Add healthy lentils to Ramazan diet

For centuries, people around the world include lentils in their diet because of their high nutrition value. Lentils have been found in the tombs of Egypt dating back to 2400 B.C. Egyptians used them as an aphrodisiac and thought that they had the power to enlightened the mind.
Lentils have many health benefits such as Lentils are low in cholesterol and great for improving digestive health. They are a great source of protein with 26% protein composition. Due to their mix of fiber and complex carbohydrates, they also increase steady, slow burning energy and stabilize blood sugar. Lentils are also a good source of folate, containing 179 micrograms in a 1/2-cup serving. Folate is a B vitamin that helps your body makes new cells. It is a nutrient especially important for women. Dishes made with lentils are a good way of keeping full and hydrated during Ramazan.
Channa dal kababs:
Ingredients:
-- Split Bengal gram (chana dal) soaked 250 grams
-- Cumin seed powder 1/4 teaspoon
-- Salt to taste
-- Oil to deep fry
-- Ginger chopped 1/2 inch piece
-- Green chilies chopped 2
-- Onion chopped 1 medium
-- Crushed red chilies 1/2 teaspoon
-- Fresh coriander leaves chopped 2 tablespoons
-- Gram flour (besan) 2 teaspoon
Method:
1- Soak and Drain lentil and put half of it into a mixer jar and grind coarsely without any water. Transfer into a bowl.
2- Grind the remaining dal a little more finely and transfer into the same bowl.
3- Add salt, cumin seeds, ginger, green chilies, onion, crushed red chilies, and coriander leaves and mix well with hand.
4- Add gram flour and mix again.
5- Take small portions of the mixture, flatten slightly, and slide into hot oil.
6- Deep fry on medium heat until golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper.
7- serve hot with a chutney of your choice
Moongdal vadas:
Ingredients:
-- Split moong dal 1 cup
-- Potatoes boiled peeled and shredded 1 cup
-- Finely chopped green coriander 2 tablespoon
-- Green chili minced adjust to taste
-- Finely grated ginger 1 teaspoon
-- Cumin seeds (zeera) 1teaspoon
-- Asafetida (hing) 1/8
-- Baking soda 1/8 teaspoon
-- Salt adjust to taste
-- Oil to fry
Method:
1. Wash and soak dal in about 3 cups of water for four hours or longer.
2. Grind dal coarsely using very little water.
3. Add all the ingredients to the dal batter, potatoes, green coriander, green chili, ginger, cumin seeds, asafetida and salt.
4. Beat the batter for 2-3 minutes this will make the batter light. Add the water if needed, batter should be soft. If batter is, too thick Vadas will be hard.
5. Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium high heat.
6. Place about 1 tablespoon of batter into the oil. Fry the vada in small batches. Fry vadas until golden-brown all around.
7. Moongdal vada should be crispy from outside and should be soft inside.
8. Serve them with green chutney.
Moongdal samoosa:
Ingredients:
-- Samoosapattee or covering (easily available in bakeries)
-- Husked green gram (moongdaal)3 cup-soaked in water for 3-4 hours
-- Oil2 tbsp
-- Cumin seeds1 tsp
-- Asafetida1/8 tsp
-- Garam masala3 tsp
-- Chilli powder3 tsp
-- Powdered fennel seeds2 tbsp
-- Coriander powder2 tsp
-- Salt to taste
-- Mango powder/ chat masala1 1/2 tsp
Method:
-- Grind the lentils coarsely. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil and add the cumin seeds and asafoetida.
-- When they begin to splutter, add the lentils and the rest of the ingredients, which make up the filling.
-- Saute over low heat until the mixture is well fried. It will stop sticking to the pan when done.
-- Take mixture off heat and leave to cool.
-- Now, take one samosa patti at a time and let rest of them covered under wet muslin cloth.
-- Fold the patti to form a triangle.
-- Fold further to get the shape of a cone.
-- Put your filling inside the cone.
-- Fold further to get perfect samosa shape.
-- Apply flour paste to seal the ends.
-- Heat oil in a deep pan.
-- Start deep-frying samosas on a low-medium heat to get crisp samosa.
Channa dal chaat:
Ingredients:
-- Soaked channa dal 1 cup
-- Walnuts, chopped 1/2 cup
-- Olive oil 2tbspoon
-- Garlic, minced 1 clove
-- Carrot, grated 1 medium
-- Chopped tomato 1/2 cup
-- Mung bean sprouts 1 cup
-- Garam masala 2 tsp
-- Cumin 1/2 tsp
-- Coriander seeds 1/2 tsp
-- Cardamom1/4 tsp
-- Ginger powder 1tsp
-- Juice of 1 lemon 3 tsp
-- Fresh cilantro/coriander leaves, chopped 1/4 cup
-- Ground black pepper 1/2 tsp
-- Pinch of salt or substitute to taste
Method:
-- Rinse the lentils. Add to a 2-quart pan, cover with water, and bring to a boil.
-- Prepare a bowl of ice water.
-- Cook the lentils until they are barely tender, about 10 minutes for red lentils or 20 minutes for green lentils.
-- Drain and pour the lentils into the bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain and place into large bowl.
-- Pour the olive oil into a skillet and heat on medium. When the oil is hot, add the spices (ginger, garlic, garam masala, coriander, cumin, cardamom), and toast for one minute.
-- Add the lemon juice, remove from heat, and pour the spice mixture over the lentils.
-- Add the carrot, tomato, mung sprouts, cilantro, and walnuts.
-- Season with salt or substitute (if desired) and pepper. Toss to combine.
-- Serve chilled