Newari Bara

Ingredients

• 300 g split black lentils (kalo dal or urad dal), soaked overnight
• 3 cm piece ginger
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 green chillies
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 0.5 tsp ground turmeric
• 0.5 tsp timur (Sichuan pepper), ground
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 100 ml water, roughly
• 4 eggs
• 6 tbsp mustard oil
• 4 tbsp tomato achar, to serve

Before you cook

• Soak the lentils in plenty of cold water overnight.
• Peel the ginger and garlic and trim the green chillies.
• Grind the timur in a mortar.
• Have a glass of cold water ready for testing the batter.

Steps

1. Drain the soaked lentils and rub them between your palms under running water so the skins float free.
2. Pour off the loosened skins and drain the lentils well.
3. Grind the lentils with the ginger, garlic and green chillies, adding water a spoonful at a time, to a thick batter the texture of soft butter.
4. Beat the batter hard with a whisk or your hand for 3 minutes to whip air into it.
5. Drop a little batter into the glass of cold water and check that it floats within a few seconds.
6. Fold in the cumin, turmeric, timur and salt.
7. Heat a heavy flat griddle or frying pan over medium heat and brush it generously with mustard oil.
8. Ladle a scoop of batter onto the griddle and spread it into a 12 cm round about 1 cm thick.
9. Make a small hole in the centre with a wet finger and drizzle more oil around the edge.
10. Cook for 4 minutes, until the underside is crisp and mottled brown.
11. Flip the bara and crack an egg on top, spreading it across the surface with the back of a spoon.
12. Cook for another 4 minutes, pressing the edges down so the egg sets into the lentil.
13. Slide the bara onto a plate and cook the rest in the same way.
14. Serve hot with tomato achar and a glass of black tea.