PEPPER VADA/MILAGU VADAI

 Pepper Vada or Milagu Vadai as it is known, is a drier and crisper version of the regular Vada. Simple ingredients and a hack make this a foolproof recipe. Read ahead. This is similar to the Tirupathi style Milagu Vadai.

I tried this recipe the first time during Navarathri this year. It was an instant hit at home as well as my social media pages. A few of you even asked for the recipe and I could not post the recipe immediately as I had not clicked stepwise pictures. So, this time I clicked all the necessary pictures to blog it.

As I always say, some recipes don’t need a huge introduction. The recipe does all the talking. While you are here check out my other savoury recipes like Dhaniya wale Namak Pare, Ratlami Sev, Samosa pie, Masala Wheat flour Papdis, Thattai, Kothimbir Vadi, Moongdal Khastha kachori and more ...

Here is the recipe for Pepper Vada/ Milagu Vadai

PREP TIME: 15 Mins (SOAK 4 HRS)           COOK TIME: 15 Mins

 TOTAL TIME:30 Mins                                   COURSE:  SNACK

 CUISINE:SOUTH INDIAN                           SERVINGS: 25 NOS   

 AUTHOR: RAJNI RAM                                      

 

Ingredients:

    Urad Dal/ Black lentils( with skin) 1 cup soaked for 4 to 5 hours.

     Salt as required 

     Coarse Pepper powder 2 tsp ( add more if you like it spicy)

     Rice flour 2 tbsp

     Hot oil 2tbsp

     Oil for deep frying

Directions: 

Soak the Urad dal( use with skin for this colour and texture) for 4 to 5 hours. Drain water completely after it soaks and grind it to a coarse batter without adding( or by adding minimum) water. I have ground it without any water and later sprinkled a little over the coarse batter for the right consistency. Now to the coarse batter( check picture for consistency), add salt, coarse pepper powder, and rice flour and, mix well. If you feel the mixture is too dry, sprinkle a little more water. Mix using your fingers to combine well. Now heat the oil kept for deep frying, and when the oil is sizzling hot with a ladle pour 2tbsp into the batter and using a spoon or spatula mix the oil into the batter( don’t use your fingers now as the oil is too hot). Now pinch small portions from the mixture and make balls of it. Slit a zip pouch into two or use a Banana leaf to  flatten the balls. Flatten the ball using the back of a cup or you palm. Pat them quite thin to get them crisp. Make a hole in the centre for even cooking. Now gently drop them into hot oil and fry at medium high until all the bubbles in the oil subside. Repeat the process for the entire batter. These Vadas stay crisp up to a month when stored in an airtight container. They make for a good dry snack for school lunch of kids or adults as they are protein packed. 

STEPWISE RECIPE FOLLOWS:

1. Soak the Urad dal( use with skin for this colour and texture) for 4 to 5 hours. Drain water completely after it soaks and grind it to a coarse batter without adding( or by adding minimum) water. I have ground it without any water and later sprinkled a little over the coarse batter for the right consistency.

2. Now to the coarse batter( check picture for consistency), add salt, coarse pepper powder, and rice flour and, mix well. If you feel the mixture is too dry, sprinkle a little more water. Mix using your fingers to combine well.

3. Now heat the oil kept for deep frying, and when the oil is sizzling hot with a ladle pour 2 tbsp into the batter and using a spoon or spatula mix the oil into the batter( don’t use your fingers now as the oil is too hot). 

4. Now pinch small portions from the mixture and make balls of it. Slit a zip pouch into two or use a Banana leaf to  flatten the balls. Flatten the ball using the back of a cup or you palm. Pat them quite thin to get them crisp. Make a hole in the centre for even cooking.  Now gently drop them into hot oil and fry at medium high until all the bubbles in the oil subside. Repeat the process for the entire batter.

NOTES:

1. This Vada can be made with white Urad dal too ( the de skinned one) . The texture and taste remain the same. Just the colour varies.

2. If using white  Urad dal, just 1 hour of soaking will do. The black lentils take time to soak and so need to be soaked longer.

3. The batter as well as the pepper should be ground coarse for maximum taste.

4. In this Vada Curry leaves are usually not added to the batter as its for long keeping, and any moisture in the curry leaves can affect its shelf life.

If you tried this recipe and liked it please comment below. I would love to hear from you. If you have a query about the recipe email us and ill respond as soon as I can.

If you would like to receive our recipes in your mail please leave your mail id at the homepage. Every time Rajjo's Kitchen has a new post we will mail the recipe to you.

 

DHANIYA WALE NAMAK PARE( NAMAK PARE)

Namak Para's are a simple dry snack made from refined flour or whole wheat flour. They make for a good tea time snack too. Here the flour is combined with salt and spices to form a stiff dough. The dough is then rolled out and cut into diamonds and deep-fried in oil. This is an easy savory recipe to make around festivals like Diwali or Janmashtami where the tradition calls for making some flour-based snacks. One can just make it as a regular tea time snack too.

