CRISPY URAD VADAS

ahaaafood

Vadas are made from urad dal( black gram). It is a traditional snack prepared in South India, which is eaten as breakfast with idli and sambar. Chopped onions, green chilies, curry leaves, crushed pepper corns and cumin seeds are added into the coarsely ground bengal gram batter and deep fried into golden brown.

Urad dal is best source of protein,iron, folic acid, calcium,potassium, Vitamin B. It contains lesser amount of fat and is good for hair growth.

INGREDIENTS

• Urad dal (Bengal gram).          1 cup
• Cumin seeds                                 1 tsp
• Onion finely chopped               1medium
• Green chilly finely chopped   2 no.
• Curry leaves finely chopped  1 sprig
• Pepper corns crushed.             1 tsp
• Sunflower oil for deep fry
• Salt to taste

METHOD

Rinse the urad dal two three times in water. Soak urad dal for 4-5 hours.   Drain the water completely. Add salt and blend it in a blender but add a tbsp  water (just enough to grind)  into a smooth fluffy paste. Put the ground batter into a large bowl..

Add finely chopped onions, green chilies, curry leaves, crushed pepper corns and cumin seeds into the ground batter and mix it well. Check for salt.Heat oil in a kadai / deep pan for deep fry.

 

Wet your palms with water and take a tbsp batter in your left palm, shape it round with your right palm. Wet your right finger and make a hole in the centre of the batter. Flip to your right fingers and gently slide into hot oil on medium heat.

When the vada turns golden brown turn the other side and cook it. Take it out and drain out the excess oil in a kitchen towel. Repeat the same procedure with test of vadas. You can fry in batches.

Serve hot with sambar or coconut chutney.

ELA ADA

Ada or Ella ada is a traditional delicacy of Kerala. It consists of rice parcels encased in a dough made of rice flour with sweet fillings and is steamed in banana leaf and served as an evening snack. Usually the stuffing is made from jaggery and coconut but here I am adding jack fruit jam and coconut.

My mom prepares the jack fruit jam when the fruit is in season and the fruit is available in our backyard. She steams the jack fruit after deseeding them, blends it and cooks it in jaggery and ghee, which acts as preservatives. Then she stores them in bottles. This is used in stuffing for adas.

INGREDIENTS

Rice powder ( roasted)        2 cup
Water (hot)                             1 cup
Jack fruit jam                           1 cup
Coconut                                      1 cup
Cardamon powder                   2 tsp
Ghee/Butter                              1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Banana leaf                               6 pieces

METHOD

 















In a bowl add rice powder, salt and hot water and knead it into a dough.It should not be wattery. Cover and keep aside.

Mix jack fruit jam  coconut and cardamom powder until well combined with your fingers.  Keep it aside.

Wash, clean and wipe the banana leaf. Cut in 6" x 3". Grease the leaf with ghee.

Divide the rice dough into six portions. Keep each portion on the leaf and slowly flatten with your fingers, spread it over the leaf.

Divide the stuffing into six portions and spread it over the rice dough.

Fold the banana leaf into half.

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In a pressure cooker keep all the adas and steam for 8-10 minutes.

Take it out. Serve it warm as evening snack.

Note: How to make jack fruit jam you can view  -  http://ahaaafood.com/jack-fruit-jam-chakka-varatti/

Instead of jackfruit jam you can make a stuffing of coconut, jaggery and cardamom powder.