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Wednesday, April 7, 2010

"Dhal" Fritters with Compound Flavors and 10 Complex Women who Inspire

Don't these look awesome? These savory fritters are one of my all-time favorite snacks. Crunchy and packed with compound flavors coming from some fabulous ingredients, they are a splendid treat to the taste buds. They are called "Vada","Vadi", "Vadai", "Masala Vadai", "Aama Vadai", "Parippu Vadai" etc etc and a household name in many parts of India. Enjoy them as is or douse them generously with ketchup and have at it.Come back Friday to see what I did with the leftovers.
This makes its way to Legume Love Affair held @ Ruchika Cooks,brainchild of Susan, the well seasoned cook.
Ingredients:
  • Split Chickpea - 1 cup (Measuring cup), soaked for 4 hours
  • Garlic - 5 cloves, small
  • Clove - 2
  • Cinnamon stick - 1/2 inch
  • Fennel seeds - 1 1/2 tsp
  • Dry Red Chilli - 2
  • Green Chilli - 2-3
  • Red Onion - 1, medium
  • Cilantro - a few stalks, cleaned and chopped
  • Salt for taste
  • Corn oil for deep frying
  • Lemon - juice of 1/2 lemon
Procedure:
  • Grind cloves, ginger, garlic, red chilli, green chilli and the fennel seeds.
  • Add the soaked split chickpea to the blender and coarsely grind with no/very little water.
  • Add salt and chopped cilantro to the coarsely ground mixture.
  • Add the juice of lemon and shape the mixture into small balls(this recipe yields 22 balls).
  • Heat oil in a fryer pan until its almost smoking. 
  • Gently pat the balls into oval patties and drop them gently into the oil.
  • Cook for 2 minutes per side until they are browned and drain on paper towels.
  • Repeat the above 2 steps and fry them in batches.
Makes ~20-22 fritters
    10 Complex Women who I find very Inspiring(Chain Post):
    1. J.K. Rowling (Writer, Harry Potter) - Endless Fascination at her boundless Imagination -Love the way she has children and adult alike entranced and drawn into her fantasy world of Harry Potter
    2. Indra Nooyi (CEO, Pepsi) - A force to be reckoned with - Her brilliant acumen and determination helped her rise to the top of the American corporate ladder and earned her the name "Iron Woman"
    3. Joannie Rochette (Olympic Figure Skater, Winter Olympics 2010) - Amazing Grace and courage under Pressure - Got to admire her graceful performance at the Winter Olympics 2010 Finals, just a day after her mom passed away. Bravo!
    4. Nigella Lawson (British Celeb Chef and Author) - Domestic Goddess - Love her easy breezy take on cooking and the way she makes every dish look scrumptious.
    5. Angelina Jolie (Actress and Goodwill Ambassador) - Sexy Siren with a Merciful Heart - Love her transformation from a wild girl to a well respected philanthropist.
    6. Laura Ling (Journalist) - Gutsy Girl - Who wouldn't love this girl for her courage and bravery for stepping into North Korea and after surviving jail time for 120+ days(in North Korea) for suspected spying. She certainly has a big chunk of my admiration.
    7. Dr.Kamala Selvaraj(Gyneacologist and Fertility Specialist) - The Baby Maker - I can't help but admire this woman who makes dreams come true for many infertile women.
    8. Tina Fey (Comedienne) - A woman with Sharp wit - No one can beat her Witty remarks, Wise cracks and Super-quick comebacks.Its like her brain is on a roll all the time.
    9. Dr.Kiran Bedi (Director General, Ministry of Home Affairs, India) -  Trial Blazer - The first woman to join the rank of IPS(Indian Police Services) who has mile long accolades given to her for her courage, gallantry and reforming many issues like Narcotics Control, VIP Security and Drug Abuse Prevention etc etc..She is truly one of a kind.
    10. Celine Dion(Songstress) - She who has a voice of an Angel - When she opens her mouth, I close my eyes, enthralled by the unchained melody flowing into my ears. It is indeed a god's gift to be bestowed with such a captivating voice.
    I am passing this to Mia(Bright Morning Star), Nisha(An Open Book), PJ(Ginger And Garlic), Preeti(Relishing Recipes), Sonia(Nasi Lemak Lover),Asha(Asha Oceanichope).

    Thanks to Nithu for passing on this nice Tag/Post.

    52 comments:

    1. Hey Lassie, crispy yummy vadai and your choice of 10 women is too good..loved your post..

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    2. Wow lovely vadas..Nice post on 10 inspring women.