Yesterday when I entered the kitchen, the idea was to make the regular Namak Para.  As I went to the refrigerator to fetch some flour(oh yes my fridge is the storehouse of my flours), my eyes fell on a bunch of fresh coriander leaves, and the idea of adding them to my Namak Para struck me. Therefore the recipe of this Dhaniya wale Namak Pare. Which means Coriander flavoured Namak Paras.

In this recipe, I have used a mixture of Multigrain flour(storebought) and Refined flour. 

While you are here please check out my other snack recipes like Semolina Cheese balls, Thattai/Nipattu, Ratlami Sev, Masala Wheatflour Papdis, Moong Dal Kachori, and more...

Here is the recipe of Dhaniya wale Namak Pare-

 PREP TIME: 15                                          COOK TIME: 30 MINS

 TOTAL TIME:45Mins                                  COURSE:  SNACK

 CUISINE:  INDIAN                                      SERVINGS: 4 CUPS

 AUTHOR: Rajni Ram

    Ingredients:

    Refined flour/ Maida 1 cup

    Multigrain flour or Whole wheat flour 1 cup

    Semolina/Suji(fine) 4 bsp

    Carrom seeds 1 tsp

    Salt as required

    Cumin seeds/Jeera 1 tsp

    Fresh coriander leaves 1/2 bunch (washed and chopped)

    Green chili 1 chopped

    Ghee 11/4 tbsp ghee

    Oil for deep frying

    Directions:

 In the blender jar put the chopped coriander leaves, green chilli, and cumin seeds and blend to a smooth paste using as little water as possible. Now in a mixing bowl take both the flours, semolina and add salt, carrom seeds, and ghee. Now start rubbing the ghee into the flour. Once nicely mixed, using a spoon add the coriander paste to the flours little by little and start combining. Use as much paste as required for forming a stiff dough(a puri kind of dough). In case all the paste is used up and the flour is still dry then sprinkle little water and combine to form the dough. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes. Now work the dough again for a minute and divide it into 4 parts(ball it up). Now take one ball smear it with little oil and roll it out like a chapati. Keep the thickness medium and don't roll it out too thin. Using a knife cut to form diamonds or squares. Heat oil in a Kadai for deep frying. The right temperature is when to put a tiny bit of dough, it should sizzle immediately. Drop in the diamonds/squares gently into the oil, and fry on low flame until all the bubbles subside and the Namak Para turns a golden brown. It is difficult to retain the green color of the coriander as the flour has to cook through thoroughly, but the flavour and aroma of the coriander are retained and this is a flavour max recipe. The Coriander flavoured Nmak Para is ready.

STEPWISE RECIPE FOLLOWS:

1. In the blender jar put the chopped coriander leaves, green chilli, and cumin seeds and blend to a smooth paste using as little water as possible.

2. Now in a mixing bowl take both the flours, semolina and add salt, carrom seeds, and ghee. Now start rubbing the ghee into the flour.

3. Once nicely mixed, using a spoon add the coriander paste to the flours little by little and start combining. Use as much paste as required for forming a stiff dough(a puri kind of dough). Let the dough rest for 15 mins.

4. Now work the dough again for a minute and divide it into 4 parts(ball it up). Now take one ball smear it with little oil and roll it out like a chapati.

5. Keep the thickness medium and don't roll it out too thin. Using a knife cut to form diamonds or squares. Heat oil in a Kadai for deep frying. 

6. The right temperature is when to put a tiny bit of dough, it should sizzle immediately. Drop in the diamonds/squares gently into the oil, and fry on low flame until all the bubbles subside and the Namak Para turns a golden brown.

NOTES:

1. Use as much coriander paste as required for forming a stiff dough(a puri kind of dough). In case all the paste is used up and the flour is still dry then sprinkle little water and combine to form the dough.

2. In case you wish to make the regular Namak Paras then instead of making the dough using the coriander paste, just use water to make the dough, the remaining ingredients and proportions will remain the same.

3. Using Mint/Pudina for this recipe may not work as the Pudina paste changes colour on blending to a paste and may change further on frying.

If you tried this recipe and liked it please comment below. I would love to hear from you. If you have a query about the recipe email us and ill respond as soon as I can.

If you would like to receive our recipes in your mail please leave your mail id at the homepage. Every time Rajjo's Kitchen has a new post we will mail the recipe to you.

RATLAMI SEV

Usually every Diwali I make the usual Omapodi( sev) , Tenkozhal and Ribbon Pakoda. This time I have tried something different. This is called the Ratlami Sev and though we get it at the sweet shops and some brands also market it, I have never tried making it at home. The credit to this recipe goes to @indiankhana.net , where I found this while browsing for something new.

