Moong Dal Pickle

This is very easy to prepare and tastes great. In Telugu we call it “Pacchi Pesala Pacchadi”. There is no frying involved in this recipe except for the seasoning.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup Moong Dal
• 5 dry Red Chilies or as per taste
• ½ tsp Cumin Seeds
• 2 tsp Lemon Juice
• Salt to taste

For Seasoning:

• ½ tsp Mustard Seeds
• ½ tsp Cumin Seeds (optional)
• ½ tsp Bengal Gram (Chana Dal)
• ½ tsp Black Gram (Urad Dal)
• 4 or 5 Curry leaves
• 1 broken dry Red Chili
• 1 tsp Oil

Preparation:
Wash the moon dal well and soak it in water for an hour or until it is soft.

In a blender, grind the soaked moong dal along with the red chilies, cumin seeds and salt into a fine paste by adding little water. The paste should be thick, so add the water only as required.

Transfer the finely ground pickle into a serving bowl, add the lemon juice and mix well.

In a small pan heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the cumin seeds, the dals and the curry leaves. Fry them until the dals turn golden brown.

Finally, add the above seasoning to the prepared pickle and mix well.

Serve with hot rice and ghee.