Rasa Vada

Rasa Vada

A popular Indian snack !!!

Soaking time: 3 hours

Makes: 10 - 12 vadas

You will need

For Vada:

200 g ( 1 cup ) urad dal

1 tablespoon raw rice

2 1/2 cup water ( for soaking )

2 green chillies. finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon hing ( asafoetida )

1 - inch piece ginger, finely chopped

1 spring curry leaves, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt ( or to taste )

2 tablespoons water ( for grinding )

250 ml oil for frying

200 ml butter milk (not very sour)

Method

For vada:

Chop ginger, green chilli and curry leaves. In a bowl, mix hing ( asafoetida ) chopped ginger, green chillies and curry leaves.

Wash and soak urad dal and raw rice together for 3 hours. Drain out water completely.

Grind urad dal – raw rice to a thick and smooth paste in a mixer in batches. Add / sprinkle 2 tablespoons water during grinding.

Transfer the vada batter into another flat bowl and mix it with chopped ingredients and salt to taste (Finally add salt) and prepare / fry immediately.

Heat oil in a kadai / frying pan. Reduce heat to medium. Avoid frying on high heat.

Wet your palms and take batter into the palms. Shape it like a doughnut with a hole in the centre. The reason for putting hole is to allow for expansion during frying as well as to obtain uniform cooking through out the cross section.

Alternately one can shape it like a round tikki (pattice) if one find it difficult to shape it like a doughnut. You can make 12 - 14 lemon sized balls / pattice / dough nut with this batter.

Release the doughnut shaped batter / balls directly into the medium hot oil.

Care should taken not to splash oil on to your palms.

Repeat this as far as the space permitting in your kadai (4 - 5 vadas or 6 - 7 balls at a time)

Also too many vadas at a time may result in uneven cooking of vadas. Normally at first the underside of the vadas turn brown. So turn the vadas over so that the uniform color ( golden color ) is obtained through out the surface. Cook on a medium heat. Avoid high heat.

Drain and place on kitchen paper to absorb excess oil and put these vadas (when it is very hot) in 1 cup (200 ml) butter milk for a few seconds to remove excess oil and make them soft. They should be removed from the butter milk before they are soaked too much. Otherwise they may break.

Take out the vadas from the butter milk and carefully squeeze out the water between the palms without breaking them.

Arrange vadas on a flat serving dish and pour rasam over it. Keep aside for 1 - 2 hours to absorb flavour. Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves when serving.

For Rasam:

Homemade Mangalore Rasam Powder

Makes: 70 g

You will need

1 cup (100 g ) coriander seeds

10 dried red chillies

2 tablespoon gram dal (chana dal)

1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)

1/2 teaspoon methi seeds (fenugreek / ulauva)

1 teaspoon hing (asafoetida / kaayam)

3 spring curry leaves (18 leaves)

1 teaspoon oil

Method

Heat oil in an iron kadai / frying pan. Reduce heat to medium and lightly fry hing and fenugreek seeds until light brown and fragrant.

Add coriander seeds, dried red chillies, gram dal, jeera and curry leaves. Fry on a low heat for 10 - 12 minutes or until crisp / well roasted and aromatic.

Transfer these ingredients into a mixer bowl and make a fine powder. Store in an airtight container / dry bottle.

Plain Rasam

Serves: 3

You will need

1/2 cup ( 100 g ) tur dal

3 cups ( 300 ml ) water

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/2 teaspoon oil

Extra 1 cup (200 ml) water

Other ingredients:

1/2 teaspoon tamarind paste ( or 1/4 cup (30 ml / 3 tablespoons tamarind juice )

1 green chilli, slit lengthwise

3 1/2 teaspoons Homemade Mangalore Rasam Powder / any good quality brand

1/4 teaspoon asafoetida ( hing )

1/2 teaspoon pepper powder

1/2 teaspoon salt ( or to taste )

1 teaspoon chopped coriander leaves ( optional )

Seasoning:

2 teaspoon oil

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 spring curry leaves

2 red chillies, broken

Method

Wash and clean tur dal. In a pressure cooker, boil dal with 3 cups water, turmeric powder and oil ( reduce the heat to medium after 2 nd whistle and pressure cook for 20 minutes or till done and soft ). Allow to cool naturally. Open the lid and mash well.

In a bowl, mix cooked dal with extra 1 cup (1 cup to 1 1/2 cup) water, tamarind paste / juice, Mangalore Rasam powder, asafoetida,slit green chilli, pepper powder and salt to taste. Cover with a lid and cook on a medium heat for 20 minutes or till done / fragrant. Strain this rasam though a fine iron sieve to get a clear rasam.

Seasoning:

In a small pan, heat 2 teaspoon oil. Add mustard seeds. When they begin to pop, add curry leaves and broken red chillies. Pour this seasoning over rasam .

Final preparation:

Arrange vadas on a flat serving dish. Pour rasam over it. Keep a side for 1 hour to absorb all the flavors. Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves when serving.