This recipe is from Neikarapatti Amma as we fondly call her. Amma’s real name is Vijayalakshmi Gurusamy. She is my aunt’s co-in-law. Neikarapatti is near Palani in Tamilnadu. The house where Neikarapatti Amma lived was huge. It was called as Jameen Bangala. We were always excited to go there as a kid. The house was really huge. Not to mention the 20×20 feet bathrooms. After sun sets and everyone’s back home, a good 15 people – all of them family, used to play cards in the lobby. I was a kid then and all cards played by kids were “oppuku chappa – not countable tickets. How I wish we knew this then.” This kola will come as a snack for everyone to enjoy. This is Neikarapatti Ammas family recipe and its out of this world. Neikarapatti Amma is the most sweetest person you will ever meet. She loves to chew on betel nut. Just next to the dining table will be a thaamboolam with betel leaf, nut, sunnam paste and roja paaku. After lunch, every one will just relax in the front yard chewing betel leaf. Some will just take a small nap in the wicker chairs lined up in the hallway. Good old days. People seemed to have a lot of time then. Only memories are left now. This Vazhakkai vadai / Kola is legendary. Here is the most amazing Vazhakkai Vadai you will ever eat.
NOTE: This recipe is not a beginners recipe.
Take the fried gram dal / pottu kadalai and make it to a fine powder in a small mixie jar / spice grinder. Please do not substitute besan for this recipe. The vada will come out rock hard.
We need to cook the plantains now. You can either steam the plantain in an idli vessel for 10-12 minutes or cook in a pressure cooker for just 1 whistle. I cooked the plantains with little water in the pressure cooker today. Remove from heat and let it cool. Peel the skin and set aside.
Now, its Masala Grinding Time.
Add in all the ingredients listed under grinding into a mixie / blender and grind it to a smooth paste. Add very little water while grinding. Few tablespoon at a time. Take time to grind it as fine as possible. Trust me, that’s the key to this recipe. After the mixture is very finely ground, add in the peeled bananas and pulse it a few times. The bananas should get incorporated with the masala mixture. Make sure there are no lumps.
Remove the mixture from the mixie and add in the fried gram powder. Mix well to combine. Do not add lots of fried gram powder. It will make the vadas break while frying in hot oil. The dough will be downright tacky to handle. The dough will be very soft. Don’t panic. That’s how its supposed to be.
Apply little oil to your hands. Make small 1.5 inch balls with your hands. Make sure you do not make big balls as the inside might not cook when frying. So remember to make the balls small in size. Its a very soft messy dough. Handle the dough gently.
If the palms become messy and rolling the balls seem impossible, wash your hands and start again.
I like to refrigerate the balls for 30 minutes before frying. This kind of crusts the outer skin and it helps in keeping the vada from disintegrating in hot oil.
Heat oil in a pan in medium heat. Once the oil is hot, fry the balls in low medium flame until golden. Do not crowd the pan or disturb the balls for the first minute. Either of this will make the balls to break. Just leave the balls and do not touch them after it hits the oil for the first minute. When the vadas are golden, remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Do not fry in really hot oil. The vadas will get browned faster and the inside will not have time to cook. So keep the flame at medium at all times. Serve vazhakkai vadai hot.
One of the best vazhakkai vadai you will ever eat.
- Measurements Used - 1 Cup = 250 ml, 1 teaspoon = 5 ml, 1 tablespoon = 15 ml.
- ½ cup fresh shredded coconut
- 1 medium sized onion
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 inch piece ginger
- 1 inch piece cinnamon
- 1 clove
- 1 cardamom
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 tablespoon khuskhus - white poppy seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- 1 green chilli
- 2 sprig curry leaves
- 5 stalks coriander leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 Vazhakkai / Raw Banana / Plantain
- ½ cup fried gram / pottu kadalai
- 500 ml Vegetable oil
- Take the fried gram dal / pottu kadalai and make it to a fine powder in a small mixie jar / spice grinder.
- Steam the plantain in an idli vessel for 10-12 minutes or cook in a pressure cooker for just 1 whistle. Peel the skin and set aside.
- Add in all the ingredients listed under grinding into a mixie / blender and grind it to a smooth paste. Add very little water while grinding.
- When the mixture is very finely ground, add in the peeled bananas and pulse it a few times. The bananas should get incorporated with the masala mixture.
- Remove the mixture from the mixie and add in the fried gram powder. Mix well to combine.
- Apply little oil to your hands. Make small 1.5 inch balls with your hands.
- Refrigerate the balls for 30 minutes before frying.
- Heat oil in a pan in medium heat. Once the oil is hot, fry the balls in low medium flame until golden. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Serve hot.
The post Neikarapatti Vazhakkai Vadai / Vazhakkai Kola / Plantain Vada Recipe appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.