(This article is sponsored by Milan Restaurant)

VADA

Ingredients

• Urad dal - 4 cups
• Onion - 3
• Green chillies – 6 to 8
• Ginger – ½ inch
• Curry leaves – crushed
• Salt -
• Oil - for deep frying

Method

Soak urad dal for 6 hours. Grind into smooth batter with ginger adding minimum water required. You can also add green chillies and onion while grinding or cut into small pieces and add to the batter. Also add curry leaves and salt to the batter. Heat oil in a pan. Take a small piece of batter and flatten it with your palms on a plastic sheet (and put a small hole in the middle if you like). Drop this into oil and fry till golden brown. Serve hot with coconut chutney or ginger chutney.

MASALA VADA

Ingredients

•Channa dal or split yellow peas - 4 cups
•Green chillies - 10 to 12
•Ginger - small piece
•Garlic - 3 cloves
•Cloves and elachi ( cardamom) - about 3 to 4
•Onions - 2 (medium)
•Coriander leaves - few
•Curry leaves - few
•Salt - as required

Method

Soak channa daal for 3 to 4 hours. Grind it coarsely with green chillies, ginger, garlic, cloves, cardamom and salt. Chop onions into small pieces, also chop coriander leaves and curry leaves. Add this to the ground channa daal. Heat oil in a pan. Take a small amount (size of lime) of batter and flatten it with your palms on a plastic sheet. Drop this into oil and fry till golden brown. Serve hot with ketchup, coconut chutney or ginger chutney.

DAHI VADA

Ingredients

•Urad dal - 2 cups
•Curds - 4 cups
•Milk - 1 cups( as needed)
•Green chillies - 5
•Seasoning - a pinch of turmeric 1 tsp of urad dal, mustard seeds and 1/2 tsp of jeera, few red chilli pieces and curry leaves
•Salt - as required
•Oil - for deep frying

•Soak urad dal for 6 hours. Grind into smooth batter with ginger adding minimum water required. Take a small pan, heat the oil and add urad dal, jeera, mustard seeds, red chillies, greenchillies and little turmeric. Churn the curds (or make the curds smooth mixing with a spoon) and add the seasoning to this. Also add salt, according to your taste. Heat oil in a pan. Take a small piece of batter and flatten it with your palms on a plastic sheet (and put a small hole in the middle if you like). Drop this into oil and fry till golden brown. Take this and dip in the milk to which little salt is added. (some prefer dipping in water). Now take it from the milk and add it to the seasoned curds. Allow it to soak for at least 2 hours and serve.

ONION PAKODA

Ingredients

Onions - 6
•Chilli powder - 1 tsp
•Green chillies - 4
•Besan - 2 cups
•Rice flour - 1/2 cup
•Baking soda - a pinch
•Salt - as required
•Oil - for frying

•Cut the onions into thin slices. Add salt and rub nicely into the onions. Now add the besan, chilli powder, green chilli paste and mix. Add minimum water possible (adding salt to the onions in the beginning gives some water in the onions). Take 1 tbsp of the mix and drop in hot oil. Fry till brown. •Serve hot with ketchup or any chutney.

MIRCHI BAJJI

Ingredients

• Mirchi (big & long) - 15
• Besan - 2 1/2 cups
• Rice flour - 1/2 cup
• Ajwain(vaamu) - 3 tsp
• Tamarind - 1/2 cup
• Coconut - 1/2 cup
• sesame seeds(optional) - 1/2 cup

Method

For batter: Make batter with besan, riceflour, salt adding water. it should not be too thick or thin, it should be of the consistency such that mirchi will be nicely coated.Slit the mirchi lengthwise and take away the seeds as many as possible. Place them in bowl of hot water for 5 minutes, this will reduce little spiceness of the mirchis. Grind vaamu, tamarind, coconut, and sesame seeds if you like with 1/2 cup of besan. Stuff the mirchi with the paste and dip in the batter . Fry them in hot oil until brown.

BAJJIS

Ingredients
• Besan - 2 cups
• Rice flour - 1/2 cup
• Baking soda - a pinch
• Chilli powder - 1 tsp (adjust to taste)
• Salt - as required
• Vegetable(potatoes/brinjal/plaintain) - 2 cups (cut)
• Oil - for frying

Method
Mix besan and rice flour with water adding chilli powder, salt, baking soda. It should'nt be too thick or thin, vegetable slice should be well coated. Cut the vegetable into slices. Dip the slice in batter and fry in hot oil until brown. Serve hot with ketchup, ginger chutney or any chutney.

BREAD BAJJI

Ingredients
• Bread - 10
• Besan - 3 cups
• Rice flour - 1 cup
• Baking soda - a pinch
• Chilli powder - 2 tsp (adjust to taste)
• Salt - as required
• Oil - for frying

Method
Cut the bread diagonally. Take the crust away if you prefer so. Mix besan and rice flour with water adding chilli powder, salt, baking soda. It should'nt be too thick or thin, bread slice should be well coated. Dip the slice in batter and fry in hot oil until brown. Serve hot with ketchup, ginger chutney or any chutney.

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