Street food Archives - My Veg Fare

Golgoppas for the Indian Cooking challenge - May 2010

Jayasri Ravi — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 00:21:00 +0000

Hi everybody, hope you are all doing fine at that end!! :), well, as usual I am the 'Late Kate' here!!, When I was in school we used to have a story on Late kate in our English text book, After a long time I have realized who the late kate is!!, I will not give any saaboobs of why I am late, I am always in a midst of something or the other all the time. Coming back to the recipe.., thanks srivalli for a great challenge, my kids just devoured it!! even H and my friends who visited me today enjoyed it immensely!!, yup! even I loved it !!. I don't have to say no more as you all would have noticed our team out their have already posted the recipe, Oh! yes, this time making Golgoppas was the Indian Cooking Challenge for the month of May.
As you all know (this is for people who do not know!! 🙂 ) India is not only known for its diversity, but for its exotic cuisine from different cultures and traditions but also is famous for its street food, Of course even though parents do not encourage their children eating out side because of the lot of disadvantages it holds, you cannot resist them, can you?, No!!, When we are college goers parents assume that we are more sensible, understand what is right and what is wrong and have immense belief in you and spend the pocket money in a useful way!!, I was, I used to take my carrier but, but, I just couldn't resist eating outside, these days people who sell street food are also consicious and try to keep things more cleaner, only you have to look out for people like that, Here, I would like to remember a chatwala who would stand at the end of the road near my house, his name was veerabhadra, he is a young lad and a very famous one too!!, Once he opens his stall with in an hour he closes it with stock completely gone, today when my kids were eating the golgoppas said I second him!! (well, first impression is always the best impression, I know I cannot beat him, but this one was really good!!). It's been a long time I made any chat, I still have my Bhelpuri in my folder!!, someday I will post it!!..

GOLGOPPAS

INGREDIENTS:

FOR GOLGOPPAS:

1 cup - Semolina

1 tbsp - All purpose flour

A pinch of Baking soda

water

Oil for deep frying

METHOD:

Mix all the ingredients except oil into a smooth stiff pliable dough by adding or sprinkling water little by little. Knead it well, with oiled hands as it is difficult to handle as the dough is stiff, cover it with a muslin cloth or wet cloth so that the dough doesn't dry out, keep it aside for few minutes or until you make the other ingredients ready for filling the golgoppas, so when you deep fry them you can serve it straight from the wok!!.

Knead the dough well with a little bit of oiled hands and pinch out marble sized balls (or 1/2 of marble size) and roll them out into small circles, do it in hand or make a big chappati and cut out small rounds using a cookie cutter or any other means and deep fry them until golden in colour.

(I know some of them are over fried well, that was my daughter frying she said she wants them like that, thank God! she usually gets ideas like making her name, or starting of the letter from her name or some designs etc., I don't know if I was lucky or the Golgoppas!!)

FOR SPICY PANI:

1 1/2 cup Chopped mint leaves

1 tbsp coriander leaves

1/3 cup Tamarind (using 3 to 4 flakes soaked and squeeze out the water nicely)

1'' Ginger

1 tsp Ground cumin

1 1/2tsp Black salt ( I did not use)

salt to taste

METHOD:

Grind all the above said ingredients to a smooth paste, I grinded everything except tamarind first, I always grind the dry ingredients first so they get blended well and then add water when I am making chutneys, I adopted the same method so the chutney is nice and smooth.

FOR RED CHUTNEY

1 cup Tamarind (soak gooseberry sized tamarind in warm water, and extract the Juice)

1/2 cup Jaggery

2 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp Red chilli powder

1/4 tsp Black pepper powder

1 tsp cumin powder

2 cloves (I crushed them finely in my mortar)

2 cups warm water

salt as required

METHOD

Extract tamarind water (using one or half cup of water mentioned in the recipe) add minced jaggery and allow it dissolve then filter the water as usually you get to see impurities in Jaggery, Once filtered put it back on the stove and add all the other ingredients and allow it to boil for a few minutes so that the raw smell disappears, put it off and it is now ready to use.

PEAS AND POTATOES MASALA

1 cup peas (cooked separately)

2 medium sized Potatoes (cooked separately)

Potato Masala : mash the cooked potatoes, add a pinch of cumin and coriander powder and salt to taste and chopped corainder leaves

Peas Masala: I cooked the peas with mint leaves, drained the water put it into a wok and gave a toss with a pinch of cumin and coriander powder

Set the above veggies separately.

ASSEMBLING THE GOLGOPPAS:

Take a Golgoppa, make a hole in the middle add potato and peas, chopped onions, green and red chutney as you desire and just gulp the whole puri in your mouth and enjoy!!

