Potato Tapioca Fritters

There are some foods that have a permanent place in your taste buds. These potato tapioca fritters or sabudana vadas are one of them. A childhood and adult favorite, these morsels usually were made for an afternoon treat or as part of the meal. 

Travelling through the Indian countryside, we bought these deep-fried fritters at roadside restaurants. They came nestled in newspaper, the paper absorbing greasy oils. Biting into the crisp brown crust revealed a melange of mashed potato and soft sabudana or tapioca balls, a hint of freshness from chopped green chiles and cilantro, a balance of salt and sweet and a tang of lime.  

Soak tapioca pearls in lots of water for two hours. They become soft and spongy. Squeeze  out all the water before you add them to the mashed potatoes.  Potatoes should be waxy and sticky. You will not need a binder if they are. Or else use a little arrowroot or cornstarch to bind the fritters. A little freshness is added with cilantro and green chiles. The oil needs to be really really hot. The outside of the fritters have to start cooking the moment they hit the oil. Or else they might start disintegrating. If they do, scoop them back into the mashed potato and incorporate them into the mix. I always start by frying one fritter. If it stays intact I know the consistency is just right. You can make your adjustments then. My sister Prassy makes them in an appe pan, with very little oil. She says they are good but not as satisfying as deep frying them.

What is it about fried foods that makes you feel warm and comforted? Make the fritters and feel the magic.

POTATO TAPIOCA FRITTERS

Makes 20-25

4 Yukon Gold or any waxy Potatoes

3/4 cup Tapioca Pearls or Sabudana

2 Green Chiles, thinly sliced

1/2 cup chopped Cilantro

3/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt

1/2 teaspoon Sugar

A Squirt of Lime Juice

Oil for frying

Soak tapioca in lots of water for 2 hours. Drain them well. Press down on the tapioca with a towel to squeeze all water out of the tapioca.

Boil potatoes till soft. Peel and grate them into a bowl. 

Add tapioca, green chiles, cilantro, salt, sugar and lime juice to potatoes. 

Mix well. Use your hands. 

Form 2 inch logs. 

Heat 2 cups of oil in a kadhai, wok or wide saucepan. The oil should be very hot. Test it by dropping one fritter. If the fritter starts coming apart, take the fritter out and raise the temperature and try again. Hot oil at 375F or 400F will allow the fritter to brown quickly and not come apart.

Fry all fritters in the same fashion. 

You could make them earlier and reheat in a warm oven.

Eat them piping hot.

 

The fritters remind me of my Mum....and her love for fried foods, so lovingly made and shared with us. We now share them with our families. Pay it forward...

Rava Dosa

After watching a Hebbar's Kitchen breakfast food video, the urge to make rava dosas is all consuming! This is such an easy batter, one you can mix, refrigerate and pull out whenever the dosa moment strikes, quite magical in quality. Forgive me for waxing lyrical! 

Whisk semolina, rice flour, flour, yogurt, chopped onion, chiles, cilantro, ginger with water. The batter will be very watery. This makes the dosa lacey and crisp. Store it in a lidded container in the fridge for up to a week. When the mood strikes, pull it out, whisk again, ladle spoonfuls onto a dosa pan and wait for the crisp lacey dosa. 

Rewards are enormous....these dosas please adults and children. Little Hazel loved the dosa!

RAVA DOSA

Slightly adapted from Hebbar's Kitchen

Makes 10-15

1/2 cup Rava or Cream of Wheat

1/2 cup Rice Flour

1/4 cup all purpose Flour

1 tablespoon Yogurt

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

Several grinds fresh Black Pepper

2 1/2 cups Water

1 Red Onion, finely chopped

1-2 Green Chiles, sliced thinly

1 tablespoon Cilantro, minced finely

1 teaspoon finely minced Ginger

1 teaspoon finely minced Garlic

5 Curry leaves, thinly sliced

1 1/2 cups Water

Canola Oil

Place rava, rice flour and flour in a bowl.

Add yogurt, salt and pepper to bowl. Whisk to mix.

Pour 2 1/2 cups water into the bowl. Whisk well. 

Add chopped onion, green chiles, cilantro, ginger, garlic, curry leaves and water to batter.  Batter will be thin and runny. This is what makes the dosa porous and full of holes.

Let the batter sit for 15-20 minutes before you make the dosas. 

Unused batter can be refrigerated in a covered container for up to a week.

When you are ready, heat a nonstick or cast iron pan. 

Brush a little oil on the surface of the pan. 

Drop one or two ladles of batter into the pan. The batter will automatically separate as your pour. 

Drizzle a little oil over the dosa. Let the underside turn deep brown. This takes a few minutes.

Fold the dosa onto a plate.

Serve with sambar, coconut chutney or podi.

The dosas are relished by all...the batter lasted two days! Convenient morning food.

Avial

The numerous Onam sadya photographs on FB are making me crave all that food.l! I have to scratch that itch.  My meal is but one component of that multi-course feast. Just one subji...avial. I have drumsticks, cucumbers and green beans from the garden, butternut squash. They cook along with chiles and turmeric. A paste of ground coconut and cumin is mixed with yogurt. and poured into cooked veggies. The next part might be sacrilegious to  the traditionalists! I take a few liberties by tempering the avial with crisp, brown shallots and curry leaves. To top that, the avial is sprinkled with a freshly made crumble of red chiles, coriander seeds, methi and chana daal. Not your average avial, but an irreverent but delicious deviation.

AVIAL

Serves 4

1 cup Drumstick pieces

1 cup peeled, seeded and cubes Cucumber

1 cup peeled, cubed Butternut Squash

1 cup Green Beans, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 Green Chiles, slit lengthwise

1/2 teaspoon Turmeric powder

1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt

1/2 cup grated Coconut

1/4 teaspoon Cumin seeds

3/4  cup Yogurt

1-2  Dried Red Chiles

1/2 teaspoon Chana Dal or Split Chickpeas

1 teaspoon Coriander Seeds

1/4 teaspoon  Methi or Fenugreek seeds

2 teaspoons Coconut Oil

2 Shallots, thinly sliced

4-6 fresh Curry Leaves

Place drumsticks, cucumber, squash, green beans, chile and turmeric powder in a saucepan. 

Add 1/2 cup water to the vegetables.

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Put the pan on heat and bring to a simmer. Cover pan and cook for 10-12 minutes till vegetables are cooked.

Grind coconut and cumin seeds till smooth. 

Add yogurt to coconut and whiz for 5 seconds.

Pour the coconut mix into the cooked veggies. Season with salt.

Heat 1 teaspoon of coconut oil in a small saucepan.

Add dried chiles, chana dal, coriander seeds and methi to oil. Saute till their color changes. 

Cool slightly and grind to a powder.

Heat another teaspoon of coconut oil in the same pan and fry the shallot till brown and crisp. Add curry leaves to shallots, then pour the shallots over the cooked veggies. 

Heat avial till warm. 

Sprinkle powder over avial and serve.

The avial pleases immensely, though I apologise for taking liberties....