One of the things we all look forward to at the holidays, regardless of which religious holiday or festival it is, is the food! With Holi/Phagwah being celebrated this coming week, we’ll be looking forward to all the delicious fried snacks that will be made and shared – bara, biganee, aloo balls, pholourie, and saheena among others. All to be eaten with some sort of hot spicy chutney, sour or pepper sauce.
Given the influence of our cuisine, these savoury fried snacks are categorised as Vada/s, with roots in South Indian cuisine. Vada/s are fritters, cutlets, and dumplings. Most Vada/s are made with some type of quick-cooking legume along with spices and other ingredients like ginger, curry leaves, fresh coconut, and herbs.
The thing about food at the holidays is that we are always looking for recipes and ways to change things up. And, given that these days you can find many holiday/festival foods all year round, you tend to want to do something different or extra special for the actual occasion. This year, how about making some Moong dal Vadas. The first time I made these (almost 15 years ago), they disappeared as soon as I had finished taking the photographs. My friends devoured them in no time. Since then, they have become one of the snacks I make whenever we’re liming. These Vadas are also a delightful addition to any afternoon tea offering. Crispy, crunchy, nutty, these Moong dal Vadas are shallow-fried. They are good on their own, but you can serve them with your favourite sour, pepper sauce or chutney. I like to serve mine with a coriander (cilantro) chutney rich with fresh grated coconut.
Here’s how to make them. Check the Cook’s Notes section on how to make the Coriander/cilantro Chutney.
MOONG DAL VADAS
INGREDIENTS
· 1 cup yellow split moong dal, soaked overnight
· ½ cup finely minced onion
· Minced hot pepper to taste
· Salt to taste
· 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
· ⅓ cup fresh grated coconut
· 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro/coriander
· 1 sprig curry leaves, chopped
· 1 tablespoon rice flour
· Oil for shallow frying
DIRECTIONS
1. Rinse and drain the soaked peas/dal, shaking off the excess water.
2. Remove ¼ cup of the soaked peas/dal and set aside.
3. Add the peas, pepper, coconut and curry leaves to a food processor and pulse/grind to a coarse paste.
4. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add the reserved peas/dal, onion, cilantro, rice flour and salt to taste. Mix to combine, cover, and set aside for 15 minutes.
5. Lightly rub oil on your hands and take a little of the mixture at a time and form into ¼-inch to ½-inch thick patties.
6. Heat oil on medium heat and fry in batches until nicely browned and crisp on both sides. Drain on paper towels.
7. Serve warm with your favourite chutney or sour.
COOK’S NOTES
· Use any quick-cooking legumes to make the Vadas if you cannot find split moong dal. Yellow or green split peas can work as well as toor dal or urad dal.
· Use about 2 tablespoons of the mixture for each Vada.
· Shallow frying only requires about 1½ to 2 inches of oil depending on the size of your pan; Use a skillet or whatever flat pan you use for shallow frying.
· Double the recipe to make more.
· To make the Cilantro/coriander chutney, add to a jug blender – 2 cups chopped cilantro, ½ cup grated coconut, hot pepper to taste, 2 – 4 tablespoons water and salt to taste and pulse to puree then transfer to a bowl. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a small pan or metal ladle and add 1 heaped teaspoon brown/black mustard seeds, when they begin to pop, add a few curry leaves, and pour immediately over the chutney. Stir well and then serve.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone and enjoy the Spring festival.
Cynthia
cynthia@tasteslikehome.org