This is a simple recipe( oh yes, I mostly pick simple, as that's what we all want). Very similar to the Kara Sev of South India, but different in taste because of the masalas used and the Ratlami Sev  does not have rice flour, while the Kara Sev does.

This savory gets its name from a place in Madhya Pradesh, India, called Ratlam,  where it is famous. As I mentioned it is a quick recipe and difficult to resist  munching.

While you are here checkout my other Diwali Sweet and Savoury recipes like Maa Ladoo, Thattai, Gajar Halwa Barfi, Masala wheat flour Papdis, Baked Samosa pie, and more...

Here is the recipe of Ratlami Sev

 PREP TIME: 15                                          COOK TIME: 15 MINS

 TOTAL TIME:30Mins                                  COURSE:  SNACK

 CUISINE:  INDIAN                                      SERVINGS: 2 CUPS

 AUTHOR: Rajni Ram

    Ingredients:

    Besan/ chickpea flour 1 cup

    Cooking Soda 1 pinch

    Hot oil 3 tbsp

    Salt as required

    Red chilli powder 3/4 to 1 tsp depending on taste 

    Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp

    Clove powder 1/4 tsp

    Fennel powder 1/4 tsp

    Pepper powder 1/4 tsp

   Ginger powder 1/4tsp

   Black salt 1/4 tsp

   Cinnamon powder 1/4 tsp

   Ajwain powder 1/4 tsp

   Roasted Cumin powder 1/2 tsp

   Asafoetida 1/2 tsp

   Dry ginger powder 1/4 tsp

   Lemon juice 2 tsp

   Oil for deep frying

Directions:

In a mixing bowl take the Besan/ Chickpea flour. To it add Salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and all the other powders like clove, fennel, cinnamon, Ajwain/ carrot seeds, black salt and asafoetida , cooking soda,and 2 tsp of lemon juice. To this add 3 tbsp of hot oil and mix nicely with a spoon( as the oil will be hot), when it turns warm mix nicely with your fingers to form a crumbly mixture. Now adding water 1 tbsp at a time make a soft but stiff dough. Heat oil in a Karahi for deep frying. Grease the Chakli/ Muruku press with oil and put in a little dough into it and squeeze into the oil when it is hot. Oil should be medium hot. Fry on medium heat, until the bubbles subside and the Sev turns a golden brown. Repeat for the whole mixture. The spicy and flavorful Ratlami Sev is ready. 

I have combined the Cinnamon Powder, pepper powder, Roasted cumin powder, dry ginger powder, fennel powder, clove powder, Ajwain powder, and black salt, in the given measures and made it as a single powder, and am calling it the Ratlami spice mix. 

Some of these powders we might not have at home readily, for which one can roast 1 tsp of all the given ingredients under Ratlami spice mix as a whole and powder them. Use 1 to 1.5 tsp of this for the recipe. 

STEPWISE RECIPE FOLLOWS:

1. In a mixing bowl take the Besan/ Chickpea flour. To it add salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, and Ratlami spice mix( refer paragraph above). Also, add the asafoetida, Cooking soda, and 2 tsp lemon juice. (I forgot to add salt in the beginning and have added towards the end as you will see in one of the pictures).

2. Now heat 3 tbsp oil in a Kadai ( heat it well, but don't turn it smoky) and pour it into the Besan and spice mixture. Using a spoon combine well(do not use your hand now as the oil is hot).

3. After it turns a little warm, using your fingers nicely mix the mixture until it turns crumbly. Now adding water one tablespoon at a time start combining it to form a soft but stiff dough. We want a dough that is easy to squeeze through, but also stiff enough to retain shape. I used about 3 tbsp water to make my dough. 

4. Heat oil for deep frying on medium-high. Grease the Chakli/ Muruku press with oil and put in a little dough into it and squeeze into the oil when it is hot. Oil should be medium hot. Fry on medium heat, until the bubbles subside and the Sev turns a golden brown. Repeat for the whole mixture. The tasty and spicy Ratlami Sev is ready.

NOTES:

1. Some of these powders we might not have at home readily, for which one can roast 1 tsp of all the given ingredients under Ratlami spice mix as a whole and powder them. Use 1 to 1.5 tsp of this for the recipe. 

2. I used 3 tbsp water, one can use more as required as different qualities of Besan absorb water differently.

3. Take care not to use your fingers as soon as you pour hot oil in the mix. Let it become warm and then use your fingers to combine.

If you tried this recipe and liked it please comment below. I would love to hear from you. If you have a query about the recipe email us and ill respond as soon as I can.

If you would like to receive our recipes in your mail please leave your mail id at the homepage. Every time Rajjo's Kitchen has a new post we will mail the recipe to you.