"Vada (Urad Dal+ Chana Dal)” served with Veg. Sambar ... vada’s needs no intro to any Indian; these crispy oval shaped fritters with a center hole are always a delight to relish dunked in hot spicy sambar or coconut chutney … a dish that once famously ruled as a South Indian breakfast item is now enjoyed across the regions … try it and enjoy with family, its tastes scrumptious … Yummilicious ..
** Vada Sambar needs no introduction to any Indian all over the world. The dish is so famous and liked by all that people simple yearn to eat them often. Vada sambar is served during breakfast at most of the GSB/ Konkani Saraswat functions. Learning to make a perfect vada is an art that can be learned only thru’ practice. So, If you cannot make a perfect holed vada in first attempt do not fret or feel that the batter will now go wasted. Just go ahead and drop large spoonful of batter into hot oil and make them into round shape, which in GSB Konkani Saraswat refer to as “Biscuit Ambado”.
** Vada, Biscuit Ambado. Medu Vada are all the same but in different shapes, that’s all. It took me some years to perfect this art and at times it still it becomes difficult to shape them if the batter consistency goes wrong by haste. So, you have to be careful and prepare a thick fluffy batter to bring out best fried Vada’s. Here, I have prepared the vada’s with addition of chana dal for variation and they turned out great. You can substitute with other lentils too if desired like moong dal, whole moong, chick peas etc. and they all turn out perfect. Check link shared at the bottom to access more such recipes.
** For those of you who are not aware of the procedure can check out on the link shared at the bottom of this recipe which includes step by step pictures of preparation of Vada’s, the method remains the same. Again, like in all of my posts I suggest it is always advisable to keenly observe these dishes being prepared by family, friends, neighbor for proper visual learning if not you can always check out on any You Tube channel for the same. You can follow any sambar recipe or serve with any curry or coconut chutney of your choice too, they all taste fantastic served with vadas, just try them
** Here is my method of preparing "Vada (Urad Dal+ Chana Dal)" ... my style, do try it, it tastes awesome served with sambar/ chutney ...
** Wash and soak 1 heaped cup of split urad dal (black gram dal) along with ½ cup of chana dal (split bengal gram dal) together in plenty of water for 2 hrs. Drain, wash and allow the dals to be drained wall in a colander for 15 minutes. It is necessary for the water to be drained off properly, as Vada's are always ground with just a few tablespoons of water to get best results. So leave it on the colander and shake it often for even draining of the water from the dals, this step is very important.
** Note : A period of 2 hours is more than sufficient for soaking the dals and if the weather is too hot, then even 1.5 hrs is more than enough.
** Now add the strained urad dal~ chana dal in a mixer grinder and grind to a smooth fluffy paste sprinkling water little by little while mixing it well in between as you grind the batter. This step too is necessary as the trick is to grind the dal's adding bare minimum water for grinding, for the vada’s to come out perfect.
** Note : If using mixer grinder remember to use chilled water for best results. Mixer blades heat up when grinding turning the batter thinner textured, addition of chilled water while grinding arrests the heating which enables the dals to grind into a fluffier texture. I used the food processor for grinding the vada batter.
** The ground batter should be soft- white butter like and once its done remove into a bowl. Now with hand gently beat the batter for a few minutes in one direction which will help in aeration that is necessary to get soft textured vada's. Add salt (namak/ meeta) to taste along with 1 tsp hing (asafoetida) powder, 1 tsp finely chopped ginger (adrak/ alle') Optional, 10-15 finely chopped curry leaves (kadipatta/ karbevu) and 5-6 green chillies (tarni mirsanga/ hari mirchi) cut into fine round rings.
** Note : You can add a handful of finely chopped fresh coconut pieces which in Konkani is referred to as Katla kudke, it tastes great to have bites of them while enjoying vada sambar, I did not have them so skipped adding.
** Sharing a few pictures below for reference of "Vada frying method", these pictures are of plain urad dal batter, for more step by step method pictures please refer to the links shared at the bottom of this recipe ...
** Heat plenty of refined oil/ tel/ tela in a kadai/ pan for deep frying and when it comes to smoking point, lower the heat to medium and wait for a few minutes. To check the correct temperature heat add a small ball of the batter into the hot oil, if it forms into swells into a small balls and comes up sizzling after a few seconds, the temperature is perfect. However, if the batter turns brown or reddish tinge immediately then the heat is more, which means you have to wait for few more minutes for it to cool.
