"Shepu Chettambado/ Dill Leaves Fritters" ... and the dishes with these leaves still continues ... Kya karu khattam hi nahin honda ... but it is quite exciting too coz. these vadas turned out excellent and we loved it with dalitoy- rice etc. for lunch ... Yummilicious ...
** By now I am sure the word “Chettambado” rings a bell in mind that it's deep fried vada for all those who follow my recipes/ blog/ page and my food group Konkani Delicacies. A snack that can be had anytime of the day be it for bf, tiffin, lunch/ dinner and that which can be prepared in various combinations too. Definitely a delicious deep fried fritter that you can just not say NO to. Children, young and old love this very much and in my home I prepare them quite often with various combinations. I will not run into the details as I will be only repeating myself each time and thereby making some of you yawn to boredom. So for those of you who are new and would like to know more, it’s simple, just click on to the common link shared at the bottom of this recipe and you will find them all in a row and you can just browse through them and try out those that are easily available in your vicinity or loved by your family.
** As for this particular Chettambado I have prepared it using Dill Leaves also known as Shepu or Sabsige in other languages and of course there may be many more in other languages as our country India has a lot of languages in which people converse. Again about this leaves too I have written whatever little I know off and for more you can always just ask or browse through with uncle “google” our know all friend, philosopher and guide, there is nothing that he doesn’t know off. The bunch that we get is quite large for the two of us at home, so I have nicely cleaned, chopped and stored them in airtight container in the fridge and use them as and when a Idea crops up. Off course I need to finish it off soon, and as you notice I have been including a dish prepared using the leaves almost every next day. A little more still to go, so try and enjoy these fritters till I think of something else to finish it off.
** Here is my simple recipe for "Shepu Chettambado/ Dill Leaves Fritters" … My Style ….
** Wash and soak 2 cups of Chana Dal/ Bengal Gram Dal along with ¼ cup of Raw Rice/ Tandul/Akki in plenty of water for 2 hrs. Once again wash well and drain off all excess water by putting it in an colander and keeping it aside for 25-30 minutes. This helps in draining of all the excess water which is very important step for preparation of chettambados.
** Pick, clean and wash about one cup of Dill Leaves/ Shepu/ Sabsige. Place it on a dry cloth and rub out as much water content as you can. Then chop it finely and keep it aside ready while we go ahead with the preparation of the chettambado.
** Add in the drained chana dal-rice into the food processor grinder or mixer grinder along with 6-8 Red Chilly (Tambdi Mirsanga/ Laal Mirchi) chopped to pieces, handful of freshly grated Coconut (Nariyal/ Soyi), pinch of Tamarind (Chinchama/ Imly) and grind to a semi coarse paste without adding water, mix in between often to get evenly ground mixture.
** Note : Add water sparingly only if absolutely necessary while grinding as we need the paste thick and should not turn out softer. The paste should be rava like grainy texture and should come to binding consistency when rolled in palm.
** Remove and add the ground chana dal- rice mixture into the bowl. Add in the finely chopped dill leaves prepared and kept ready aside along with Salt (Namak/ Meeta) to taste, ½ to 1 tsp of Hing/ Asafoetida Powder and mix well. The mixture should come to a binding consistency and should be able to be prepared into small chettambados/ tikki without breaking up or giving cracks.
** Note : If you find it a difficult to prepare vadas without cracking up you can keep the mixture in fridge for 15-25 minutes and then try out the same for easier binding. I have not kept it in the fridge as with practice you will learn to gently roll it between palms but you may do so if desired or need to prepare them later or after a few hours. You can also prepare the mixture and keep it overnight in fridge if you have guests next day.
** To Prepare Chettambado/ Vadas/ Fritters : Take about 2 tblsp of mixture in hand, roll it to a smooth ball shape, and gently press it to fatten evenly without building in cracks. If it still cracks up then add 1-2 tblsp of rice flour and mix well and then prepare the vadas. Prepare and keep a few ready to be fried while you keep a pan/ kadai with plenty of oil for deep frying on heat if you are new to this method. Once you are used to these things can be always done simultaneously.
** For Deep Frying the Chettamados : When the oil reaches smoking point, lower the heat to minimum and wait for 4-5 minutes. Add in the prepared chettambados one by one gently into the oil. Do not overcrowd the kadai as there should be enough space for the vadas to get evenly fried. Raise the heat to medium and fry evenly till crispy on all sides flipping it often.
** It takes about 8-10 minutes to be done. Remove with a slotted/ ringed spatula, draining off excess oil and put it on an absorbent paper for the excess oil to drain off completely. Continue preparing with the remaining mixture in similar way in batches to make the chettambados taking care to see that the heat of oil is constantly maintained by increasing if necessary or decreasing if too hot which is very important for proper frying.
** "Shepu Chettambado/ Dill Leaves Fritters" are done and ready to be served. Always serve chettambado fresh and hot immediately after frying, at tea time as a snack with some chutney of your choice or tomato ketchup or for lunch/ dinner as starter or side dish with dal-chawal, it tastes awesome either way you serve it, so go ahead and just give it a try, I am sure your family and friends will love them, you can carry it in your lunch box too.
** Chettambado is one our favorite dish, prepared often with variations as and what I veggies I have at home and each one of them have turned out equally tasty. We simple love to relish these more so during lunch time and so do all my friends and relatives. Children simply gorge on them, so be prepared to have plenty in hand to avoid disappointments especially if they bring along their friends too. Do try it out and enjoy with your family and friends.
** As I had already posted step by step procedure in many of the chettambado recipes, I have not included the same here. Sharing a link of taikile chettambado which is similar to this one and has pictures which will enable you to grasp the same better if need be. Also sharing a common link to all chettambado recipes posted in my Blog to date, do browse through the same and try out that which appeals to you.
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Thanks.