Popularly known as Matodi or Matvadi Palya in Karnataka and Parpusli in Tamilnadu, this traditional dish has been passed to me by my mother-in-law and also by a friend.
Matodi Palya is basically a dry stir fry made from soaked lentils with choice of veggies in it. It is a common dish among south IndianBrahmins. The authentic version is time-consuming and calls for liberal use of oil. I have completely cut down oil and time consumption in this procedure.
Please try this at home and I promise that you will behooked by its taste. It'sjust so tasty and this method also makes it healthy. I have used both methi and beans in this recipe.
Ingredients
- 1c toor dal
- 1 bunch methi cleaned and chopped
- 1c beans chopped finely
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 3 red chilli
- Unrefined salt
- 1/2c grated fresh coconut
- Seasoning
- 1 tsp channa dal
- 1 tsp urad dal
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp mustard
Method
- Soak the toor dal for 4-5 hrs
- Coarsely grind the toor dal in the small mixie jar without any water. There can be some unground toor dal as-is too.
- Steam the chopped beans and keep aside.
- In a heavy-bottomed iron kadai, add the toor dal mix and start frying it. Since this is like a semi-paste, they tend to stick to the pan. Do not worry. Continue to close the lid for 2-3 mins and mix it. As it cooks in its own steam, the water evaporates and the mix starts to increase in volume and also become crumbly. The portion that was stuck roasts and becomes crispy. Sprinkle water and close the lid and mix and repeat the process.
- Add chopped methi and continue to repeat the process of sprinkling water and cooking it under a closed lid. Mix thoroughly every now and then
- Grind a mix of 1 tbsp cumin and 3 red chilli and keep aside
- Once you think the dal is cooked, add the steamed beans, salt, the ground spice and mix thoroughly.
- Once it's ready, mix fresh coconut, mix and switch off the stove
- Cover with a lid and let it rest for 15-20mins. The bottom roasted portion will soften and you can also scrape it out easily. People enjoy this roasted portion of this curry a lot.
- Make a dry seasoning in a separate container starting with channa and urad dal. When they are slightly brown in colour, add cumin and mustard and roast. When they splutter, switch off and add the seasoning to this curry and mix once again.
- This can be mixed with rice or can be enjoyed with roti. This can be done only with methi or with beans. One can use string beans as well. The base dal and spices will be common and vegetable can be anything.