Tirupati Vada/ How to make Whole Black Urdh Dal Pepper Vada

After Tirupati/Tirumala Laddu, Tirupati Vada Prasadam is one of the most famous Prasadam of Tirupati Temple. Tirupati Vada is made with skinned Whole Urdh dal and Black Pepper. These vadas are deep fried in ghee and is very crispy. Today instead of ghee I used oil for deep frying. Let’s see how to make this.

  

Preparation Time :     10 Minutes

Cooking Time           30 Minutes

Soaking Time           8 Hours

Cuisine                  South Indian Snacks

Serves                  4-6 Nos.

Ingredients:

Whole Black Urdh Dal (Skinned) -  1 ½ Cup

Black Peppercorns                          3 Tablespoons

Cumin Seeds                                   2 Tablespoons

Hing Powder                                    1 Tablespoon

Ghee                                                1 Tablespoon

Cooking Oil/ Ghee                            For Frying

Salt                                                  To Taste 

Preparation Method:

• Wash and soak the Urdh dal 8 hours or overnight.
• Grind Coarsely the black Pepper and Cumin seeds and keep aside.

• In a mixer jar, add the  Grind the Urdh dal without adding water.
• Run for a second, then mix it and again run for a second.
• Do not make it into a smooth paste. If you are finding it difficult to grind just sprinkle one or two spoons of water before grinding.
• Grind it coarsely
• Take a mixing bowl, add the grounded Urdh dal, Pepper Cumin Mixer, Hing Powder, Ghee and Salt. Mix Everything well.
• Take greased Plastic Sheet, put a lemon size Urdh dal paste, flatten it using your fingers to make a inch diameter disc.
• Heat oil in a frying pan/kadai. Reduce heat to medium to low. Gently slide the disc into the hot oil and fry 2-3 of them together.
• When it is half cooked take it out from oil and keep aside. (Very important Step). Take out half cooked vadas and keep.
• After half frying all vadas, deep fry the half cooked vadas batches by batches. Fry on both sides until they are crisp.
• Remove from the fried Vadas and put it in the Kitchen Paper towel to drain the excess oil.
• Now Tirupati Vada is ready. Store it in the Airtight Containers.

Note:

• Make sure, your Vada Batter should be Coarse.
• Deep fry 2 times to get the crispy vada. When it is half cooked take it out from oil and keep aside.
• Please note: this step is very important. If you are missing this step vadas will be soggy.
• If Vadas are fried in a ghee, it very tasty. In the temple, they are frying the vadas in Ghee. In this recipe I used Oil.

Green Peas Paruppu Vadai/ Green Peas Patties

Paruppu Vadai is a south Indian specialty snack that is prepared on every single occasion.

Now masala Vadai are quite commonly made at homes, hotels and tea stalls and they’re all tasty.

Its crispness makes us crazy .My mom does it very well, We will finish it off ,right from the pan. Wat a rainy day is ,without  a cup of coffee and hot Vadai?. My version Vadai, here you go

Cuisine                       South Indian

Recipe Category          Snacks

Soaking Time             6-8 Hours/ Overnight

Preparation Time       10 Minutes                                                           

Cooking Time            20 Minutes

Serves                     10 Medium sized Vadai

Ingredients

Dry Green Peas                       1 cup

Frozen  Baby corns                 2 Tablespoons

Chopped Ginger                      2 Tablespoons

Green Chillies                           3 Nos.

Chopped Coriander Leaves   2 Tablespoon

Chopped Mint Leaves            1 Tablespoon (Optional)

Curry Leaves                            1 stems

Fennel seeds                            1 Teaspoon (optional)

Roasted Rava                           1 Tablespoon

Rice Powder                              1 Tablespoon

Asafetida powder                   1 Teaspoon

Salt                                             To Taste

Oil                                              As Required

Method:

• Wash & soak Green Peas, overnight. Then wash again & drain water fully.
• In a food processor(Mixie), add Green Chillies, Chopped Ginger, Chopped Coriander , Chopped Mint Asafetida powder , and Grind for a second.
• Now add the Green Peas and  Rice powder, grind this in a blender and roughly blended. The dal should be partially ground. (i.e., half the dhal is should be just broken and the remaining dal remains whole.)
• Transfer this mixture to a Mixing Bowl.

• Add corns, curry leaves  and Rava to this mixture. Add salt and use your hands to combine everything together.
• Your Vadai mixture is ready. The consistency should be thick and you should be able to shape it into Vadai easily
• The thick batter should be formed into silver dollar sized patties, rounded on top and bottom, and should hold their shape in your palm.

• Heat a Kadai/Pan and pour in oil. When the oil is hot.
• Deep fry the Vadai, both sides until it turns golden brown.
• Repeat making more Vadai and fry in batches.
• Remove the fried Vadai to absorbent paper. Serve hot.
• Eat it with Green  chutney and anyone will be happy.

Notes:

• Adding Fennel seeds gives wonderful aroma, Flavor  for the Vadai. You can omit the fennel seeds.
• If not making Vadai immediately, refrigerate the Vadai mixture. You can store the mixture up to 2 days. Store it on airtight glass container.
• Instead of corns you can add soaked Chenna dhal to the mixture.

Arachuvitta Kathirikkai Kuzhambhu/ Spicy Tangy Brinjal Gravy

My family love this Kuzhambhu. Whenever I make this Kuzhambhu, I can feel the aroma in the whole house. Especially if you have access to pinju kathirikkai/tender eggplant it is gonna be even tastier. This Kuzhambhu is a spicy and tangy gravy goes well with both white rice and brown rice. I also love it with idli and Dosa.

Preparation Time  :  10 Minutes

Cooking Time      :  10-15 Minutes

Cuisine             :  South Indian

Category          :  Kuzhambhu

Serves             :  4- 6 Peoples.

Ingredients:

Tender Small/ Kathirikkai      -     6 nos.

Tamarind                                      Gooseberry Size

Tomatoes                                      2 nos.

Turmeric Powder                           ½ Teaspoon

Salt                                               To Taste

For Grinding

Grated Ginger                                1 Tablespoon

Grated Coconut                               ½ Cup

Masalas

Sambhar Powder                              1 Tablespoon

Red Chili Powder                               1 Teaspoon

Dhania Powder                                   1 Teaspoon

Asafetida powder                               ½ Teaspoon

 For Tempering:

   Sesame Oil                         1 Table spoon

  Mustard Seeds                 1 Teaspoon

  Curry Leaves                    Few    

How to make Brinjal Kuzhambhu          

        

• Wash the brinjals and Tomatoes. Cut the eggplants into length size pieces and keep it in a bowl of water till you cook to prevent turning brown/bitter. Chop the Tomatoes and keep aside.
• Soak tamarind in hot water for 10 minutes and squeeze out to make tamarind juice. Keep aside.
• Heat a pan, add 1 teaspoon of oil add grated coconut, sauté for a minute. Grind with 1/4 cup of water to a smooth paste. Keep aside.

• Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds, after it splutters add, curry leaves. Sauté well and add green brinjal, Tomatoes. Sauté well for a minute so that the brinjal gets roasted a little. Add red chili powder, sambar powder, Hing Powder and coriander powder.  Saute for a minute.

• Now add tamarind extract and salt. Mix well and allow the it to boil.
• Add the coconut paste in it. Cover with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes more.

• When everything looks combined garnish it with chopped cilantro and serve it hot with rice!