Bara - Savoury, Spicy Split Pea (matar Dhal) Snacks (Fiji Style)

This is a very popular savoury snack prepared in homes in Fiji. They form part of almost every festivity such as Diwali, Holi, Pooja and are also prepared for simply enjoying for afternoon tea.

Bara is mostly made using split peas (matar dhal), however, you can adapt this recipe to any of your favourite lentils. Simply mix together the lentils and dhals you would like to use and follow the recipe . Mixed lentil Bara is also lovely and a nice variation to the traditional split pea bara.

These snacks go well with home made tamarind chutney. Store them in air tight containers in the fridge to keep them fresher for longer.

I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Bara

Ingredients

3 cups split peas (dhal)

1 teaspoon baking powder

8 -10 Curry leaf stems

2- 3 Chilies, crushed

3 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)

Salt to taste

3 teaspoon ginger, ground

1 tbsp. white sesame seeds

1 tbsp. of fennel seed

1 tsp lemon juice ( or to taste)

1 tsp chilli powder

Oil for deep frying

Procedure:

1. Wash and soak 3 cups of split peas (dhal) overnight or for at least 8 hours.

2. After soaking, split pea (dhal) will become soft. Wash and drain the lentil.

3. Blend the split pea in a food processor until it has a granular consistency. Do not over blend or add too much water. We want the semi rough texture of the split peas/dhal.

4. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and add to this finely chopped curry leaves, cumin seeds, sesame seeds, fennel seeds, lemon juice, baking powder, chillies and salt to taste.

5. Mix well.

6. Heat oil in a deep frying pan. When the oil is hot, make 1/2 cm - cm thick patties of the mixture, approximately 10 cm round and deep fry until golden.

Drain on paper towels and serve with tamarind chutney.

7. Enjoy!

Tips:

If the dhal mixture is too wet, add semolina to the mixture, so that it comes together and binds.

You can also use besan for this purpose.