Vada

Every festival will remind you of Vada, the quintessential south indian snack. Its heavenly when you have it with Masala chai and spicy chutney as side dish. I was introduced to this dish during my stay in coastal andhra, a place called Rajahmundry. Vada is called as ' Minapa garelu' in telugu. Be it any festival, you would find this dish as prasadam along with tamarind rice and lemon rice. Even I prepared this as prasadam for Ganesh chathurthi :-)



Ingredients:

Urad dal - 1 Cup
Green chillies - 3
Onion - 1 medium(finely chopped)
Ginger - 1 small piece
Salt - According to taste
Jeera - 1/2 Tbsp
Vegetable oil

Procedure:

1. Soak the urad dal for for overnight.
2. Drain all the water and grind urad dal along with green chillies, ginger, salt. Do not add anymore water to this mixture becoz we have soaked urad dal for overnight and also if more water is added the vada's will absorb more oil.
3. Add finely chopped onions, jeera to the batter.
4. Take a small amount of the dough and place it on plastic sheet & make a shape of vada and fry them in oil.
5. This goes very well with coconut chutney, ginger chutney or sambar.

Dahi Vada

Ingredients :

Urad dal - 1 Cup
Green chillies - 3
Onion - 1 medium(finely chopped)
Ginger - 1 small piece
Salt - According to taste
Jeera - 1/2 Tbsp
Vegetable oil
Buttermilk - 5 cups

Procedure:

1. Soak the urad dal for for overnight.
2. Drain all the water and grind urad dal along with green chillies, ginger, salt. Do not add anymore water to this mixture becoz we have soaked urad dal for overnight and also if more water is added the vada's will absorb more oil.
3. Add finely chopped onions, jeera to the batter.
4. Take a small amount of the dough and place it on plastic sheet & make a shape of vada and fry them in oil.
5. Take a bowl with warm water. Drop in all the fried vada's and leave them for 3 to 4 mins.
6. Transfer the soaked vada's to the buttermilk. Let them soak for 4 to 5 hrs.
7. Sprinkle some chili powder, salt, cumin powder and garnish with boondi and fresh coriander before serving.

Tomato rasam - I

Ingredients:
Tomatoes - 2 medium
Onion - finely chopped
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tbsp
Garlic - 5 cloves
Green chillies - 3
Besan- 1 tbsp
Salt

Procedure:
1. Cut tomatoes and onion and keep it aside.
2. Take a pan and add oil, seasoning( mustard & cumin seeds), curry leaves and fry well.
3. Add chopped onions and cook until golden brown.
4 Add chopped tomatoes and garlic. Cook until tomatoes are soft and cooked well.
5. Add 4 cups of water and boil till tomatoes are overcooked.
6. Now filter the water(rasam) and tomato pulp (You can add this to cooked tuvar dal and prepare a dal too)
7. Take a separate pan, add oil, seasoning and curry leaves. Fry well and add the above rasam.
8. Add chili powder and salt according your taste.
9. Take a bowl and mix besan with little amount of water and mix this to the rasam.
10. Allow rasam to boil and add fresh coriander.
11. Serve hot with rice.