A couple of days ago, I was craving some snack in the evening. It was raining and the weather was perfect to sip some coffee and have something yummy! So I put together this nucchina unde 😛 And I managed to take a video of it too! Now you guys don’t have any excuse to not try it out.
Nucchina unde is one of the yummiest and healthiest snacks you can put together. It is a traditional snack from Karnataka and almost every household in Karnataka prepares this on special occasions. Nucchina unde is steamed dumplings made using spiced up and flavored lentils. It is extremely protein-rich. Also, we skip all the extra calories because we steam these dumplings.
One great thing about nucchina unde is that it stays good in the refrigerator for couple of days easily. You can prepare it and have it around for when you crave a snack!
I have used dill leaves along with toor dal to prepare the nucchina unde or dumplings. It is very traditional to add dill leaves as it lends a unique flavor to the dish. However, you can add other greens of your choice -sometimes for instance, I add in chopped onions or spinach as well. You can also prepare another variant of this recipe by using mung dal instead of toor dal.
For people watching their weight or just trying to eat healthy, this is a great choice. All the flavor and deliciousness and a ton of protein to keep you full for a few hours! Yaay! 🙂
Check out the video recipe for nucchina unde here:
Nucchina Unde
- 1 1/2 cups toor dal
- 1 inch ginger (finely chopped)
- 2 green chillies (finely chopped)
- pinch of hing or asafoetida
- 2 tbsp coconut pieces or freshly grated coconut
- salt to taste
- 1 cup chopped dill leaves
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Soak the toor dal for 1/2 hour – 1 hr. Once the dal is soaked well, drain the water completely. Blend the dal well till you get a coarse mixture. (It is important to drain the water before using otherwise the mixture will be too runny).
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To the blended mixture, add salt. Add the chopped giner, green chillies, coconut pieces and dill leaves as well. Mix everything together.
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To steam the dumplings, take a large vessel with a lid (preferably a cooker). Pour about 3-4 cups water in the cooker. Take idli moulds or steel plates and grease it with a little oil.
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Shape the prepared batter into small elongated dumplings and place them in the plates or idli moulds. Place the entire idli mould in the cooker. Close the lid of the cooker and place a small glass on top. You don’t need to put the whistle on the cooker.
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Steam the dumplings for 20 minutes and serve them hot with some chutney or ketchup.
If you don’t have a cooker, you can use a normal steamer as well.
