Instant Vada- Sambar

Sometimes, you develop this yearning to eat something specific. I suddenly had the urge to eat vada sambar! Well you cannot possibly make vada sambar without preparation!!! To make vada, you have to soak urad dal( matpe bean lentil), grind it carefully without water( which the blender vigorously protests against!!) I just cannot deal with all that headache. I do not eat frozen, pre-cooked food items.. So, I figured out a way and decided to try it!! I decided to use urad dal flour and do it. It turned out simple and super-easy! No mess, the right consistency and near- perfect vadas!
This is how I did it:

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

Urad dal flour( black matpe bean flour): 1 cup
Water: 1 cup
Salt: 1/4 tsp
Oil for frying.
Green chillies: 1 small,chopped fine( optional)
Ginger: 1 cms, chopped fine (optional)
Coconut pieces: 1/2 tsp( optional)

Method:

Take urad dal flour and salt in a bowl, add water little by little and mix it to a paste without any dry knots in it.

Now using a hand blender, blend it until fluffy. 

Stir in the green chilii, ginger bits and coconut pieces. ( I don't use any of these as my kids don't like any bits and pieces coming in their mouth while eating.They prefer a smooth texture.)

Heat oil in a kadai/ frying pan on medium flame.

Wet your hand in water, scoop a little batter on your hand and shape the batter like a donut on your palm.

Slide the donut-shaped batter directly into the hot oil.

Don't fret if you don't get a perfect donut upon dropping it into the oil. It is just a matter of practice.Cook until it turns golden,turning once in between, around 2-3 mins.

Serve hot with chutney of your choice, sambar or both!

For recipe for sambar go here.You can use the vegetables of your choice.

Enjoy!

Cooking made easy:

Making donut-shape and dropping it into the oil can be very tricky. When making it on your palm, make sure that you hand is thoroughly wet with water. Once you make the donut, don't leave the batter on your hand for long. It becomes difficult to slide it off the palm.

 If you are apprehensive of making it on your palm, grease a plastic sheet with oil, take a spoonful of batter and  shape it into a donut on it. Just upturn the plastic sheet and drop the batter into the oil. Be careful not to splatter the hot oil.

If you are still having a hard time, just drop spoonful of batter into the oil. You will still be able to enjoy a tasty treat, just won't have the shape.:)

Tip for healthy living:

Use a pumice stone regularly on your sole and heel before taking a shower/ bath . This exfoliates the dead skin from the foot. Immediately after the shower, throughly moisturize the foot . This will help prevent the heel from cracking.

Food for thought:

If you can dream it, you can do it. Walt Disney