Thursday, July 17, 2014
Dr. Mantena's Ramzan Special - Dahi Vada
Today’s update in Dr. Mantena’s Kitchen is “Ramzan
Special - Dahi Vada”. The regular dahi vada is prepared with urad dal in most
parts of the country. But this Ramzan special dahi vada is made with chana
flour (chick pea flour). If you are a Hyderabadi, then you are familiar with
this recipe. “Ramzan mein kaun bade? Dahi Vade…!” I think every Hyderabadi is
familiar with this popular slogan on Dahi Vada. Such is the popularity of this
dish in Hyderabad. This is especially prepared during the month of Ramzan for
breaking the day long fast by Mohemmadan brothers. It is so popular during
Ramzan that it is sold in every Irani hotel, haleem and tea points in the
evening. Hyderabad is not only famous for Biryani but also for haleem during
Ramzan season. Whether it is Hindu or Mohemmadan or Christian everyone cherish
these dishes. Dahi Vada is the next popular Hyderabadi dish after Biryani and
Haleem that is loved by one and all including the vegetarians. The regular dahi vada available in the market or
prepared at home by many is deeply fried in oil which is really harmful to the health.
Last week I felt like eating dahi vada and went to a hotel to get 2 plates of
dahi vada. Since it is available once in a year I wanted to give it a try
knowing that is deep fried in oil. But on reaching the hotel, I found them
really unhygienic as it was kept open, placed at the roadside where hundreds of
vehicles are passing throwing dust on them and flies and other insects sitting
on them. I stepped back and observed other places and found the same situation
till I reach home. This incident inspired me to make a healthy and delicious
dahi vada at home without oil. I and my wife discussed what we can do to make
it delicious and healthy without oil, salt and other harmful tastes. Last
Sunday we succeeded in making a very delicious and healthy dahi vada. We even
served it to a guest informing the way it was cooked without oil and salt and offered
him to add salt if he wants. He was really surprised to have eaten something
without oil and salt for the first time without any difficulty. Let us now not
waste any time and go in the details of making this wonderful recipe.
Cooking Time:
20-25 mins
Serving:
2 people
Ingredients:
1. Chick pea flour - 2 cups
2. Yogurt - ½ kg
3. Cumin seeds - 1 tbs
4. Turmeric - ¼ tbs
5. Green chilies - 5 nos.
6. Curry Leaves - 5 nos.
7. Coriander Leaves - 1 bunch
Preparation:
1. Take two cups of chick pea flour in a bowl, add
little water and make soft sticky dough as shown in the picture below.
2. Light up your stove, place a pan over it and put the
dough on the pan forming small vadas and press with your fingers to give the
shape shown in the picture below. Then cover the pan with a lid for 5-6 minutes
so that the vadas get cooked well. Then turn the vadas upside down and cook for
another 5 minutes. After turning the vadas they look beautiful brown in color.
After cooked for 5-6 minutes remove them from the pan and place it in a dish.
3. If it was a regular dahi vada then the work was over
just by adding them in yogurt. But in this we need to make a kadi (pulusu) of
yogurt for the vadas. Since we are not using any salt, we need to buy or make
sour yogurt for this dish. Sourness of the yogurt will supplement the taste of
salt to a great extent. Let us now make the kadi for our vadas.
4. You need ½ kg of sour yogurt for this. Take yogurt
in a dish or bowl and blend it well with a blender or spoon. Add 3 glasses of
water in it and stir it well to make some butter milk for the kadi and vadas to
soak. By the time you prepare kadi for the vadas; soak these vadas in 1 glass
of buttermilk. Usually they are soaked in water but since we are not using any
salt we soak them in butter milk.
5. Now light up the stove again and put a pan over it.
Add ½ tbs of urad dal (split black gram), curry leaves, green chilies and roast
them till they turn dark or brown.
6. Add prepared butter milk into it and cook for 5
minutes.
7. Add roasted and powdered cumin seeds and turmeric in
the above mentioned quantity and let it cook for another 5 minutes. In Dr.
Mantena’s system of cooking herbs and spices are occasionally used for special
dishes as this one.
8. Once the kadi is cooked, take it in a dish, add
vadas into it and season it with chopped coriander leaves for great taste and aroma.
Serve the dahi vadas hot and enjoy. We enjoyed this
dish very much and hope you are also going to make and enjoy this Ramzan season
with delicious and healthy dahi vadas in Dr. Mantena style. Most people
complain stomach problems with items made with chana flour but trust me you are
going to enjoy this dish without any problem. Since they are cooked oil and
salt free you can eat as many without any trouble. You can take it as breakfast
or evening snack.
I hope you liked this update and keep watching the
space for more interesting updates in coming future.
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