Vadakari-my first for SNC challenge

“Accept the challenges so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory.”

Challenges!!

Challenges make you re-discover yourself and help you to grow irrespective of succeeding or failing.  Challenges make us realize our own strengths and weaknesses, our likes and dislikes. They help and make us try things beyond our area of comfort. And they certainly are a true test and an eye-opener of our capabilities. 

No wonder you are seeing me soaked in all sorts of food challenges nowadays !! There is a different sense of exhilaration in being able to participate and complete them. The SNC challenge is the newest on my repertoire!! Brainchild of Divya who blogs from you too can cook food, this is quite a novel challenge where we have teams divided into northern and southern. I naturally belonged to the northern team being a Sikh and hailing from the city of joy, Kolkata. Teams are challenged with region specific food and are given a month to complete. This months challenge was given by Ramya who blogs from lemonkurry.

Vadakari was never heard by me lest try it. But being a challenge, it was finally attempted and was such a hit at home. We all unanimously loved the vadas. My husband loved the vadakari which was these same vadas crumbled and put in gravy. My darling daughter all of 20 months munched away to these vadas in glory. 

Ingredients:
Vadas:

• 100 gms Bengal gram/chana dal
• 1/2 tbsp fennel seeds/saunf
• 2 dried red chillies
• 3 garlic pods
• 1/2 small sized onion, chopped
• salt to taste
• oil for frying

Gravy:

• 1 1/2 tbsp oil
• 1/2 tbsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tbsp fennel seeds/saunf
• 1/2" cinnamon stick
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 small tomato, chopped
• 1/4 tsp red chilli powder
• a pinch of turmeric powder
• a pinch of garam masala powder
• salt to taste

Procedure:

Vadas:

Soak bengal gram for around an hour. Grind it along with the listed ingredients to a coarse paste. Add water as required but not too much.

Heat oil for frying.

Shape the vada batter into thin small roundels and fry them till they get a nice brown colour.

Eat them as a lovely snack with tea leaving some for the gravy. 

Gravy:
Heat oil in a pan, add fennel seeds, mustard seeds and cinnamon. Add chopped onions and saute for few minutes. Add tomatoes and cook till it leaves oil. Now add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, garam masala and salt. Add some water to get the required consistency of gravy. 
Add the crumbled vadas and adjust the consistency of the gravy as vadas absorb water.
Serve garnished with chopped fresh coriander.
Served usually with rice, idlis, dosa or chapatis. 

Linking this dish to Kolkata Food Bloggers ongoing event 'Kashmir to Kanyakumari'.

Happy Vada/Vadakari eating
Amrita