** Now wet your both your palms with little bit of water, just a film of it, it ensures the batter slips off easily into the oil, however one has to be careful with this method to avoid any water droplets falling into the hot oil which may splutter and cause a mess. Take a little bit of batter in hand in round shape say the size of a tennis ball and place it on the center of the left hand. Now gently with the help of index finger of the right hand that is slightly wet make a hole in the center of the batter placed on right hand.
** Gently flip the vada on right hand taking care to see that the hole is intact and slip it into the hot oil carefully taking care to see that the oil does not splutter. Now prepare the other vada following the same method and add the vadas in the hot oil. The Kadai/ Pan should be wide enough to hold at least 3-4 vadas and at no time should it be over crowded as enough space is required for each of the vada's to be evenly fried. Also, remember to not add vadas back to back into the hot oil, after adding each vada wait for 1-2 minutes. This ensures allows the added one to cook a lit bit and not stick to each other.
** Let vadas cook for 4-5 minutes, then gently flip them over and continue frying. Remember to maintain the temperature constant throughout the deep-frying procedure. Once the vada's are flipped over and friend then keep flipping over a few times once in a few minutes for evenly frying of all the vada's to a evenly browned crisp texture. When the vada's are crisp fried remove them with the help of a holed or ringed spatula used for removing of deep fries and place them on a absorbent paper for the excess oil to be drained off well. Continue preparing and frying the Vadas following the same procedure shared above with the remaining batter until you have finished off all of the batter.
** Note : Making of these Vadas needs a little of practice and there are plenty of methods followed in preparing them. You can check out via. the common link shared at the bottom of this recipe where I have shared a few more methods of easily preparing them. If still you are unable to make them, just take a large lemon sized ball of batter, roll it while removing on the rim of the inner side of bowl for shaping and drop them gently into the hot oil. These are famously referred to as “Biscuit Ambado” in GSB Konkani Saraswat Cuisne and are easier than Vadas to be prepared. It is advisable to finish off the batter as it does not remain good if stored in fridge atleast I do not prefer it.
** “Vada (Urad Dal+ Chana Dal)" are done and ready to be served with Veg. Sambar or Coconut Chutney or any other side dish of your choice. I have served vadas with Spicy Veggie Sambar prepared with addition of Brinjal~ Potatato~ Bottle Gourd and it was an excellent combo. You can serve with any kolumbo/ sambar of your choice. Again, it tastes wonderful served with Coconut- Ginger Chutney which is how its served in Konkani homes most of the time. Children usually prefer it with chutney or their favorite tomato ketchup though personally I would not recommend a ketchup, but then, that’s how children are, they want to eat dosa, idly, vada almost everything with ketchup these days. To avoid this habit make them relish it the traditional way from childhood.
** These Vadas are prepared in combo of Urad dal+ Chana dal, however you can prepare them with only urad dal or urad dal+ moong dal or any other lentil of your choice too. If you browse through my Blog, you will find many combinations of Vadas prepared, the procedure of which remain the same. In fact I used the same batter and prepared both round ball shaped Vada's and these Vada's with hole in center. While I served these with Veggie sambar, I dunked the balls in Dahi/ Curds and prepared them as Dahi Vadas, this way I got to enjoy two dishes with one batter. I am sharing the link below to the Dahi Vada post, you may try them out or both together like I did, both are fantastic.
** I am sharing below the Blog links to “Article on preparing Vada’s and Biscuit Ambado”, all the “Vada’s” recipes in the Blog, and to "Urad Dal Vada" which includes step by step preparation method. Also sharing link to “Dahi Vada” recipe prepared with same batter. You may browse through them and try out any that your family prefers, they are all tasty, tried in my kitchen and loved by my family and friends. …
** I am also sharing a common link to all “Sambar/ Kolombo” recipes shared in the Blog, along with the recipe link to the above sambar too, just try any you prefer and serve them with prepared vadas, they all taste great ….
** I am also sharing a common link to all “Chutney” recipes in the Blog, you may try out any and enjoy these Vadas with them too, it tastes fantastic ….
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