This dish was part of the cookout I held for ELSATable in Jan 2021. The recipe for the tamarind chutney used for garnish can be found at https://elsatable.com/recipe/tamarind-sweet-and-sour-chutney/. The coriander and mint chutney used for the bhallas can be seen at https://elsatable.com/recipe/coriander-and-mint-chutney/
Soak and rinse the dhuli moong and urad dal in water for 4 hours.
Grind the soaked dals in a blender with green chilli, ginger, ½ tsp salt, and a pinch of heeng and make a smooth thick batter. Add very little water while grinding.
Finely chop all the ingredients for filling.
Heat the idli steamer with water in it. Grease the idli moulds, add ½ sachet of Eno (just before putting the batter in the idli moulds). Mix the Eno well. The batter should be mixed in one direction only.
Once the batter is light and fluffy, pour a spoonful of the frothy dal batter in each idli mould. Add 1 tbsp filling on each and again pour a spoonful of dal batter to cover the filling gently.
Steam the bhallas for 20 minutes on a medium flame. Do not open for the first 10 minutes at least. Check if they are done by inserting a fork in a bhalla. If the fork comes out clean, they are done. Take the moulds out of the steamer. Let them cool for 5 minutes. Unmould the bhallas.
Take sufficient lukewarm water in a bowl. Add a pinch of heeng and ½ tsp salt to the water. Soak the bhallas in this water for 10-15 minutes.
Squeeze the excess water by pressing each bhalla gently between the palms of your hands.
Serve the bhallas in a platter with beaten curd. Add the garnishes (tamarind chutney, green mint chutney, roasted cumin powder, red chilli powder, pomegranate arils and besan sev.
Refrigerate
The ratio of dals should be 50:50.
The Eno used should be the plain one and not flavoured.
*Bhuna jeera: Heat the tawa (preferably an iron tawa). Dry roast the cumin seeds on a low flame for 5-10 minutes until the colour of the cumin changes to dark brown. Cool, grind, and store in an airtight container. Can be stored for 6 months.
The curd can be sweetened with sugar or Sugarfree.
Do not skip the soaking part it helps the bhalla to become soft and soak in the flavours. But don't dip them longer than 15 minutes.
The water for soaking should be tepid and not hot. Squeeze out the water from the bhallas gently.
Pour the first spoon of the batter in the centre of each mould as it expands while cooking.
The filling should be about 16 teaspoons. The quantity for bhallas mentioned here will yield about 16 bhallas so we need 1 tsp of filling per bhalla.
Garnish the dish as close to serving as possible.
The bhallas can be made a week in advance and stored in the fridge. Soak them in hot water and squeeze them out before using.
