Ginger paste – 1 tbsp

Garlic paste – 1 tsp (optional)

Red chillies – 1, broken into 3-4 pieces

Bay leaf – 1-2

Cumin seeds – ½ tsp

Green chillies – 2 or more as per spice tolerance, chopped (Optional)

Salt – to taste

Tadka masala – 2 tsp

Turmeric powder – a pinch

Eggs – 2 (opional)

Oil – 3 tbsp + ½ tbsp

Coriander leaves – a handful, finely chopped

Method:

1. Boil soaked green gram in pressure cooker with salt for 4-5 whistles (2 on high, rest on low). Retain the water.
2. Omit this step if not adding eggs: Heat ½ tbsp oil in a pan and 2 eggs in it along with salt. Scramble eggs and keep aside.
3. Heat 3 tbsp oil in the same pan. Add cumin seeds. When they splutter, add red chillies and bay leaves.
4. Add chopped onion and sauté till they turn light brown.
5. Add ginger paste and garlic paste (if adding) and sauté till raw smell goes away.
6. Add chopped tomatoes and sauté till they become mushy and oil separates.
7. Add boiled green gram along with the water, tadka masala, turmeric powder and salt (Check salt before adding as the gram boiled water would already be salty). Boil till you get the desired consistency.
8. Granish with scrambled eggs and coriander leaves.

Note:

I used Sunrise brand Tadka Masala. If it is not available, you may substitute with Pav Bhaji Masala or Kitchen King Masala.