Kumaon…... is the land of the Himalayas ,
the abode of the Gods.
Kumaon is also the land of the seers, the ascetics and the mystics.
It is the home to rare fauna and flora.
The mesmerizing sunrise and sunset on the snow clad
mountains, gushing waterfalls, frothy steams and rippling brooks, alluring
glens and majestic glades and resplendent forests enthrall one and all.
The rugged terrains of the hills are harsh and sometimes
inhospitable, in its changing forms and moods as though reiterating the fact
that the nature is all powerful. The natives of the hills lead a tough life. They
have learnt to survive in the face of adversity and the
vagaries of nature have made them hardy to withstand the
severity of the weather and the toughness of the terrain.
Himalayan hamlet |
The natives of the hills – the highlanders, grow their own
food. Food is simple, comprising of whole grains, lentils, legumes, vegetables
and fruits and is lavish in terms of variety. Lunch is generally grand, comprising of rice, chapattis, lentils, raita, vegetable and salad. Lunch is had
very early after which people leave for working in the fields.
Badeel is popular Kumaoni dish. It is with the main course. It is made of Bengal
split grams (channa daal) and flavoured with garlic and ginger.
It is also had as snack. Here goes the recipe-
Badeel
1 cup (240 ml) Bengal split
gram (channa daal)
7 to 8 garlic buds peeled
1 inch piece of ginger peeled
2 to 3 green chilies (optional)
½ cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 ½ tablespoon mustard oil (or any other vegetable oil)
½ teaspoon cumin
2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil (for greasing the plate and
for shallow frying)
Method
Drain out water.
Transfer soaked daal to the mixer. Add ½ cup water and grind
it along with salt, garlic, ginger and green chilies. The paste should be fine.
Take mustard oil in a thick bottom steel wok. Heat mustard
oil. Add cumin. Turn off the heat.
When the oil gets a little cold, add daal paste. Taste salt
at this stage. Add more if needed.
Turn on the gas to the medium flame, stir the paste
continuously. It will stick to the bottom of the wok and to the sides. Scrape
down the mixture and keep stirring.
When it begins to boil, reduce the flame and cook on low
flame stirring continuously.
The mixture begins to change colour, becomes thick and the
raw smell goes away as it gets cooked. Keep stirring.
When the mixture becomes thick, reduces in quantity
and begins to leave the bottom of wok while stirring, it is done. Turn off the heat.
Grease a plate. Let the mixture cool for about 10 minutes.
Drop the daal mixture in the plate. Apply some oil in the
palms, and spread the mixture to a uniform thickness in the plate by pressing
with hands. After 10 minutes, cut diamond shapes with a
sharp knife. Keep aside to cool completely.
Heat a non stick pan. Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Add
the badeel pieces and cook on medium flame till they turn pink. Turn and cook
on the other side.
Serve hot or cold with coriander garlic chutney.My notes: Take care not to overcook the mixture as it will become hard and dry. Turn off the heat when it just begins to leave the sides of the wok while stirring.
This is such an interesting dish! Very new to me. It reminds me of dhokla. At first glance I thought it was some burfi, bu then you titled it snack! so got me wondering :) Lovely recipe.
ReplyDeletewonderful dish namita...i love them so perfectly sliced...so good to snack tooo
ReplyDeleteKumaon truly looks breathtakingly beautiful. And I loved the local snack called Badeel. There is so much to learn from the local cuisine of India. It amazes me how the same ingredient is used in a unique way in each area. Thank you for introducing it to me.
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing post! I get to see some of the most beautiful scenery on earth along with another new recipe to tuck under my belt...I LOVE international blogging explorations :).
ReplyDeleteThis is something I'm seeing for the first time. And I like the sound of it. Thank you for participating in this edition of MLLA.
ReplyDeleteLooks yummy Namita! Its been some time since I had good pahari food.
ReplyDeleteI love the photograph of Himalayas especially especially Neelkanth from Badrinath. Loved badeel also. Will definitely try this. Thanks a lot for helping me.
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