Paruppurundai Vetha Kozhambu - Lentil Dumplings in spicy gravy

Ok ... So this is  very traditional, very South Indian dish, that I would compare to the North Indian Kofta perhaps -  I have found that koftas can be made in a variety of different ways, whereas, as the name suggests the balls or dumplings in the southern counterpart is made up of lentils - I guess we can change up the lentils we use or change the name of the dish :) There are various gravies one can use for this recipe, I decided to go with another traditional one Vetha Kozhambu. Please note in the vetha Kozhambu recipe, normally tamarind paste is used in place of kokum and this is how I made the preparation below - all else remains the same in the recipe.

Here are the ingredients for the dumplings
1 cup toor dal/ thoram paruppu
3-5 ref chillies
1tbsp moong dal
1/4 tsp asafetida
1/2 cup grated coconuts
1 stem of curry leaves
1tbsp of sesame oil + 2 tsp
1/3 cup water +

Method
Heat the oil in a pan and add all the ingredients and roast until the lentils and coconut are golden brown. Cool it down and dry grind into a coarse powder.
Then in a pan, add the 2 tsp of oil and splutter some mustard seeds. Add the powder and turn once. Now add 1/3 cup of water and mix ingredients well until it gets to a dumpling-able stage - Be cautious in adding more water - if you need to.

Once this is somewhat cool, make balls out of them and keep. Get your steamer out, spray them with non-stick oil.
Arrange the balls spaced apart and steam for 15 minutes.
In the meantime, make your vetha kozhambu -
Once the balls are cooked, allow them to cool while you are still boiling the kozhambu.  Once fully cooked, transfer the kozhambu into the serving dish -
Gently add the dumplings into the gravy when it is still hot.
Allow it to soak in nicely before serving

NOTE: If the gravy cools down - no sweat - make sure the rice you serve it with is piping hot :)
Or the chappatis!

Enjoy this healthy and utterly delicious dish to your heart's content!