Sour Radish Salan (Mooli Ka Khatta) from Himanchal Pradesh
Mooli Ka Khatta
Mitun Gupta
This recipe comes from Himachal. It is a side dish, served along with any daal and rice. The taste is tangy, spicy and little sweet and salty. It has a unique flavour that comes from saunf/fennel seed powder, added at the end. Adjust the taste and thickness of the gravy/sauce to your taste. You can substitute radish with carrots or boiled black grams/ kala chana, different but equally tasty.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups cubed white mooli radish
2 tbsp. mustard oil, Sarson ka Tel
1 tsp. black mustard seeds or rai
1 tsp. whole coriander/ dhania seeds
1 tsp. whole cumin/jeera seeds
1 tsp. whole fennel/saunf seeds
2 tsp. ground fennel/saunf seeds
1 tsp. turmeric powder
1 tsp. grated ginger root
1 tsp. red chilli or 1 green chilli pieces, adjust to taste
1 tbsp. rice or corn flour
1 tbsp. brown sugar or Jaggery
1 fresh lime/lemon juice
1 tbsp. chopped coriander leaves
Instructions
Heat a wok and add mustard oil. Bring it to smoking point, then reduce the heat so that oil cools down just a bit.
Add whole coriander seeds, stir till they turn little brown.
Add rest of the spices in this order listed; mustard seeds, cumin, fennel seeds, ginger, chilli powder, salt and turmeric.
Stir for one minute on a medium flame.
Add cubed radish. Cook for one minute.
Add one cup of water and cover and cook for two minutes on medium flame. It should have bite to it. Don?t cook it too soft.
Mix the rice flour or corn flour with little water and add to the wok. This gives the sauce a little thickness.
Add jaggery or sugar, lemon juice and fennel powder. Stir in.
Garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve with Rice
