Avalakki Vada

My first recipe on this blog.

I plan to send this recipe for the contest held here.

We have enjoyed this snack on many cold evenings ....

Avalakki Vada

(Beaten rice / Poha Vada)

Ingredients:

Thick Poha: 2 cups
Ginger: Finely chopped
Red Onion (small): Finely chopped
Green Chillies: 2 - Finely cut
Cilantro: Chopped
Curry leaves: Finely cut
Salt: To taste
Oil : For frying

Method:
Step1: Soak the poha in water so it gets soft.
Step 2: Drain the water from poha and mash it
Step 3: Add the rest ingredients
Step 4: Make small balls and flatten it
Step 5: Put oil in a Deep bottom vessel (Kadai) and heat it
Step 6: Once oil is hot, deep fry the flattened vadas on low flame.
Step 7: Remove from oil when golden brown and strain excess oil on tissue paper
Step 8: Serve hot with Ketchup

Tips:
1. Soaked poha is moist and should be easy to mash and easily mixes with other ingredients and takes any shape given. If its not taking desired shape, add a table spoon of Besan to the mixture.
2. Always fry on low flame ... if not it doesn't get cooked evenly.
3. Firmly press the vadas, if not they might split in oil.
4. If Thick poha is not available, you may use thin poha, but it gets soggy when soaked in water, so just sprinkle water on it to make it soft. You will need 3 cups though.


Enjoy !

What it takes to get a bite …

6:30am – wake up – I am hungry … I need tea … but BP is asleep and both he and I want fresh tea. So decide to wait.
7:00am – BP still sleeping … cannot control hunger any longer and decide to wake him
7:15am – Sip a cup of tea – hunger satisfied temporarily
8:00am – Hot idlis ready for breakfast … but have a conference meeting… so cannot afford the meal.
8:30am – Conference ends – Cantaloupe has to leave for school at 8:45 and she has not had breakfast yet. Motherly duties – Cantaloupe fed breakfast and sent to school.
8:45am – Put idlis on a plate – Call from office for a quick discussion.
8:55am – Swallow the 3 idlis on plate … want more … but haven’t prepared them – No time to prepare either – another meeting at 9:00am
9:00am – Noon – Meetings / Office work
Noon – Cannot tolerate hunger anymore – put the rice on my plate when I get a call from Cantaloupe’s school that she has got an eye infection and that her eyes have swollen and are teary.
Leave my plate and rush to the school, bring back Cantaloupe, pacify her. Wash her eyes … help her rest on my lap for a few mins.
1:30pm – Finally get to sit with my plate of rice. As I am eating, Cantaloupe wants to share a bite … sure enough, share the food with her. One of those rare days, when there is no extra rice. So half meal!!!
2:00pm – Cantaloupe is sleeping and I continue work.
3:45pm – Leave home for the doctor appointment. Just want to be sure nothing is wrong with Cantaloupe.
5:45pm – Thanking God as there was nothing seriously wrong with Cantaloupe and then thinking about the food I would eat as soon as get back home.
6:45pm – Reach home. Turn on the tava and mix the batter for some yummy uttappa. One Uttappa poured on the tava when Cantaloupe wants to go to the rest room.
Attend her and come back to find a burnt Uttappa. Pour a second one … when I hear Cantaloupe tripping over something. This time, I am wiser and set the stove on low heat. Attend Cantaloupe and save my uttappa from being charred. Pour my next Uttappa when Cantaloupe has spilled the oil … clean up the oil and put my dosa on plate.
7:15: Finally settle down to eat.

One of those days when a hearty meal never seemed possible !!