Being home is always special, to add to that if you have two wonderful cooks in your mother and grandmother asking you what you would like for breakfast, lunch, and dinner – you truly are being pampered. On a cloudy Tuesday morning, when the world was busy doing whatever it is it does, my ammama (grandmother) suggested we make Rava vadai. I didn’t need to be asked again.
As I mentioned in my previous piece, I have grown up watching my mother and ammama cook, and when I had the opportunity to assist her in making ravavadai I was doubly thrilled. As she was efficiently shredding the coriander leaves, I found myself wishing if only I could be half as good as she is in her cooking.
Rava vadai though a popular snack down south isn’t something you find on the menu in restaurants serving South Indian food in Delhi/NCR.
So here goes the recipe of RavaVadai, straight from my ammama’s kitchen.
Ingredients:
Roasted Rava (Semolina) – ½ cup
Maida – 1 ½ cups
Onion – finely chopped
Green chillies – 4 or 5 finely chopped
Ginger – 1 tsp finely chopped
Coriander leaves – a handful
Karipatta leaves – a few leaves
Dry coconut – 2 tsps
Ghee – 1 tbsp
Oil – enough to deep fry
Salt to taste
Method:
In a wide mouthed vessel add all the ingredients, except the onions and mix well.After mixing them well, add the chopped onion to the mixture and mix once. Onions are added in the end to ensure that the vadai will be crisp. Heat the ghee and add it to the mixture. Ensure that you do not add any water to the mixture. Once all the ingredients are well mixed heat oil in a kadai for deep frying the vadai mixture.
Make lemon sized balls of the mixture and pat them in your palms like shown in the picture. In order to ensure that the mixture does not stick to your palm, keep a bowl of water and lightly dab some into your palms before flattening the mixture.
Slowly immerse the patty into the oil and deep fry till golden brown. Always ensure that the flame is set to simmer or low, as if you cook it in high flame then the insides remain uncooked, while the golden brown colour will appear soon. This is the trick is to ensure that the vadai comes out crisp and nicely done.
I enjoyed these vadais with my rasam rice and also as my tea time snack. Do tell me what meal of yours the vadai made it to.
Bon Appetite
