Cooking web notes

            The only work/help I used to do before marriage,to my mom, if any festive days means, that would be grinding and making vadai. My mom used to tell how,and i will grind and make as per her instructions.Then after 3-4 times,I used to do all by my self. From then, vadai department is mine…That is from grinding ,cleaning the grinder,till making vadai.

           My  mom used to make vadais with a piece of banana leaf or a polythene cover, for making shape of vadai. But once I  happened to see how vadai is made in hotel/restaurants…with out using anything,just using our one hand make beautiful vadais that looks so cute….From then I started making like that.Its less mess and easy too than using banana leaf or anything else.What u need is practice. No no,don't think its difficult,once u get to know the correct trick,you will be able to do with ease.

              I could not take pictures while making sooo detailed,but have done whatever i can do with my one hand,so that beginners could be benefitted. If anybody sees this post and want to see a video,please mail me to my mail ID,given in my profile.I will send you the link that I have uploaded in You tube. The reason why I have not linked here is,so many of you already know and I need not bore you right? And also the video quality is not up to the mark since I took from my mobile.

And this post is especially for my two close friend’s request,one, sangeeta and then my Sis in law .

Ingredients:

(Makes approx 20 medium sized vadais)

Method:

1. Soak urad dal for 1 hour at least. (Use whole urad dal without skin(muzhu ulundu)for better result).
2. Grind urad dal with only little water till fluffy. Please note the following points:
   a) Add urad dal little by little(no water),while the grinder is running.
   b)Just sprinkle water now and then to avoid jamming of the grinder.
   c)Stand near till you finish grinding for sprinkling water now and then and wipe the urad dal that sticks to the wall of the grinder container.
   d)This whole process takes around 12-15 minutes,you will get a fluffy white batter.
3. Now chop onions,ginger,green chillies,coriander and curry leaves and add all these to the batter along with salt and asafetida.(You can add ginger and green chillies while you are grinding the batter itself,if you don’t want to come in mouth.If you decide so,first add ginger and chilles,then urad dal.)
4. Now mix well,keep aside and  heat enough oil in kadai (be generous or else vadas may stick to the bottom and get burnt).
5. Now wet your right hand well and make a small ball and use ur thumb to make hole in the middle and drop it in oil,(just invert the vadais over the oil and slightly shake ur fingers)
6. Fry in medium flame,turn the vadais and fry till both the sides turn crisp and golden brown.
7. Serve hot with sambhar/coconut chutney.

Notes:

Sakkarai Pongal:

                   Today is Aadi velli,So I made the above vadais and sakkarai pongal. This is my 100th post too!! I thank all of the blogger friends who give their lovely comments,which encourage me a lot! I also have my friends who read my blog silently,I thank them too …Please continue with your support!!

Ingredients:

Method:

1. Heat the cooker and add a tsp of ghee and fry the moong dal directly.Fry for a minute.
2. Add the washed rice,half of the milk,water and pressure cook in medium flame for 4 whistles.
3. Once the pressure is released,open and mix some more milk,just to mash and mix well.
4. Powder the jaggery and if you think the jaggery is pure,doesn't have impurities or sand then you can add the powdered jaggery to the pongal directly.If you have impurities in it,then better just melt the jaggery with very little water and filter the impurities and then add this syrup to the pongal.
5. Switch on the stove and keep on stirring well in a low-medium flame.
6. Pour ghee little by little and keep on stirring till pongal leaves the  sides of the vessel.(approx 4-5 min)
7. Add fried cashew,powdered elachi and the other optional ingredients lastly and mix well.
8. Enjoy the pongal hot hot!!

I used achu vellam(jaggery like cubes)which is more sweet and gives less colour. Use salt while you cook the pongal,it will enhance the taste.

If you are using the round vellam/jaggery,then it has salt by it self,so watch out while you add salt.