Tuver Na Muthiya

Tuver Na Muthiya
Ingredients
1 cup tuver lilva beans (I used frozen), thawed if using frozen
1/4 cup besan
1 tbsp finger millet/ragi/nachni flour
2 tbsp maize flour/makke ka aata
salt to taste
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp green chili-ginger paste
1 tsp oil
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp yogurt or as needed
1/2 tsp rajwadi garam masala or any garam masala

Tempering
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp sesame seeds
3-4 boriya chilies (any other dry variety will work too!)

Garnish
1 tbsp freshly grated coconut
1 tbsp cilantro/coriander leaves, chopped
lemon wedges

Method

1. Grind tuvar lilva to a coarse paste without adding any water.

2. Add all the remaining ingredients to make a dough. It should not be too hard or too soft. Roll into long logs.

3. Steam in the pressure cooker or steamer.

4. Cut the logs in the bite sized pieces.

5. Heat oil in a small saucepan. Add all the ingredients for tempering.

6. Drizzle the tempered oil on the steamed muthiyas.

7. Garnish with coriander leaves, coconut and lemon juice.

Note -

1. You can also saute these muthiya to make them crunchy if you like.
2. Fresh, green Tuver beans will taste even better.
3. Tuver lilva is easily available in the frozen section of our local Indian stores.
4. I generally like to make muthiyas and theplas multi-grain by adding a variety of flours. You can also use bajra or jowar flours.

5. Fresh tuver beans are also called olya toorichya shenga in Marathi. Sunshine mom tells me that they are called 'mochchai' in Tamil (Thanks, Harini!). These are the fresh beans from which split toor/tuver/arhar daal is made after drying & splitting, I guess! These fresh beans are available in pods just like fresh green peas in India - or at least in Mumbai. You need to peel them and then use the inside beans. Luckily, for me Indian stores here have them in the frozen format so peeling time is saved. However, this recipe works the best with the freshly peeled fresh toovar beans.

The beans are available in the dried form in the grocery stores they are called Pigeon peas/beans or whole toor. But for this recipe, I am afraid, dry beans may not work. (Sorry, Raaga!) but again, just because I haven't tried it, I shouldn't say so, well, it may work too!!:-D I know, sometimes, I get really ambivalent, right? But you know what, if you want to try, then make with fresh green peas or fresh, green chickpeas instead of dried toor beans - just my 2 cents!!