If you want you can have grated carrot and sev on top of it, I made Jeera pani and dipped the Golgoppa in it and the whole family enjoyed it.

Do make them and you too enjoy it..... good day, c u soon..., take care.....

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Maddur vada - A deep fried snack from #Karnataka!

Jayasri Ravi — Tue, 19 May 2009 13:51:00 +0000

Maddur is a town in Mandya district, as Mandya is famous for sugar, Maddur is famous for its Vada! Vada is a fried snack usually made of lentils and dals but the speciality of this vada is, it is made with Rava! is spicy and tasty with the addition of onions!

Maddur is a town lies in between Mysore-Bangalore highway! They sell this vada in trains and buses and who travel between these places would definitely know about this. I have loads of memories associated with this snack! every year like a ritual from our childhood would travel to aunt's place for our summer holidays. Even after I got married I used to take my kids and go to Mysore! The love and affection from my Aunt's family have always been so immense and strong, even today I visit them every time when I am in India! I could simply write loads and loads of memories my life in Mysore. This is mum's recipe for making Maddur vada, anybody travelling between Mysore-Bangalore route would have definitely noticed that people come selling

This is my mum's recipe for making Maddur vada when the train comes to Maddur, we would pester our mum to buy us these when we were kids! they used to be so crispy and tasty, these days it's not really exciting as the vadas are not hot and crispy as before they are quite cold and I feel they have lost their original taste but, it always makes me feel the nostalgic memories associated with it! Making this at

As we used to love it so much Mum started making this at home which is much more tastier and healthier, as I know what goes in it and the fresh oil she uses to make these. When it is raining just munch on these spicy crispy vada with a cup of tea in one hand and holding vada on the other hand and stare out of the window and enjoy the rain pouring down the window sill. Lot of people must have posted this recipe, here is my version of it....

MADDUR VADA

Ingredients:

1 cup Rice flour
1 cup Rava / semolina (fine)
3 tbsp Maida /APS
5 to 6 sprigs of curry leaves
4 tbsp of hot oil
3 to 4 medium-sized onions
6 to 7 green chillies*
salt as required
water as needed
1/4 tsp Hing / Asafoetida
Oil for deep frying

METHOD:

In a Bowl mix rice flour & soji /Rava and then mix it thoroughly with salt
Add hot oil and then mix again, the end product will be soft and crispy!
Add finely chopped onion and leave it for 10 to 15 minutes. Onions release water.
Now mix all the other ingredients and add water little by little and make it into a chapati dough consistency, do not exceed the water requirement otherwise the dough when fried in oil will absorb too much oil!
sHeat the oil and keep it on a low to medium flame. Check that the oil is hot by dropping a little dough into it, if the dough comes up immediately then the oil is in perfect state.
Smear a little oil onto your palm or little oil on a plastic sheet, Take a lime sized ball out of the dough and flatten them on your palm or on the plastic sheet, slide it into the oil and deep-fry until they are golden brown in colour, turning it now and then for equal cooking on both sides.
once done remove it on to a kitchen towel to absorb oil.
Serve hot with a nice cup of tea or coffee or with coconut chutney!

Enjoy!!

NOTES:
My mum's way of making it is, not using any Maida at all ! My Mum doesn't like to add maida, she feels as using maida gives a stretch to the vada but, as we love it crispy she makes it with just semolina and Rice flour same measurements as above sans Maida! This stays crispy the next day as well if anything is still left! You can add Red chilli powder and reduce green chillies and also you can add 1 or 2 tbsp of fresh coconut.

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Masala vadai ( Paruppu vadai with Sozhi keerai )

Jayasri Ravi — Fri, 08 May 2009 22:58:00 +0000

Masala vada is nothing but Paruppu vadai or vada with Dill leaves and onions, If you do not add these they become ordinary vadas.
Dill Leaves have a distinctive smell which makes it more appetizing, This is called Sozhi Keerai in Tamil / Sabbakki or Sabsige soppu in kannada
These plain vadas are a regular in our Tamil cuisine in most of our festival cooking, Amma makes these masala vadas in ordinary days, especially when it is raining, cold winter days or when we all three sisters meet in amma's place!
A hot cup of tea in one hand and eating these vadas when amma brings them right from the sizzling pan straight to a single plate in front of us, God know how many we would have eaten, when the dal batter gets over amma would make next in line Maddur vada. Mmm.., those days so memorable such refreshing memories, wish many a times I miss all those days and would love to be back home.
This is what amma did when I went to India, I had this in my camera, I just downloaded it and thought of posting. In our family when ever amma visits anybody they ask her to make vada's and like some special occasions and festivals if she is invited then she has to do this...., that is her speciality. Everybody in the family love amma's masala vadas.

