Kaara Vada ~ Guest Post from Suja of Kitchen Corner,Try it !

Ever since I commenced guest hosting here at Melange,I was missing a special someone.To be specific she is my best friend here in this virtual world.Suja of Kitchen Corner ~ try it ! I am so happy and relieved today that I could fill the vacuum forever. Suja and her magical nostalgic recipes may not be nothing new to you.She blogs almost everything.From a very homely rasam to perfectly baked dinner rolls ! Perhaps this wide range of recipes make her blog special..A place worth touring for any foodie out there..Among the varied recipes she served there so far,I love her simple,superb egg roast the most..Having said that,I couldn’t get rid of some exotic mutton recipes she posted there yet..

Coming to Suja’s guest post for today,Kaara vada,I have whole lot of memories associated with this Thiruvananthapuram special snack.Early years of my career and hostel life in Trivandrum are few things I still cherish.There was this small tea shop on the left corner of west fort.By 2.30 afternoon if you approach the street nearby you will be blessed with the aroma wafting around the shop.They had pretty crispy kaaravadas there which we relished discussing a Kieslowski movie or a small piece of what Krishnan Nair sir wrote for ‘saahithyavaaraphalam’ that week..Good old days.But today I am bringing back those memories here through Suja,my adorable chef friend..Hope you will all enjoy it !

Below is what Suja has composed for Melange…Kaaravada!

Today I am very excited and happy to be a guest at Dhyuthi’s Melange. I am fortunate to find this sweet friend through this virtual blogging world.Our friendship started two years back,but when we write to each other its just like two old friends. We talk about everything..food,blogging,nostalgic memories of childhood,our family,hobbies,etc.,etc., 🙂

Dhyuthi’s blog is a space that I visit every time and each time I see a new post here, I will have something to relate to. In this space I often comment ‘this post makes me nostalgic’, ‘my grandmother used to make this’.. … I know this may sound cliche. But Dhyuthi understands me better than any of my blogger friends.Many of the post here rekindles those fond memories of the readers, the flavors and taste of good home food. I adore Dhyuthi’s passion for cooking and blogging.

So when Dhyuthi asked me to do a guest post I did not wish to lose such a wonderful opportunity. Dhyuthi wanted kaara vada,a Trivandrum special snack. I was all happy to make it because it is my favorite. This is a spicy snack similar to uzhunnu vada. There are different versions,but my mom uses left over dosa batter to make this yummy evening snack. She adds some chutney powder inside the batter which I love. Kaara vada is crispy in the outer and soft and spicy in the inside.

Ingredients

Raw rice/Dopi rice- 1 1/3 cup
Fermented dosa batter- 1/2 cup
Kadala mavu/ chick pea flour- 1 1/2 tbs
Channa Dal (Bengal Gram) – 1/4 cup
Baking soda- 1 pinch (optional)
Chilly powder- 1/3 tsp- 1/2 tsp
(according to your taste)
Chutney powder- 1/2 tsp ( optional)
Asafetida- a pinch
Pearl onion thinly sliced- 3
Green chilly chopped- 2
Curry leaves chopped a little
Salt to taste
oil to fry

Method

Wash and soak rice for about 3 hours,drain spread on a kitchen towel. Allow this to slightly dry but not completely. Grind this into a fine powder. (or you can grind soaked rice into a paste using very little water)
Also soak channa dal for about two hours, drain and keep aside.
Into the rice flour add the dosa batter, gram flour and the rest of the ingredients except oil.The batter will be like the normal vada batter or slightly dropping consistency.Heat oil in a pan and when hot drop spoon full of batter or take small amount of batter in you hand and shape into small round balls. Fry till it is golden brown and crispy. Drain into paper towel and serve with tea.

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