Missing Monsoons with Masala Vadas
I used to think God was fair. But now I have to change my opinion. If he was, then why would he take away the pleasure of the most beautiful season from this part of the world. Why the lovely drizzle of rain shies away from touching the dry & thirsty lands of Middle East. Seeing the first drop of rain in the season revives the sense, brings alive so many lovely memories. It's a joy which simply melts your heart & warms the soul.
But unfortunately staying in Bahrain means missing out on this simple pleasure of life. A pleasure that no words can match. And can only be captured in images or in music. Thankfully there are quite a few songs dedicated to this weather of romance, the season of childish playfulness. So what I miss in action, I try to relive through these songs like "Ab ke sawan" of Subha Mudgal, "sawaan barse" from Dehak and with snacks.
Yes as much as songs are part of the rainy season, so are the crunchy snacks along with tea. Chai & Pakode (tea & fritters) is a combination made in heaven. And this time God was fair and made a good pair, which lived happily ever after!! So though onion & potato pakodas are the most common. Fritters made of lentils are also a great tea time snack. So while I had posted mangode or green gram fritters, I wanted to make the popular masala vadas (made of chana dal) this time. And trust me the texture & taste is quite different.
So this was the perfect post for my day 6 of the Blogging Marathon, with the theme "crunchy snacks for kids". And as an ode to rain God, I didn't rush to the oven to bake them but used the convention method of frying. Simply because this was the first time I was making masala vadas (Yes you got to believe me) and I didn't want to try the baked version without making the fried one to know the difference. Next time when I bake them, I will update you with the results.
Masala Vadas Recipe:
Ingredients
Chana dal - 1 cup (soaked for min. 2-3 hours)
Onion - 1 medium (finely chopped)
Salt - as per taste
Green Chillies - 2 (finely chopped)
Chaat Masla - 1/2 tsp
Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
Coriander - 2-3 tbsp finely chopped(I didn't have, but adds a lot to taste)
Ginger grated - 1 tbsp (optional)
Oil for frying
Method:
- Soak chana dal for 2-3 hours or more. Wash well and drain.
- Now grind it very coarsely with very little water (just enough to keep the motor running). I put the onion & dal together in the chopper & soon it was coarsely ground
- Add all the spices, salt, grated ginger & coriander leaves and mix thoroughly
- Heat oil in a frying pan
- Now make small balls with lightly greased palms and fry them in the hot oil, initially on high heat. Then when it becomes stiff, reduce heat to medium and let it cook for a while, since these is the only time dal is getting cooked. Then flip and let it golden n other side as well
- Remove and drain on tissues to drain excess oil
- Serve hot, with chutney and tea
Sending this as my entry to Kid's Delight - Crunchy Snacks event, hosted by Gayathri and started by Srivalli.
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