Mixed Dal and Dalia Cutlets

There's a huge downside to taking things other than roti-sabzi to work: we get very little for ourselves. But I'm determined to break away from that routine. It is difficult for me to eat the same kind of food on a daily basis. Moreover, we currently don't have a microwave at work. I try and pack things that taste good when cold. While sandwiches and salads are quite welcome, I figured about a year ago, that I can't eat that everyday either.

I made these cutlets a few days ago. Part of this idea came from my recent success with Paruppu Usli, part of if came from Amma's cutlets, and one part came from Nandita's bulgur patties. It was an experiment, and a successful one at that.

1/2 cup Mixed Dal, soaked for an hour

1/2 cup Dalia (Cracked Wheat), cooked

1/2 cup Mixed Vegetables(I used carrots, peas and beans), finely chopped and cooked

1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder

1 tsp Chilli Powder

1 tsp Oil + Oil for frying

Salt to taste

Grind the soaked dals to a coarse paste.

Heat the teaspoon of oil and fry this paste. Add the turmeric and chilli powders along with the salt and fry for about 4-5 minutes. Add the cooked dalia along with the vegetables. Mix well and take off the flame.

When cool, shape the mixture into cutlets. Shallow fry on a lightly greased tava until brown on both sides.

I packed this with a tomato coriander chutney. That recipe will feature here soon. I am glad I packed at least a couple of extra cutlets each. They were an instant hit at work. This recipe yielded around 12 cutlets.

I'm sending this to Sug as she hosts this month's edition of My Legume Love Affair.