Friday, April 3, 2020

Green Gram Dal- Onion Chettambado/ Vadas and Panak.


"Mooga Dali Chettambado (Green Gram Dal Vada) and Mooga Dali- Piyava Chettambado (Green Gram Dal- Onion Vada) served with Panak (Spiced Jaggery Coolant)" ... Yesterday's chettambado prepared today with addition of onions and it tasted tastier ... the 1-3 marked vadas are without onions while the others are with onions ... Yummilicious ... 

** Chettambado or Dal Vada as known elsewhere is deep fried vadas prepared with single or combination of lentils. In my home we simple love it and prepare it both for lunch or as a snack. During Diwali on Laxmi Pooja day I usually prepared it as evening snack without fail and serve all those who come home with best wishes. I have posted this snack in various combinations and will be sharing the common link to it at the bottom of this recipe, you may go through the same and choose that which appeals to you. Most of the time when I prepare these vadas I add on more of chana dal in proportion and other dals in lesser quantity. The mood of the nation worldwide being in distress though one does not feel like cooking much, we need to eat proper food to keep up our strength to fight against this deadly disease. 

** Yesterday that is on April 2nd 2020 it was Rama Navami which is celebrated with great pomp by our Samaj Mandal in Thane and to which hubby and me have been offering our services for over 20 years now, but this year, the event had to be cancelled and we had to do the needful in our own homes. As I fell short of chana dal, I decided to prepare the vada with only moong dal as it was plenty in stock at home. Well I prepared the same and it was tasty though the vadas tasted much tastier the next day when I added finely chopped onions to the remaining mixture and fried them. The first day I prepared it being on Rama Navami it is No Onion-Garlic day, so this became a sort of 2 in 1 dish for me. Without running into more details sharing the recipe which is almost same as other but with minute changes. 

** Here is my simple recipe for both “Mooga Dali Chettambado (Green Gram Dal Vada) and Mooga Dali- Piyava Chettambado (Green Gram Dal- Onion Vada)” … My own method … 

** Wash and soak 1.5 cups of moong dal/ green gram dal with 1/4 cup of urad dal in plenty of water for about 2 hrs. Wash well again and drain on a colander for a good 15-20 minutes. The water should be completely drained off as much as possible. 

** In a mixer grinder add in 3-4 chopped dry red chillies (sukkili mirsanga/ mirchi), 8-10 black pepper corns (miri), 1/2 tsp hing (asfoetida) powder, and run until it’s coarsely powdered. Now add in 3/4th to 1 cup of freshly grated coconut and once again run the mixer until it is ground into coarse paste. Do not add water, Remove into a wide bowl. 

** Now in the same mixer add in the drained moong dal- urad dal and once again grind to a coarse consistency. Remember to NOT add in water while grinder. Keep mixing frequently to get evenly ground coarse rava textured mixture. Only if absolutely necessary sprinkle water to enable grinding. Remove and add this to the ground mixture in the bowl. 

** Add in finely chopped few curry leaves (kadipatta/ karbev) and salt to taste and mix the mixture well. The mixture should come to a balling consistency when rolled on hand. You can also keep a handful of the drained mixture aside while grinding and add it on later to the mixture which gives nice crunchy taste while eating the same. 

** To make Chettambado : Heat plenty of oil in a deep bottomed kadai, which you usually use for deep frying. Mix the mixture well, when rolled in hand it should come to a balling consistency. Remova about a large tablespoon in hand and bind them into round ball, flatten a little bit to form vada and deep fry in hot oil till golden colour. 

** You can add 7-8 vadas at a time for deep frying depending upon the size of your kadai and the oil in it. Do not overcrowd the kadai, there should be enough space for the vadas to get evenly fried from all sides. When evenly browned with the help of ringed spatula remove and place on an absorbent paper for excess oil to be drained. 

** To make Chettambado with Onion : The preparation of the mixture is similar to as prepared above once done and mixed properly add in one large sized onion finely chopped mix well and prepared the vadas also similar to the same as above and deep fry again in the same method. The vadas with onions are much tastier than the ones without it. 


** “Mooga Dali Chettambado (Green Gram Dal Vada) and Mooga Dali- Piyava Chettambado (Green Gram Dal- Onion Vada)” is done and ready to be served. You can serve them hot a snack with chutney or as it is too. You can also serve them for lunch as an accompaniment with Dal-Chawal etc. or with any dish of your choice. I had served them without onions for lunch on Ram Navami day and the next day to the remaining mixture added on some chopped onion and served the same again for lunch and both were equally tasty, though the ones with onions rank higher. 

** Do try out these tasty chettambados/ vadas and relish them with your family and friends. Children love to eat them dunked in tomato ketchup too, tastes great. During these stressing time food is a solace and though I understand that the one who prepares dishes too gets tired, it also keeps our mind occupied and relives us from unnecessary and worrying thoughts. Also children like elders do not understand the situation and are bound to be cranky, you have to keep them occupied by giving them small work and involving them in plenty of activity and giving them good food to keep them happy.

** Note: You can add in some coconut cut into small pieces which in konkani we call Katla kudke into the mixture along with onion pieces or without onions too. They too impart a nice crunchy taste to the vadas, my mother used to do it, though I rarely add it on. 

** Note : This is a very important tip that should not be overlooked. The mixture should be ground without water, I do not add in any water while grinding. If you are having food processor use it, it gives the best result, otherwise, keep mixing in between as you grind to get a evenly grained texture for best results. 

** Note : Here is another tip for those who find that grinding without addition of a little bit of water in their mixer in impossible, then use water sparingly. However in case the mixture turns out on thinner side then do not despair, you can add in a little bit of chana dal flour / besan and binding it into a roll too. 

** Note : You can add chopped onions as posted already above or any other veggies be it leafy or other nutty texture like bikkand/ jackfruit seed etc. I have prepared in many combos and will be preparing more in the near future too. you will find them in the search option or you can choose to use the common link shared below … 

** For the Recipe of "Panak/ Spiced Jaggery Drink/ Coolant", Please follow the link given below, I have included the original method and a few with variation, do try them out, all are equally tasty .... 

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