Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Topped Lentil Cakes

Indian cuisine, in my opinion, has perfected the art of the lentil.  To start off, there are a multitude of lentils covering a wide spectrum of color and tastes.  And then to top that off, they are not only used in their whole form, but pureed, sometimes ground in their dry state, sometimes fermented, sometimes incorporated in desserts, and the list goes on.  Here I share one application and fuse it with some more Mediterranean flavors.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups mung dal (green gram pulse)
• 1 cup regular yogurt, whipped
•  Salt and pepper to taste
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 big red onion, sliced
• ¼ teaspoon red chili flake
• ¼ teaspoon roasted cumin powder
• ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
• 4 dried figs, sliced thinly
• 1/3 cup goat cheese

Directions:

1. Blend mung dal until you get a fine powder.  Combine with yogurt, salt and pepper and enough water to form a cake batter like consistency.  Set aside for 1 hour in a warm place.
2. Stir in baking soda and lime juice into dal mixture.  Steam in a steamer basket for 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out dry.
3. Meanwhile heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in skillet.  Saute onions until caramelized.  Add salt and pepper.  Stir in red chili flake, cumin, paprika, and figs during the last  3 minutes of cooking time.
4. Cut rounds out of mung dal cake using a large biscuit cutter (about 3.5 inch diameter).  Spread each mung dal round with about a tablespoon of goat cheese and top with some of the caramelized onion and fig mixture.  Enjoy!