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    3. Tempting crsipy dhal fritters, we make it very often for functions at my home. Inspiring read abt the 10 women Lassie.

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    4. The vadais look very crispy....nice clicks. I too make vadais just like yours, though I don't add cloves and cinnamon...I'll try your version next time when I make vadais :)..it was really nice to read about all your favorite women....I too like Nigella Lawson and Angelina Jolie :)

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    5. Hi...this is really yummy and perfectly done, love to bite it right away...Great post on 10 inspiring women...

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    6. wow this looks so yummy i love spicy fritters

      :-) thanks

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    7. Crispy vadais tempts me a lot, feel like grabbing few..love ur 10 inspiring women, great post..

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    8. Yummy vadas. I've also recently posted vada in my blog. One of my all time fav. Nice clicks.

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    9. lovely fritters and the 10 complex women r truly inspiring.

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    10. Vadai looks crispy and yummy. Loved the post, liked the 10 inspiring women.

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    11. I agree.. I love them too and the pictures looks great.

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    12. This is my fav vadai of all ... this is just great ...

      Love choices of women ..

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    13. Yes, they look incredible! Oh wow... My mouth is watering...

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    14. Absolutely delicious options u have here and i love these delightful crispies galore
      thanx for passing d torch ,i sure will put in my best to this one :-)))

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    15. Your dhal fritters look absolutely delicious and healthy. I like them.

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    16. Your dhal fritters look absolutely delicious and healthy. I like them.

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    17. Parippu Vada is one of our fav evening snack... yours looks perfect.... nice pic

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    18. ta version de recette me plait j'en prends note à tester prochainement merci
      bonne soirée

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    19. the chain post is a nice read....the vada looks scrummy....

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    20. I would love them too! They look fantastic! Your pics are great!

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    21. Lassie..Parippu vadas looks indeed beautiful..We love them...Your looks perfect and crunchy..
      We love the song too...:-)

      Loe
      Kairali sisters

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    22. nice fritters..looks yummy..
      nice reading about the inspired women

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    23. Awesome looks so inviting and tempring.

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    24. These are a must try...They look so delicious!

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    25. This is my all time favourite.. i love eating this with(dal, and rice) it lovely...

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    26. These fritters look delicious and are such a unique invention!

      I love your choice of women. They are quite inspiring.

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    27. Tempting vadai, perfect click. Btw, enjoying Saami song, thanks.

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    28. love ur blog..............n this recipe is v.nice....wud love to make....

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    29. Hi lassie...how r u?...i was off from blogging due to lot of work from past few weeks n missed all ur yummy posts, but now m back...hey loved this vadas...thy r so crispy n yummy...tempingones...perfect tea time snack

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    30. Ciao carissima, una deliziosa e saporita ricetta! Bravissima. Un bacio e grazie della visita

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    31. Thanks for visiting my blog..the vada looks yummy and crispy...10 complex women is a great post....

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    32. Crunchy and crispy vadas...Nice click too...

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    33. Crispy vadai,my alltime favourite...love ur 10inspiring women..

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    34. nice post about these women!!!

      masaal vadais look perfect, evenly browned and crispy!! I love them with chilly sauce!!!

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    35. that looks so yummy!!!! nice reading abt the women who inspired you :)

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    36. Wonderful recipe. So different from anything I have seen. I agree those are some pretty inspiring women.

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    37. hey these looks sooooo tasty and mouth watering..

      btw would like to add Rachel Allen to the list..

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    38. One of my all tyime favs..shall I say "vada vada vadaiiiii",as the vendors say in the train..lol

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    39. J'aime beaucoup tes boulettes.
      je note ta recette.
      See soon.

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    40. This look very similar to something from my home country. We call it Vadai. I will always have that for our afternoon tea.

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    41. Loved reading your meme. Aama vadai sounds great and sure will definitely try these next time it rains :)

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    42. Thanks for passing this over dear! Loved reading about the 10 influencial women and the daal fritter looks so delicious.

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    43. Loved reading the post and the ladies inspired! And the vadai looks very delicious and tempting pictures. Will check your left-over recipe!

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    44. Nice fritters and good list of admirable women...

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    45. they look so crispy and yum!! great looking fritters...!!

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    46. These fritters are so tempting that I wish I can grab one.

      Thanks Cool Lassie, got them :)

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    47. And this we call dal wada... i am printing this recipe right away to try it out ! :)

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    Thanks a bunch for your valuable comments and continued support.They are very much appreciated. Yes,like "Rain on Dry Land" and like "Oasis in Desert Sand".
    XoXo, Cool Lassi(e)