Mung dal fritters in spicy Bengali sauce

Ingredients

• 200 g of mung lentils (desiccated mung lentils)
• One large potato
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 75 g of chopped onion or onion paste
• 1 tablespoon of ginger paste
• 1/2 teaspoon of garlic paste (optional)
• 2 green chili peppers, chopped, for the doughnuts, plus 3 or 4, sliced, for the sauce.
• 1 teaspoon of turmeric
• 1 teaspoon of chili powder
• 1 teaspoon of ground cilantro
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon of garam masala
• 1/4 teaspoon of cumin seeds
• One bay leaf
• 2 cardamom pods
• 2 sticks of cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon of ghee
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 250 ml of cooking oil or mustard oil

Wash the mung beans and let them soak for 2 to 3 hours. Once they have expanded, drain them and grind them in a mortar or blender, but not into a very fine paste: a few whole beans will make the fritters crispy. Use very little water.

Add the salt, a little turmeric, and the chopped chili peppers to the dal, then mix well by hand for 5 to 7 minutes: the mixture should be light and airy.

Heat the oil in a wok. Take small portions of the dough and fry them over medium heat, turning frequently, until they are golden brown and crispy. Drain.

In a separate pan, sauté the diced apples with a pinch of salt and turmeric until lightly browned, then set aside.

In the remaining oil, toast the cumin seeds, bay leaf, cardamom, and cinnamon. Then add the onion and cook until lightly browned.

Add the ginger and garlic paste and cook for one minute, with a little water to prevent the spices from burning. Add the remaining turmeric, chili pepper, cilantro, ground cumin, and salt, and cook until the oil starts to sizzle.

Add the tomato and cook until it softens. Add the apples and cook for 2-3 minutes with the spices.

Pour the 600 to 750 ml of hot water (the doughnuts absorb a lot of liquid). When the sauce comes to a boil and the apples are tender, add the doughnuts and sliced chili peppers.

Cover and cook for 3 to 4 minutes over medium heat, allowing the doughnuts to absorb the sauce.

Once the doughnuts are puffed up and the sauce has thickened slightly, sprinkle with garam masala and ghee, and cover for another 1 to 2 minutes. Then, turn off the heat.