Chickpea Dumplings in Yogurt Sauce

Name: Chickpea Dumplings in Yogurt Sauce
Yield: makes 4 servings
Ingredients: 2 cups chickpea flour; Salt and black pepper to taste; 1/4 teaspoon cayenne; Pinch of asafetida (hing); 1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric; 1 teaspoon ground coriander; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 2 1/2 cups yogurt; Oil for deep-frying; 1 small dried chile; 1 teaspoon cumin seeds; 1 teaspoon fennel seeds; 1 cinnamon stick; 1 teaspoon coriander seeds or more ground coriander; 1 large onion, sliced; Chopped fresh cilantro leaves for garnish

December 14, 2011

One of the best vegetarian dishes of India, the chickpea dumpling is the equal of those made of meat without mimicking them, and the yogurt sauce is creamy and delicious. Some people soak the chickpea dumplings in water after frying them, which gives them a lovely and delicate texture; others leave them crisp, adding them to the sauce at the last minute. The choice is yours; I enjoy the crisp version more but happily eat and make both. You can buy chickpea flour and hing (asafetida, page 10) at any store selling Indian ingredients and at many Middle Eastern stores as well. One word about the preparation: Skilled cooks can make the sauce first, then the dumplings, or mix the dumpling batter, then turn to the sauce, then fry the dumplings while the sauce is simmering. The level of activity required to do this is somewhat frenetic, but if you are comfortable with kitchen multitasking, it will work out.

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