Channa Dhal Fritters

Ingredients

For the fritters

• 200 g/7 oz channa dhal, picked and rinsed, then soaked in 750 ml/3¼ cups boiled water left simmering for 4 hours
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon chopped green chillies
• ¼ teaspoon asafoetida powder
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 5-6 fresh coriander/cilantro stems, roughly chopped
• ¼ onion, finely chopped
• vegetable oil, for deep-frying, plus extra for greasing
• coconut or hariyali chutney (see below), to serve

For the coconut chutney 

• freshly grated flesh of 1 coconut
• 100 g/1⅓ cups unsweetened desiccated/dried shredded coconut
• 1 tablespoon channa dhal, toasted
• 1 green chilli
• 5-cm/½-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 300 ml/1¼ cups water
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon urad dhal
• ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• ½ teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder
• 10 fresh curry leaves
• pinch of asafoetida powder
• freshly squeezed juice of 1 lime

For the hariyali chutney

• 100 g/3½ oz freshly chopped coriander/cilantro
• 35 g/1 oz freshly chopped mint leaves
• 2 green chillies
• freshly squeezed juice of 1½ limes
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 heaped teaspoons desiccated/dried shredded coconut
• 5-cm/½-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled
• 1 tablespoon plant-based natural/plain yogurt
• 1 teaspoon caster/granulated sugar
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted

Method

To make the fritters

Drain the soaked dhal and discard the soaking water. Remove 2 heaped tablespoons of the soaked dhal and set aside in a bowl until required.

Using a food processor, blitz together the remaining channa dhal until all of the lentils are coarsely blended and form a paste. Add up to 5 tablespoons of cold water (one at a time) while the mixture is blending, if needed, to help process the mixture. Set aside.

Heat the vegetable oil for deep-frying in a deep-fat fryer or large, heavy-based saucepan to 180°C/350°F.

Meanwhile, transfer the blended lentil paste to a mixing bowl and add all the rest of the ingredients, including the reserved whole dhal. Mix well to form a thick fritter batter.

Grease your hands with a little cold oil and then shape the mixture into 10 equally-sized fritters, roughly about 5-6-cm/2-2½-inches in diameter, 1½-cm/⅝-inch in height and weighing about 55 g/2 oz each. A good tip is to shape them into balls to start with, then flatten each one a little between your palms so that they look like patties; slightly thicker in the middle and thinner at the edges.

Check that the oil is hot enough by dropping in a teaspoon of the mixture; if it stays in one lump and rises to the surface, then it means the oil is ready. One by one, carefully lower about half of the fritters into the hot oil, ensuring they are not touching. Don’t be tempted to touch the fritters until they have turned golden and sealed all over, otherwise this may cause breakage. Deep-fry the fritters for about 10-12 minutes, turning 4-5 times until they are evenly golden brown and crunchy.

Drain the fritters on paper towels and deep-fry the remaining batch. Serve the fritters warm with coconut or hariyali chutney.

To make the coconut chutney

Put all the ingredients for the chutney base in a tall measuring jug/cup and blitz together using a stick blender. Set aside until required.

For the seasoned oil, put the oil into a saucepan over a medium heat and add the urad dhal and mustard seeds, allowing the mustard seeds to sizzle and crackle in the hot oil for 30 seconds. Add the cumin seeds and allow them to pop. Add the Kashmiri chilli powder, curry leaves and asafoetida powder and toss in the hot oil.

Pour the hot seasoned oil over the coconut chutney base, add the lime juice and stir well. This chutney is best eaten on the day it’s made.

To make the hariyali chutney

Blitz together all the ingredients, apart from the cumin seeds, in a food processor. Stir in the cumin seeds and serve or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.