My Food Story: A ‘pinni’ a day keeps the doctor away

Whenever winters come, my mother makes urad dal ki pinnis which are loaded with lots and lots of ghee and dry fruits. These are very healthy and provide stamina to carry on through cold chilly winters, besides immunity to the body. One pinni a day makes us and our bodies strong.

Urad dal ki pinni

Main ingredient

Urad dal/Black lentil/Vigna mungo

Ingredients

1 cup dhuli urad dal

1/2 cup semolina

4 tablespoons gram flour

1 cup ghee

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup magaz

1/2 cup pista

1/2 cup almonds

1/2 cup khoya

1/2 tablespoon cardamom powder.

Method

Soak a cup of dhuli urad dal for 1-2 hours and grind it finely with very little water. In a kadai (wok), add 1 cup ghee, 1/2 cup almonds, 1/2 cup pista, and 1/2 cup magaz and fry them lightly. Take out and keep aside. Also keep aside a few almonds and pistas for garnishing.

In the same kadai, add the finely ground urad dal and roast it for 1-2 minutes. Add four tablespoons gram flour and 1/2 cup semolina. On a slow flame, continue roasting the dal mixture until it turns brownish.

In another pan, add water and 1/2 cup sugar to make a sugar syrup of one-string consistency. In the roasted dal mixture, add 1/2 cup khoya and 1/2 tablespoon cardamom powder. Roast well. Pour in the prepared sugar syrup and mix thoroughly, stirring continuously until the mixture thickens. Once it starts leaving the edges of the kadai, add the fried pistas and magaz. Turn off the flame. Once it cools slightly, shape the mixture into balls. Place the reserved almonds and pistas on top of the pinnis and serve the delicious urad dal pinni.

Pulses are more than just ingredients in Indian kitchens. They are a source of protein, nutrition, and a deep connection to family traditions. On World Pulses Day, we celebrate not just the health benefits of these humble legumes, but the memories, stories, and love that people pour into pulse-based recipes passed down through generations.

My Food Story is a collection of stories and recipes that celebrate India’s traditional plant-based ingredients sourced from local biodiversity. You can see these recipes on our interactive dashboard (https://www.cseindia.org/page/myfoodstory).

Join us as we showcase the recipes shared with us by the participants of a recently concluded recipe contest on winter dishes.

Meenakshi Kapur is a home maker from New Delhi