Moong Dhal Tikki / Mung Bean Tikki

Tikki or cutlets are deep-fried/pan fried spicy patties. They are popularly prepared with mashed potatoes and Indian spices and are called Aloo Tikkis. The fried potato patties are as popular as Samosas are as party and tea-time appetizers in India.

I never would have thought to make tikkis with lentils or dhal (although now that I think about it, it is like making masala burgers!), until I came across a lovely recipe that used moong dhal instead of potatoes, and oats instead of bread crumbs to crisp the tikkis. And after trying, tasting and testing the tikkis on friends, I can say that nobody could guess that the tikkis were made with plain old dhal and not potatoes! They taste really good, are healthier than potato tikkis and are perfect as an appetizer that doesn't allow guilt to creep in.

Adapted and tweaked from this recipe

Ingredients (serves 4):

1. 1/3 cup uncooked moong dhal /payatham paruppu / yellow mung beans
2. 1 cup oats
3. 1/2 a medium-large red onion, finely chopped
4. 1 teaspoon minced ginger
5. 1 green chilly, finely chopped
6. 1 teaspoon coriander powder
7. 1 teaspoon garam masala or pav bhaaji masala
8. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
9. 4 tablespoons (and a few extra teaspoons) vegetable oil, or as needed
10. 1/4 chopped coriander leaves / cilantro
11. 1/4 - 1/3 cup buttermilk or diluted yogurt (as needed)
12. 1.5 teaspoons salt or as needed

Preparation:

1. Cook the moong dhal with just enough water to complete cook the dhal until mushy. If there is any extra water, drain it from the cooked dhal and let it cool. When cool, pulse in a blender until the dhal is broken down. Do not add any water.
2. Grind 1/2 cup of oats. Add this to the cooked & pulsed dhal along with chopped onion, ginger, green chilly, garam masala/other masala, turmeric powder, salt, and coriander leaves and mix everything well. Try to form small discs/patties that hold together. If you are unable to form patties, grind some more oats and add to the mixture until you can form patties. 
3. Create an assembly line to pan fry the patties/tikkis. Heat a teaspoon of oil in a skillet (cast-iron ideally). Dip the patties in buttermilk/yogurt, roll it around in the remaining 1/2 cup of oats that is coarsely ground (just pulse a couple of times in the blender) and pan fry on either sides until golden brown. Replenish the skillet with oil and pan fry all the patties. Note: for most of the tikkis, I didn't need to dip in buttermilk/yogurt to coat them in coarsely ground oats. The patties were moist enough by themselves for the oats to attach to their exterior. So, dip in buttermilk/yogurt if required.
4. Remove and drain on paper towels. Keep the fried patties in a warm oven (200 F or less) until ready to serve. 

Serve with tomato ketchup or a favorite sauce of your choice.