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You all might have had thayir vada /medu vada in which vada prepared using black gram lentil is soaked in spiced yoghurt. It is so comforting to eat yoghurt based snacks and side dishes. Right? Well, today I am going to discuss about bajji ambode/ gojju ambode in which the same black gram lentil vadas are soaked in coconut based gravy. The vada absorbing spices of curry will be soft and delicious. In ceremony feasts of Udupi these two are popular snacks. This recipe caught my eye, when I was going through one of my cookbook. So here is the bajji ambode recipe for you.
Bajji Ambode | Gojju Ambode | Vada in Coconut based Curry Recipe
Servings: 10 -15
Ingredients
For ambode/urad dal vada
- Split black gram lentil- 1/2 cup
- Salt- 1/2 teaspoon
- Curry leaves- few
- Cooking oil for deep frying
For gojju/coconut based gravy
- Fresh grated coconut- 1 cup
- Mustard seeds- 1 teaspoon
- Red chillies- 2 no.s
- Jaggery- lemon sized or 2 teaspoon
- Tamarind- gooseberry sized
- Salt- 3/4 teaspoon
- Asafoetida- Chick pea size
- Curry leaves- few
For seasoning
- Cooking oil- 1 teaspoon
- Mustard seeds- 1/2 teaspoon
- Curry leaves- few
Instructions
Preparation
- Wash and soak black gram lentil in enough water for about one hour. Chop coriander leaves finely. Soak tamarind in water for about 15 mins and extract it's juice discarding residue.
Method
- Drain water from soaked black gram lentil, add it to the mixer/grinder. Grind it finely adding about 1/4 cup of water. The consistency of the batter is very important, it should be fluffy and light. Do not add too much water, the batter becomes running. Let it not be too thick too.
- Take out the batter in a wide bowl and start beating it with hand for 5 minutes. It will make batter more light.Check if the batter is ready by dropping a small ball of batter in to bowl of water. If the batter floats then it is ready to use. If it sinks then you have to beat it with hand for a minute more. This step is important if you are using mixer for grinding.
- Now add chopped curry leaves and salt. Mix well.
- Heat a pan/kadai adding oil for deep frying black gram lentil vadas. Just check the oil is heated enough for deep fry by dropping a pinch of batter to it. If the batter raises up to the surface immediately then oil is warm enough.
- Wetting your hand with water, take a small ball sized batter and drop it in to hot oil. Based on the size of pan drop 5 to 6 vadas or more at a time.
- Fry the vadas until they turn brown in medium flame. Turn over and fry until another side gets golden brown. Ambodes are ready now.
- Keep these vadas on kitchen tissue paper and repeat the process with remaining batter.
bajji/gojju preparation:
- Add grated coconut, mustard seeds and red chillies in to a mixer and grind it finely adding enough water.
- Heat a vessel, adding jaggery and tamarind juice and a cup of water. When it boils add ground coconut masala to this. Bring it to boil.
- Add salt and dissolved asafoetida. Mix well and switch off the flame.
- Now add deep fried ambode to this gojju and keep it immersed for about half an hour. Serve it only after half an hour.
- Heat a seasoning pan adding oil, mustard seeds and curry leaves. When mustard seeds splutter add seasoning to gojju/bajji.
- Bajji ambode/ gojju ambode is ready. You can have it as evening snack too.
Note:
- Add little less salt to ambode than required, as coconut gravy too has salt in it, both together may make the dish salty. ( Above mentioned salt is little less than needed).
- Urad dal vada/ambode batter consistency is very important. If it is of running consistency, then you cannot make balls out of it. Just to troubleshoot, you can add little medium rava and try.
- Based on the quality of black gram lentil, water requirement for grinding varies. Otherwise lentil to water ratio is 1:1/2 cup. Do not add water at once, add little by little and check the consistency.
- Use a wide bowl to keep the vadas immersed in coconut gravy. The vada fluffs up little after absorbing the gravy.
