Anjaneyar Vadai – Milagu Vadai For Vada Maalai
Anjaneyar Vadai is a typical vadai made as offering to Lord Hanuman as a Vada Maalai. This Milagu vadai tastes very different and is made with just urad dal and Milagu /pepper.
Servings: 25 Small Vadais
Calories: 66kcal
Equipment
- pan
- bowl
- Pot
- spatula
Ingredients
- 1 cup Ullutham Paruppu / Urad Dal preferably whole
- 1 Tablespoon Pepper corns / Milagu
- to taste Salt
- Oil for deep frying
- 1-2 Tablespoon Rice flour incase the batter becomes thin
Instructions
- Wash and soak the paruppu for about 45 minutes. Drain the paruppu well and keep it in the colander for few minutes to drain it entirely.
- With a mortar and pestle coarsely grind the pepper corns. You can use a mixer also for the purpose. I added about 1 tablespoon for the 1 cup of batter which yielded medium spicy vadais. You can add more or less based on your preference.
- When grinding for this vadai, we have to keep in mind that there is no liquid. A food processor will work great or else use the blender and grind. The dal need not be ground very fine. It has to somewhat coarse in texture. Grind it with enough salt and then at the end, add the pounded pepper and give it one more mix. At this stage check the consistency of the batter. It should be very thick and you should be able to form a ball with your hand. If not add some rice flour to adjust the consistency.
- Meanwhile heat oil for deep frying the vadais.
- Keep two Ziploc bags or some heavy plastic wrap handy. Wet them very well. Take a very small ball place it on one of the plastic. Place the other wrap on top and press down on the batter with your palm gently until it is very thin. Now wet your index finger and make a hole in the center.
- Carefully peel of the formed vadai and slide it into the hot oil. Fry on medium flame until it is crisp and golden brown. Try to keep the thickness of the vadai similar in all the vadai for it to cook evenly. Thinner the vadais are, the crispier they will be. That is why the consistency of the batter is very important.
- Drain them on a paper towel lined dish and once they have come to room temperature, string the Anjaneyar Vadai into a garland/malai and offer to god.
Notes
Serving and storage
Milagu vadai or Anjaneyar vadai is made for special occasion like Hanuman Jayanthi or as an offering for special prayer to Lord Hanuman.
This vadai that is made as a thinner vadai has a much longer shelf life and can be kept in an air tight container for up to a week.
This vadai can be made in to a Vada malai for offering and then is removed and distributed as a prasadam.
Expert tips
- The consistency of the batter is very important for this vadai. We have to grind it very thick and a little coarse.
- Adding a couple of teaspoon of rice flour helps thicken the batter and also makes the vadai crisper.
- Use whole or gota urad dal to make vadai as they yield better.
- Black pepper can either be left coarse or ground smoothly depending on your preference.
- Fry the anjaneyar vadai in low to very medium heat. Otherwise they will not crisp up.
Nutrition
Calories: 66kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 6mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 3IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 1mg