Come summer and starts the best use of the sun's heat. This year too I made vadams/vadagams/vadiyaalu/kondattams/crispies (call it either way). I normally do the easy and simple varieties of them as I would like to do them side-by-side with my morning cooking chores. I also make them in smaller quantities making it easy to handle and not strain too much on making them as a whole lot.
I normally make rice flour in bulk for this season and store it to be used now and then to make these vadagams. It comes in handy for many purposes. Store bought rice flour can also be used.
Ingredients:
Rice Flour - 1 cup
Water - 3.5 cups
Rock Salt - 1 tsp
Gingelly Oil - 1 tbsp
Method:
In a bowl, mix in the rice flour and 2 cups of water to a smooth, flowing paste. There should be no lumps. Do this step off the stove.
In another thick bottomed vessel, heat the rest of the water and bring to a boil. Add the rice flour paste to the boiling water as a continuous stream and keep mixing. Add the salt and oil and allow to mix stirring continuously.
It will start to thicken and become a thick mass. It may form lumps, so keep stirring. We need a smooth, lump free mass of rice flour.
When the thick rice flour cooked dough comes together, becomes shiny to look, and does not stick to your wet hands, switch off the flame and allow to cool.
Mix with the ladle once or twice in between to cool down the dough. The dough should not be too dry or a tight mass.
When the dough is warm, fill into the murukku press with the single star plate (achu) inside and press into long strips on a plastic sheet or cloth placed on a flat surface. Since my star achu was not big enough, my baking stuff came handy and I used my piping bag and star icing nozzle to pipe out long strips of the cooked rice flour dough.
Dry them under hot sun's heat until there is no moisture. When the sides start to turn crisp at the edges, peel and turn over. Once the other side is also dried, break them into finger long sticks. Transfer to a broad tray/plate and allow to dry for 1 more day. I dried them for 3 days totally.
Store in clean, dry container and use as and when needed. If properly dried, they stay good for a long time.
To fry them, heat oil in a kadai and fry till it puffs up completely. The oil should not be too hot, else they would darken.
Store the fried vadams in an airtight container and serve with any variety rice or sambar/rasam rice or munch as such.
Notes:
You can add jeera, ground chillies, omum, etc. to the boiling water itself as additional flavors to the vadam and make it spicy too. We like them plain, so I have not added any of these, just salt.
Adjust salt according to your taste. The general rule is to use half the quantity of salt for the vadams than what we would use normally for any other dish. Only then, the fried vadams will be of normal salt taste, else it would be too salty if full quantity to salt is used while making the vadams.
Sago can be also be added to add extra crispiness to the vadams. Add about 1 to 2 tbsp of sago for this quantity of rice flour. Soak the sago in 1/4 cup of water for about an hour and grind it in the mixie and add to the rice flour paste and then proceed with the process. Alternatively, you can add powdered sago to the rice flour and do the vadam.
I normally make rice flour in bulk for this season and store it to be used now and then to make these vadagams. It comes in handy for many purposes. Store bought rice flour can also be used.
Ingredients:
Rice Flour - 1 cup
Water - 3.5 cups
Rock Salt - 1 tsp
Gingelly Oil - 1 tbsp
Method:
In a bowl, mix in the rice flour and 2 cups of water to a smooth, flowing paste. There should be no lumps. Do this step off the stove.
In another thick bottomed vessel, heat the rest of the water and bring to a boil. Add the rice flour paste to the boiling water as a continuous stream and keep mixing. Add the salt and oil and allow to mix stirring continuously.
It will start to thicken and become a thick mass. It may form lumps, so keep stirring. We need a smooth, lump free mass of rice flour.
When the thick rice flour cooked dough comes together, becomes shiny to look, and does not stick to your wet hands, switch off the flame and allow to cool.
Mix with the ladle once or twice in between to cool down the dough. The dough should not be too dry or a tight mass.
Dry them under hot sun's heat until there is no moisture. When the sides start to turn crisp at the edges, peel and turn over. Once the other side is also dried, break them into finger long sticks. Transfer to a broad tray/plate and allow to dry for 1 more day. I dried them for 3 days totally.
Store in clean, dry container and use as and when needed. If properly dried, they stay good for a long time.
To fry them, heat oil in a kadai and fry till it puffs up completely. The oil should not be too hot, else they would darken.
Store the fried vadams in an airtight container and serve with any variety rice or sambar/rasam rice or munch as such.
Notes:
You can add jeera, ground chillies, omum, etc. to the boiling water itself as additional flavors to the vadam and make it spicy too. We like them plain, so I have not added any of these, just salt.
Adjust salt according to your taste. The general rule is to use half the quantity of salt for the vadams than what we would use normally for any other dish. Only then, the fried vadams will be of normal salt taste, else it would be too salty if full quantity to salt is used while making the vadams.
Sago can be also be added to add extra crispiness to the vadams. Add about 1 to 2 tbsp of sago for this quantity of rice flour. Soak the sago in 1/4 cup of water for about an hour and grind it in the mixie and add to the rice flour paste and then proceed with the process. Alternatively, you can add powdered sago to the rice flour and do the vadam.
Happy Summer days!!
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