Nuchinunde- steamed lentil dumplings- NO FAT, FULL OF PROTEIN AND FIBER !

  

Nuchinunde is a protein-rich, delicious breakfast option suitable for the whole family.  t tastes great when served hot with ghee most importantly. Coconut chutney or any other side dish of your choice. 

Nuchinunde has to be soft and moist but well cooked

Nuchinunde can simply be called steamed lentil dumplings.

The lentils, toor dal, moong dal, and chana dal are soaked for a couple of hours, drained, and ground coarsely with basic spices like ginger, pepper, cumin.

Generous amounts of chopped coriander, curry leaves, grated coconut are also added to the ground mixture.

This is then shaped into cylindrical dumplings and steam cooked.

Zero oil, completely lentil based, and absolutely delicious. 

Lentils are rich in fiber fiber, complex carbohydrates, varied minerals like iron, folate, potassium, manganese, and have a low glycemic index (GI).

Being an excellent vegan/vegetarian protein-source that is also gluten-free, lentils are also known to promote gut health.

Lentils contain anti-nutrients like trypsin and phytic acid that inhibit the absorption of nutrients.

Therefore, it is important to soak the lentils for a couple of hours and discard the water before cooking them.

Spices like ginger, cumin, pepper, and herbs like coriander and curry leaves are also used in this.

Not only do they add lot of flavor, but they all aid in good digestion of the lentils and avoid bloating.

The addition of coconut contributes to the good fat content in nuchinunde. Good fat is extremely essential  to the body for multiple reasons, one of them being that it helps protein do its job.

You can also add finely chopped onions, but ensure that you immediately shape the mixture into balls and steam them as onions leave moisture to the mixture.

Tip: If the mixture has turned a little soggy after adding onion, add in more grated coconut and shape them immediately. Do not squeeze the mixture or mix it too much after adding coconut.

Ingredients

Measurement: 1 cup = 250 ml

To grind

1/2 cup tuvar dal

1/2 cup moong dal

2 tbsp chana dal

3 green chilies or to taste

1/2 tsp fresh ginger - finely chopped

1/2 tsp black pepper pdr

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp salt or to taste

 To add to the ground mixture

a handful coriander leaves finely chopped

2 sprigs fresh curry leaves - finely chopped

4 tbsp fresh grated coconut

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

a pinch of asafoetida

 

Preparations

Wash the three lentils well until water runs clear and soak them in about 3 cups of water for 2 hours. The lentils would have then soaked well, turned soft, and easily breakable.  Next, drain the lentils well in a colander or spread on a kitchen towel so that the water content is removed as much as possible.  Transfer the well-drained lentils to a mixer jar along with green chilies, ginger, black pepper, and cumin seeds. Since I used rock salt, I added it too to grind.  Without adding any water grind the mixture slightly coarsely. Ensure that you don't grind it too smooth.  Transfer the ground mixture into a bowl and add chopped coriander leaves, curry leaves, grated coconut, turmeric powder, and asafoetida.

If you did not add salt while grinding, add it now.  Mix everything well and immediately shape the mixture into oval-shaped dumplings and place them on a steamer plate or idli plates.  In case the ground mixture is too smooth and you are not able to shape them, add lot more grated coconut.  Meanwhile pour water into your steamer or idli cooker and bring it to a boil. Once it starts to boil, place the idli stand or the steamer plate inside. Close the lid and steam it for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes take out the idli stand or steamer rack and let the nuchinunde cool a bit. They might look under-cooked at this stage, but they harden up a bit and get the right texture on cooling.  Remove the nuchinunde from the idli plates/steamer and serve hot with ghee and coconut chutney, or any chutney/ brinjal / tomato gotsu.  Notes

1. Do not steam the nuchinunde for more than 12 minutes, as they will turn hard. 
2. If you want to store the mixture or make the nuchinunde in batches, do not add salt at once. Add it just before steaming the nuchinunde. If not, the mixture will turn slightly runny and you will not be able to shape them. 

  

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