The ‘OG Protein Powder’: If You’re Bored of Dal, Try This Traditional Metkut Mix

Metkut bhaat is a beloved comfort food for many Maharashtrian households. Made with roasted lentils and pulses, this spice powder mix is usually served with fluffy white rice and dollops of ghee.

Mumbai-based food blogger Shubha writes, “As a child, I was very fond of my Maharashtrian neighbour. She would make me so many yummy dishes..One that I clearly remember was a delicious spiced powder. My aunt used to serve it with soft cooked rice. She would liberally drizzle ghee/clarified butter on top and season it with salt. I still remember the taste…”

Besides being an integral part of many childhood memories, metkut is also an excellent alternative if you dislike or are bored of the same old dal. In fact, if you’re the parent of a fussy kid, you can try offering them this Marathi spice mix instead.

Some other ingredients used while making metkut are urad dal, moong dal, rice, mustard seeds, and any other millets of your choice. This dish provides great health benefits as it is a rich source of protein, dietary fibre, and iron. It’s also extremely light on the stomach and can aid in curing constipation.

Recently, Chef Chinu Vaze took to Instagram to post a reel on how she likes to prepare metkut. In a long caption detailing its benefits, she explained that when her child began disliking dal, metkut swooped in to save the day.

“Just as Zanu hit two, she stopped eating khichdi or any kind of dal, and has just now started eating dal again. So the rediscovery of Metkut was a lifesaver for us in those anti-dal days!” she wrote.

In the reel, Chinu shared her own spin on metkut’s recipe. The unique twist? Moringa!

Here’s how you can whip up some delicious metkut yourself:

Ingredients:

• Chana dal – ½ cup
• Urad dal – ¼ cup
• Moong dal – ⅛ cup
• Bajra or any millet – ⅛ cup
• Uncooked Basmati rice – ⅛ cup
• Mustard seeds – 1 teaspoon
• Cumin seeds – ½ teaspoon
• Peppercorns – 1.5 teaspoon
• Coriander seeds – ½ teaspoon
• Fenugreek seeds – ½ teaspoon
• Cloves – 1
• Dry red chilli – ½
• Dry ginger root – ½ inch
• Turmeric – ¼ teaspoon
• Ajwain (carom seed) – ¼ teaspoon
• Salt – as much as you prefer
• Cardamom powder – ½ teaspoon
• Fennel powder – ½ teaspoon
• Moringa powder – 1 teaspoon

Preparation:

• Dry roast all ingredients separately.
• Turn them into fine powder (this can be stored for months).
• Take an adequate amount of this powder, and mix well with boiled rice and ghee or curd. You can also have this with roti.

Sources:

Metkut Bhaat Is An Ultimate Comfort Food, Published by Aparna Apte Kandikar on App’s Cooking Cottage

Metkut – Marathi Recipe, Published by Madhura Bachal on Madhura’s recipe

Metkut – Maharashtrian Spice Powder, Published by Shubha (Meri Rasoi) on Blogspot

Edited by Divya Sethu