When I was in India, when ever I used to call her and tell her I am coming home with my kids in an hour and Lo!, within a few minutes I reach, she used bring these vadas in a plate..., just like in the photo, that's what she did when i went to see her, bless her, they were so tasty, yummy, spicy, crispy mmm.., I need some other words to describe...., my children love it every time they gobble and turn around tell me, you don't have that kick in your vadas ma!..

MASALA VADA
Soaking time: 2 hrs
Prep time: 15 to 20 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
makes (medium sized) : around 25

Ingredients:

2 cups of Channa dal
5 to 6 green chillies
1/2' ginger
1 sprig curry leaves
1/2 bunch dill leaves
1 or 2 Onions
1 tsp sugar
salt as desired
a pinch of asafoetida

METHOD

Wash and soak channa dal for an one or two hours
Then grind it into a coarse paste in a mixer or grinding stone with ginger and green chillies
wash and chop dill leaves finely, chop onions.
Once dal is grinded, mix it with salt, chopped dill leaves, Onions and curry leaves
Add pinch of asafoetida or if it is in liquid form add a few drops
Add a tbsp of hot oil
add salt and mix well
while grinding, use as less water as possible, as I have told you earlier, more water while grinding it will absorb more oil.
Keep this mixture ready in a container.
Take a wok for deep frying, pour oil and allow it to heat up, hold your hand on top of the wok a few inches (4 to 5 inches ) above the oil and check if the oil is hot.
Keep the heat always to medium do not over heat, or else whatever you try to fry will fry quickly that is brown outside fast and will not quickly inside.
Take a lemon size of the mixture, wet your palm with water and flatten it on your palm one by one and deep fry in the oil 4 to 5 at a time, depending on the wok you are using to fry them
deep fry the first batch take out and then fry the second batch, take them out and fry the first batch again and take it out these will come out nice and crispy, follow the same method with the rest of the batter.
This way of frying makes the vadas very crispy
Vadas are ready to serve with hot Tea or Coffee

PS: Options:

If you want the vadas to be a little soft amma says add 1 or 2 tbsp of fresh coconut while grinding.
You can use finely chopped 2 or 3 onions only
Or you can use dill leaves only
You can also add mint leaves with onions
You can use Dry red chillies instead of green chillies
If you do not add dill leaves or onions it becomes a plain vada

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Onion pakoras

Jayasri Ravi — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 02:00:00 +0000

This snack you can get in all the road sides of Bangalore, it's absolutely delicious and on a rainy day it is a great snack to munch!! Everybody would be knowing how to make this, It just happened my hubby's friend somy came to my house, he loves cooking and I used to teach him rasams, sambhars etc., He was asking me about Onion Baaji, which is sold every where here in supermarkets to most food joints, he was wondering what it was and how to make it, I offered him Chai / Tea and told him I was going to make it for him in minutes, I told him it might not taste like the ones he buys but would taste much better. The ones we get here have more Gram flour and with north Indian spices much like a Baajji rather the pakoda we prepare, I told him about the difference and showed him how to make it.

But then I wanted to make a little difference so I added some cashew nuts , Of course my husband loved it, as always he goes nuts over the nuts in dishes.......

ONION BHAJI

Ingredients:

2 Medium sized Onions
8 to 10 cashew nuts
1 sprig of curry leaves
4 tbsp of Bengal gram flour
2 tbsp rice flour / Chutney dal powder **
1/2 tsp chilli powder
salt to taste
2 to 3 Green chillies
a bit of Ginger

METHOD:

Chop onions length wise, green chillies thinly sliced, grate ginger , curry leaves also chopped.
Add required quantity of salt, mix it with the above ingredients and leave it for few minutes, The onions with the help of salt gives out water on its own!!
Then mix in the cashews and the flours, add water if it is very powdery by sprinkling little by little, do not add too much water, then the pakoras will never turn out crispy.
Heat enough oil in a deep frying pan, that is enough to fry the pakoras, just take them in your hand no need to give them any shape, they can be dropped in the oil in irregular shapes and sizes.
Deep fry them and serve them with nice Aromatic chai.

NOTES:

There is no need to actually add water usually the onions have the water content which would be enough.

** Chutney Dal is nothing but Roasted split gram/ Dharia Dal/ Hurigadale in Kannada / Pottukadalai in Tamil / which is used in making fresh chutney to go with Idli and Dosa, using this Dal in powdered form instead of Rice flour gives very crispy pakoras.

Adding a pinch of baking soda gives soft pakoras.

The Baajis you get here have more of gram flour, which are more like lentil vadas we prepare in shape and size and also have garam masala, kalonji, cumin and coriander powder with coriander leaves as well.

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