This is a quintessential konkani treat. They are basically rice+dal ground coarsely with coconut+chillies+tamarind that are steamed like an Idli. But unlike an Idli, they are very savoury and can be had as a snack or as a side dish with rice and dal for lunch or maybe instead of a lunch. They can be quite filling. This is one of my favorite konkani dish after pathrado, of course. Which is why when Sailu announced dal as the ingredient for jihva, I knew I was going to send this one in.
You know, there is such a thing as ‘too much of a good thing’. Same comes to mind with the ingredient for this time’s jihva. With such a wide variety to choose from, I was completely at sea as to which dish is special enough to be included. My instinct in such situations is always to go for the most simple thing. Now, you know, why I avoid shopping in supermarkets. I almost went with daali thoi which is a konkani plain tadka dal. Then, I remembered this dish and decided to go with this one.
Since the announcement of the ingredient, I have been noticing, that there is rarely a day when I don’t use dal in some form or the other. If I am not cooking it or rolling it into a dosa or grinding it into a paste as a stuffing, I am using it as a tadka. A pregnant friend of mine tested positive for gestational diabetes and has been asked to lay off lentils in any form. I have a more clear idea of how much tough it must be for her to come up with something that doesn’t need dals in some form or other. I mean, most of our cooked leafy veggies(which she is allowed to eat in abundance) tend to be thickened to be thickened with besan. poor Girl!!!…
Anyway, mudde are basically steamed cakes. They are khotte if they are steamed in jackfruit leaves(4 jackfruit leaves stitched together to form a container) which makes them very aromatic and a something, something that makes them special. Check out this versatile dish.
1 cup toor dal
3/4 cup rice
1/2 cup coconut
a handful of roasted red chillies (the dish should be really Hot)
a lump of tamarind (marble size) or 1/2 tsp of tamarind paste
1/2 tsp Asafoetida/Hing or 1/2 an onion finely chopped
1/2 cup cabbage finely chopped (optional)
Wash and Soak Rice+Toor dal in water overnight.
Grind together coconut+Chillies+tamarind into a fine paste using little water.
Decant water and add the rice+toor dal mixture into the blender and let it rip for a few minutes. The rice and toor dal mixture has to be ground coarsely and not too finely. Kind of like the way, rice is ground for Idli’s. Add water only as much as needed.There might be some whole toor dal left which is not a problem. They taste better. Just make sure, that not all the toor dal is left whole, thats all. Remove to a vessel, add hing or onion whichever you opt to use and the shredded cabbage. I used onion only today. Salt to taste. Mix together and steam like you would an Idli. That really is the only option I have.
Serve with a tsp of coconut oil on top.
Past, Present and Me 