Lola

Today my post is going to be of a recipe which I had, saw and tasted for the first time. This was made by my sister and it is apparently a traditional dish made at her in-laws place. I must say I was apprehensive about it and not so sure I would like it.

But OMG did I love it!

It is a little unusual recipe and it doesn’t fit into your perceptions like ‘...haan yeh toh aise hi banta hoga...’. First it is steamed, second it is not a closed dumpling but an open .... no I can’t call it dumpling then, can I?

Now let’s go directly for the recipe...

Ingredients

For the Covering

3 cups of rice flour,

Salt to taste,

Hot water as required

For the Filling

2 cups channa dal,

7-8 cloves of garlic,

Green chillies to taste,

1 tbsp cumin seeds,

¼ tsp asafoetida,

A good handful of coriander leaves,

Salt to taste

Method

It is best to prepare the filling first. Wash and soak the channa dal for 4-5 hours or overnight.

Grind the garlic, green chillies and the channa dal with as little water as possible to a paste. It is best if you can manage to grind it with zero water. How coarse you make your paste depends on your preference, it is traditionally made into a very fine paste. However we had it as a kind of coarse paste.

Now add the salt, asafoetida, cumin seeds and finely chopped coriander leaves. Mix it well. Your filling is ready now.

Take the rice flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Pour hot water a little at a time and knead into a soft yet manageable dough.

Now take a small amount of the dough and flatten it into a disc of uniform thickness. Place the disc in the center of your palm. Take about a tablespoon of the filling and place it along the diameter of the disc. Now gently fold your palm applying a little pressure, in such a manner that you get a semi-circle with a layer of the filling sandwiched in. That is it...you do not have to seal the edges.

Prepare all the lolas this way and then steam them for about 10-12 minutes. 

Note: They taste best when had piping hot. Also it tastes best when you make it a bit spicy, but of course you can use the green chillies as per your preference. If they are any left overs and you find them a tad dry, just slice them up and shallow fry with a bit of oil. This tastes great too. Enjoy!!