Monsoon Munches- Hituku Belae Kunukku - Field beans,rice and lentil savoury

MONSOON MUNCHES

HITUKU BELAE KUNUKKU

Kunukku is a savoury dish prepared with ADAI ( a rice and lentil pancake) dough, rather with the left over Adai dough. This dish can be prepared even otherwise for it has a delicious and crunchy outer coat and the inside has the texture of Uppma. A handful of Hitukubelae ( this lentil is obtained by soaking the fresh field beans and then pinching them out of their husks) added to the dough makes the Kunukku a real delicacy.

INGREDIENTS

Rice - 1 cup

Tur dal- 1/2 cup

Bengal gram dal - 1/2 cup

Split black gram dal - 1 tbsp

Red chillies - 4

Asafoetida - 1 pinch

Curry leaves - a few

Coconut pieces/ gratings - 2 tbsps

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Hituku belae - 1/2 cup

Oil - for frying

METHOD

1. Wash and soak all the dals with rice and red chillies for one hour.

2. Grind the soaked ingredients coarsely without adding water. The thick batter will have the texture of soaked semolina.

3. Mix in salt, curry leaves, asafoetida, field beans and the coconut gratings. If coconut pieces are used, they can be added to the dough in the last stage of grinding.

4. Heat oil in a kadai and drop the batter with the help of a tea spoon to make eight to ten Kunukkus at a time.

5. Fry the Kunukkus to a golden brown colour and drain them on a paper towel.