Dal pitha

Method

1. 1 Soak chana dal for 4 hours, then coarsely grind it with ginger, chili peppers, and cumin seeds; do not grind it finely so that the seeds remain in the kernel.
2. 2 Sauté the filling for 6 minutes with the remaining water until all the moisture evaporates, then let it cool.
3. 3 Pour the rice flour into boiling water with salt and oil, stir quickly for 3 minutes until a soft, cooked dough is formed.
4. 4 The rice flour must be cooked thoroughly before shaping; raw flour will crack and break upon contact with steam.
5. 5 Shape the wrapper thinly on wet palms, add the filling, then fold it in half to form a crescent shape and hem.
6. 6 Steam for 15 minutes, then sprinkle with cilantro and serve hot with chili sauce or chutney.

With an appliance

• Pressure cooker 1 hr 6 min

  Replace step 6: steam the dal pitha at low pressure for 8 minutes, then quickly release the pressure to prevent the shell from cracking; steps 1–5 remain unchanged.