Lentil fritters- protien rich and gluten free

For most people in India, the days between July and August are generally a busy time for most auspicious rituals are conducted during the Hindu month of Shravan,  which falls sometime between these two months.

One ritual associated with Shravan month is the exchanging of tamboolam. Married ladies give each other gift bags typically containing turmeric,  vermillion,  betel leaves and sprouted brown lentils( channa), signifying a wish for marital happiness and prosperity for both the giver and the receiver.  It is a fun ritual because you get to dress up in your best sarees and go and visit your neighbors and get to meet people,  but as the bags keep coming you start to wonder what to do with the endless supply of brown lentils. 

Lots of times I  either make a curry out of them or I just boil them and have them with a little salt and tempering. We absolutely love having them both ways. However it gets tiring eating the same thing after  a while. 

Last week DH's cousins came over for a visit and showed this absolutely yum new way of getting through my pile of  lentils-lentil fritters-A healthy, tasty  gluten free,  protein filled snack.

Ingredients
Serves 4

1 cup brown lentils (dry) to be sprouted*  (see instructions below)
2 onions chopped to a fine dice
1/2  inch ginger grated
4 green chillies thinly sliced
A few sprigs cilantro chopped
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

*Sprouting lentils
Soak lentils overnight or for 8 hours.  Drain the soaked lentils,  cover lightly with a damp cloth and set aside till sprouts appear,  approximately another 6-8 hours.  (you can skip this step entirely if using sprouted or canned lentils)

Once lentils are sprouted,  grind in a blender to a thick paste and  combine with all the other ingredients.  Shape into balls and deep fry in hot oil on medium flame until golden brown.   Serve hot with your choice of  sauce.