Salone -Seasoned Lentil Dumplings- Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh / UP literally means the Northern Province and is the fourth largest state in the country by area and economy.The state was the home to several powerful kingdoms in the past.This state has several religious, natural and historic tourist destinations and houses the oldest cities like Budaun and Varanasi.

This city also has a vast Mythical connection.Lord Rama is supposed to have ruled his kingdom from Kosala , a part of UP and Lord Krishna is said have been born in Mathura, UP.You can read more about this state here…

The cuisine of Uttar Pradesh comes under two genres- Mughal and Awadhi but the cooking patterns are similar to the rest of North Indian.Breads are a significant dish in this cuisine as wheat is the staple and have a large variety of breads too made not only of wheat but also with other flours like millet flour etc.

This cuisine has some of the very simple dishes and also boasts of some elaborate ones too.Some of the popular dishes are Banarasi Paan, Lucknowi briyani,Madhura ke peda etc. Milk , cream, saffron,cardamom are used extensively in the dishes.

Behind the scene:

Initially, I had planned to do another dish for this state.Then one fine day, I was watching a show on Zee Khaana Khazana channel and there was program which invites viewers to showcase their recipes. There was this lady who said she was going to prepare a UP dish and at that instant I made up my mind to prepare it for this BM.

Salone pronounced as Sa- lo-nay, can be had as a snack or served as a meal.

It is a bit lengthy but very tasty. The kids loved it and there was nothing left over to share with hubby. It is a bit on the spicy side and that fact did not deter the kids to indulge! It went along well with the garlic chutney and the buttermilk that I served along with this dish.

Years back, we visited Varanasi/Khasi, which is the most sacred of the seven holy cities for the Hindus. Having heard and read about this place, I was so eager to see what it holds and I was truly transfixed! All those temples and the Ganga especially remain in my heart till today. I can never forget the numerous boat rides we took along the Ganga and the Ganga pooja / arathi that is performed by Pandits every evening are some of the best memories associated with this place.

This is one the the temples in one the Ghats that is almost inside the water…

We also visited the Saranath Stupa which is locate 13 kilo meters north east from Varanasi. This place is one of the important religious places for the Buddhists in India and abroad.

And the visit to the famous Taj Mahal during the college trip…The day was cloudy but the memories are still crisp and bright ….

Now to the recipe…


I used:

For the dough:

Wheat flour-1/2 cup
Salt to taste

For the filling:

Urad dhal-1 tablespoon
Channa dal-2 tablespoons
Finely chopped Ginger-1/2 teaspoon
Finely chopped garlic-1/2 teaspoon
Finely chopped green chili-1 tablespoon
Coriander leaves,chopped-1 teaspoon
Carom seeds- 1/2 teaspoon
Asafoetida powder- a large pinch
Salt to taste

For tempering:

Oil-2 tablespoons
Finely chopped garlic-1 teaspoon
Red chilies-2
Red chili flakes- 1 teaspoon
Cumin powder- 1/2 teaspoon
Kashmiri chili powder- 1 teaspoon

Coriander leaves to garnish

In a bowl, soak the chana dal and urad dal for an hour and grind to a coarse paste. To this paste add all the other ingredients mentioned under-filling.Mix well and keep aside.

Knead a soft and elastic dough with wheat flour,salt and water. Roll out into a thin sheet like chapathi.Cut into circles and place a portion of the filling in the center and fold to a semi circle

Heat a pan with water and gently drop the dumplings into it.when it comes to a boil, cover and cook for 20 minutes or till the texture of the dough changes.Do not overcook it.Remove with a slotted ladle and let it cool.

Once the dumplings have cooled down, cut them into 3 pieces each.Heat oil in a pan and add the garlic and red chili.[I removed the red chili after a while, as I did not want to make the dish very spicy].Add the cumin powder, red chili flakes and kashmiri chili powder and mix well.

Add the cut dumplings and mix gently to coat the spices evenly.Cook on low flame for a few more minutes, stirring gently.

Serve as a snack /meal garnished with coriander leaves …

Bon Appetit…