“Preparation of Roasted Urad Dal Powder (Flour) / Udidache Hurna (Hoorna)” … A simple method to prepare Urad Flour, that can be followed, prepared and stored at home to be used as and when necessary while preparing chakuli, tinglodu, biscuit rotti, poori and many more dishes that need the same …...
** Urad Dal is a dal that is by and large used in the preparation of Idly and dosas. Though there are few varieties of dals prepared using this dal, the universal usage is for idly or dosa. One cannot imaging a life without urad dal or tuvar dal in their homes, though moong dal and chana dal also fall in the line, however, it is urad dal and tuvar dal that rules the dal kingdom. Urad dal is a must in south Indians home as there are so many dishes prepared out of the same. I will not go into writing of dosa or idly a snack that is common in our homes. This post is particularly written for the benefit of those who would love to know about preparing of the powder form and storing the same.
** Udidache Hurna (Hoorna) is the konkani word for urad dal flour prepared out of roasted urad dal. This is commonly used by almost all those who prepare chakuli / tinglodu ie murukkus. In many cities in southern parts of India we get these ready in stores. Not much of a traveler, I cannot name the cities, but yes in Mangalore you do get the same. In Mumbai I have no knowledge if you get the same in South Indian or Mangalore stores, at least I did not come across the same. So I prepare the same at home just like others do.
** Many years back, I prepared them specially during diwali to prepare the chakuli and finished off the same. Once I chanced upon some excess remaining flour and wondered how to use it off. Mom had always told me you can just add them to the batter for dosa. But I thought why not give poori a try and that altogether is another story that I came across preparing the best Urad dal poori. You can see that post immediately after this post in the Blog. It was while writing that post that I realized I must make a post on this one separately for our younger generation friends here.
** Without further going into preparation of recipes etc. let’s first deal with “Roasting and powdering of Urad Dal / Udidache hurna” so that you can prepare the same and store just like me and use as and when needed :
** I prepare urad dal flour / udidache hurna at home by grinding in my own mixer and it’s really easy. I microwave ½ kg of urad dal on low heat stopping and mixing in between at intervals till they are all roasted evenly into slight brown in color. You can also do so in a thick bottomed kadai, by stirring till it is well roasted. Whichever method you choose, the urad dal should be evenly light browned without burning them black, so be careful and roast them always on low heat and just do not be in a hurry to finish the task. If need be add on some good music to divert your mind off tiredness as you go about doing the same. Easy isn’t it ??
** Allow the urad dal to cool completely and them put them in mixer grinder in small batches and grind to a smooth powder. Do not run the mixer continuously, to avoid the heat formation which will then make urad dal sticky. If you feel the mixer getting hot, open the lid and allow to cool properly before continuing with the procedure. Now sieve the finely prepared powder through a very fine sieve. The one’s that are coarse and remain in the sieve should be put back into the mixer grinder and again ground and sieved. This way you can obtained a very fine powder out of the roasted urad dal, which we Konkani Saraswat’s call as Udidache Hurna / UdHa dali hoorna.
** Storing of Roasted Urad Dal Powder / Hoorna : Collect the finely sieved powder / hoorna and store it in an air tight container. Keep this in a well ventilated place and it remains good for over a month. But in Mumbai, due to extensive humidity and heat at times, things like flours get easy spoilt. In order to avoid such mishaps I store them in fridge and use them as and when necessary. This does not get spoilt and I can’t actually tell you of its storage life in fridge as in my home it get’s over in within 6 months maximum. And I suggest all not to store anything for more than that.
** I will be including many recipes that where you will need this roasted urad dal flour / udidache hurna, so if desired you can prepare the same and store in fridge or outside too if you live in a cool place. Even if you do not wish to prepare in bulk, you can just do the same with one cup of urad dal and it will be useful in preparation of one or two dishes. Always best to use homemade powders as we never know what gets added on to the one’s available in stores, specially when preparing the same does not need much of expertise and is very easy.
** Just a Caution / Reminder : Do try preparing this at home, the important note to keep in mind is … Do not burn the dal while roasting. Cool the urad dal completely after roasting and before grinding the same. And yes, please do not run the mixer on high speed continuously. Keep time gaps in between for the mixer vessel to cool down or you will get a sticky sort of powder, which is not at all appealing.
** "Roasted Urad Dal Powder (Flour) / Udidache Hurna (Hoorna)" is done and ready to be stored or used into preparation of dishes. There are many dishes that can be prepared with this the most famous one being chakuli / tinglodu etc. Biscuit roti or Urad dal poori can also be prepared using this flour. I will be posted the recipe to poori using this floor just next to this post, do check up on the same and try it out and enjoy with your family and friends. Do give me a feedback on the same as it motivates me to do much more.
** An Earnest Request : There are many more recipes of similar type in the blog. For all my Recipes, use the search option or the label section in the Blog. If you are still not able to find it please leave a message in comment section or mail me the same. You can also go to my page (add on the left side of blog) and leave a message and I will try my best to get back to you as soon as possible … Thank you. I have also started a food group for "Konkani Saraswats" by the name "KONKANI DELICACIES" the link of which is posted on the left side of the blog page. Do join us in our culinary journey. I strongly believe in Sharing and always endorse that "Sharing Is Caring".
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