RAG Demo

Tag: Mandya

  • Maddur Vada

    Maddur vada takes its name from the town of Maddur on the old Bengaluru-Mysuru highway and railway line. According to local lore, a vendor at the railway station improvised it in the early 1900s, and the vadas sold at Maddur Tiffanys and on the platforms became famous with travellers. Unlike the soft urad dal vada, it is made from rice flour, semolina and maida.

    It is flat, crunchy and golden, almost like a thick biscuit, packed with sweet onions, curry leaves, green chillies and ginger. The onions are mixed with hot oil before the water goes in, which keeps the vada crisp. It is a tea-time snack that stays crunchy for hours and travels well.

    At a glance

    RegionKarnataka
    CuisineKannada
    DietVegan
    CourseSnack
    Prep time15 minutes
    Cook time25 minutes
    Total time40 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelMedium
    DifficultyEasy
    Gluten-freeNo
    Key ingredientsrice flour / semolina / maida / onion / curry leaves

    Ingredients

    • 1/2 cup rice flour
    • 1/4 cup fine rava (semolina)
    • 1/4 cup maida
    • 2 medium onions, finely sliced
    • 2 green chillies, finely chopped
    • 1 inch ginger, finely chopped
    • 1 sprig curry leaves, chopped
    • 3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
    • 1/4 tsp asafoetida
    • 3/4 tsp salt
    • 2 tbsp hot oil
    • about 1/4 cup water
    • oil for deep frying

    Method

    1. In a bowl, mix the onions, chillies, ginger, curry leaves, coriander, asafoetida and salt. Squeeze with your hands for a minute so the onions soften slightly.
    2. Add the rice flour, rava and maida and mix.
    3. Pour 2 tbsp very hot oil over the mixture and rub it in with a spoon, then your fingers. This is what makes the vadas crisp.
    4. Sprinkle water a little at a time and knead to a firm, non-sticky dough. The onions add moisture, so you need very little water.
    5. Heat oil for deep frying on medium heat. A small piece of dough should rise steadily, not instantly.
    6. Take a lemon-sized ball, place it on a greased plastic sheet or banana leaf, and pat it into a flat disc about 8 cm across and 5 mm thick.
    7. Slide the vadas into the oil one by one and fry on medium heat for 3-4 minutes per side until deep golden and crisp, turning once.
    8. Drain on a rack and serve hot or at room temperature.

    Tips

    • Fry on medium heat; on high heat they brown before they crisp through.
    • Keep the dough firm; a soft dough makes oily vadas.
    • Stored airtight, they stay crisp for a day.

    Serve with

    Coconut chutney and filter coffee or masala tea.

  • Ragi Mudde

    Ragi mudde, or ragi ball, has been the staple food of rural south Karnataka for centuries, especially in Mandya, Mysore, Hassan and Tumkur. Farmers eat it because it is filling and gives steady energy through a day of field work. Ragi grows well in dry conditions, and a meal of mudde with saaru is still everyday food in many Kannada homes.

    The balls are smooth, dense and greyish-brown with a mild, earthy taste. They are not chewed: a small piece is pinched off, rolled in the gravy and swallowed. That is why mudde is always eaten with a thin, spicy gravy such as bassaru, soppina saaru or a mutton or chicken saaru.

    At a glance

    RegionKarnataka
    CuisineKannada
    DietVegan
    CourseMain course
    Prep time5 minutes
    Cook time20 minutes
    Total time25 minutes
    Serves3
    Spice levelMild
    DifficultyMedium
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientsragi flour / water / salt

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup ragi flour (finger millet flour)
    • 2 cups water
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 1 tsp ghee or oil (optional)

    Method

    1. Bring 2 cups water, salt and ghee to a rolling boil in a heavy-bottomed pot.
    2. Take out about 1/2 cup of the boiling water and keep it aside in a bowl.
    3. Lower the heat to medium-low and add the ragi flour all at once in a mound in the centre. Do not stir. Let it sit on the boiling water for 2-3 minutes so the flour steams.
    4. Using the handle of a wooden spoon or a traditional mudde kolu, stir vigorously to combine the flour and water, breaking up any lumps. It will be a thick, stiff mass.
    5. If it is too stiff, add a little of the reserved hot water. Keep stirring and pressing on low heat for 3-5 minutes until smooth and the flour is fully cooked. It should not stick to a wet finger.
    6. Cover and cook on the lowest heat for 2 minutes, then switch off.
    7. Wet your palms with water, take a portion of the hot mixture and roll it into a smooth ball on a wet plate. Repeat. Serve hot.

    Tips

    • Adding the flour without stirring at first is the trick to lump-free mudde.
    • A cooked mudde does not stick to wet fingers; if it does, cook a little longer.
    • Use a wooden stick or the back of a wooden spoon; a metal ladle will not mix it well.

    Serve with

    Bassaru, soppina saaru, avarekalu saaru or a spicy country chicken curry.