Rajma Chawal Bites is a vegan fusion Indian snack, Indian version of Arancini, made out of the Indian Comfort food Rajma Chawal and serving it bite sized in the form of fritters. It's the whole Rajma Chawal Achaar Dahi and Papad in a bite.
¼cupCheese (use Mozzerella or Amul cheese. For vegan version use vegan cheese)
Oil for frying
Breadcrumbs, if and as neededOptional
For serving:
2tablespoonsYogurt / Vegan yogurt
1tablespoonsAchaar / Indian pickle
4qtyPapads, roasted
1tablespoonCoriander leaves, chopped
Instructions
Chawal / Rice:
Cook rice either on regular stove, in pressure cooker or in InstantPot. Wash rice, add water and salt. Boil it till water evaporates and rice is cooked. You can also make this pot-in-pot using either InstantPot or any other pressure cooker. See the details for that in the post.
Rajma Masala:
Soak Rajma overnight. Wash and drain the water and pressure cook it for 3 whistles, adding salt and ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder.
Once it cools down, separate the Rajma and water. Don't discard the water yet, as it can be used in making the gravy.
Heat a saucepan. Add the whole spices like bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves. Saute for a minute and remove it on a plate.Pro Tip: Dry roasting the whole spices enhances it's flavors quite a bit.
Heat oil in the same saucepan. Add the whole spices (bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves), chopped garlic, ginger, onion at the interval of 30 seconds each.
Saute it well. Add chopped tomatoes. Add salt, ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, garam masala powder. Saute it further. Add a few teaspoons of water if needed, so that the spices don't get burnt.Please note: the Rajma already has salt added when boiled. So at this stage, add salt only for the gravy portion.
Once the gravy is well cooked, add the Rajma and some of the saved water (from cooking rajma). Add kasuri methi. Bring it to a boil and then simmer it for 15 minutes. The Rajma masala is done.
Rajma Chawal Bites | Arancini
Once the Rajma and Rice cool down, mix one cup each of cooked Rajma and Chawal in a bowl. Be sure not to take much of liquid from the Rajma. Mix well. The mixture shouldn't be too wet or dry - should be just moist enough. If necessary you can use breadcrumbs.
Take a golfball sized mixture of Rajma Chawal mixture. Flatten it in between your palms. Add a marble sized ball of cheese (regular or vegan) in between. Seal the edges and form into a nice, smooth ball.
Heat oil. Once hot, add one Rajma Chawal ball into the oil. When you see that it's being fried well and not disintegrating, you can add more balls into the oil. Fry until golden brown. Remove it in a plate lined with paper towel. Repeat until all the balls have been fried.
For serving:
On a plate, place a few dollops of yogurt/vegan yogurt. Place the Rajma Chawal Bites/Arancini on top of it. Smear the top with Achaar/Indian pickle, finish it with chopped coriander leaves and serve it with the side of roasted Papad bites.