When the cold hits.. Tamizh Falafel to the rescue!

Food & DrinkSnacks

Mar 16

Written By Asha

We feared the plague and were felled by the common cold! Such was our state last week when after a whole year of bubble life, we decided to be brave and venture out into slightly larger bubble, after precautionary test and clearance of course. Alas! Life’s curveballs are always the ones you lease expect. After a whole year of not even an irritant sneeze, TF succumbed, like one of those Shakespearean tragedy queens to the most common virus of all! And, with her she brought down, as only some so small with a very disproportionate loudness can, the whole household to a complete stall.

Mothers with toddlers are usually well practiced in the art of booger and sickness management. Not me; my calamity skills were well rusted and with a paranoid desire to prevent TF2 from catching the contagion, I ran ragged. All to no avail. Apparently, no amount of hand washing, lysoling and disinfecting all surfaces, running the washer literally non-stop is going to prevent the germs from socializing, when TF suddenly decides she want to do the lovey-dovey sister thing after all! [slaps forehead]. Yes, it was super cute to watch her give TF2 kisses and insist on feeding her. And, yes super freaked watching her feed with one hand and nonchalantly wiping runny snots with the other and then slobbering over TF2. Sisterly magic y’all. So yes, it ran through TF2 and also me.

Fortunately, I had at the beginning of the whole drama, had some foresight and adrenalin rush and cooked up a huge pot of gingery turkey meatball soup that was divine, and a few assorted curries. All of which were lapped up with gusto and relief (of not having to cook!). Finally, the weekend arrived and the house seemed to be breathing much more normally. The first thing I always do when I feel refreshed and recovered is declutter and then COOK! :)

In a frenzy to sort the pantry (a continuous WIP), I found stray amounts of various lentils and dried beans. So I soaked several with plans to make stews, batter and a special treat for Sunday tea. I rarely deep fry anything and fried food even growing up was always a special treat, saved for festivals or the occasional Sunday afternoon snack. The typical fried food was bajjis or vadais; of these there were an eternal variety starting with a base and then layered with flavor and fillings of whimsy, rather, of pantry availability.

I have particular nostalgic memories of masala vadai, which, was the one that was made for those special surprise sunday treats; usually when the end of month was approaching and my mother found that the oil ration was still plentiful. I remember them crispy, hot, crunchy and liberally flavored with dill. It would come out fresh and hot from the oil and served immediately. It was not the custom to fry up everything and serve at once but rather it was served as it was cooked, in batches. The women often snacked on a couple as they fried them up while the men and kids indulged in the hot treats cushy in the sofa with lots of ketchup. And, the last round was an equal opportunity one, brought out with flourish and consumed as a family, albeit, a hint of dismay (afterall it meant there no more coming from the kitchen…)

Dill is not an easy herb to use; it overpowers easily and does not play very well with meat. But it is a brilliant companion to earthy lentils. Masala vadai is typically made with chana dal, a staple in any Indian house. But mine. Lol. Instead I had split peas. I decided these would be awesome and much healthier. Technically, you can make these vadais with any split thick lentil. One that does not disintegrate into very soft texture on soaking.

The more I taste the world, the more I realize that there are strong similarities in cuisine, and perhaps, even culture. What I grew up and know as masala vadai, is not very different from the middle eastern falafel. Often not even shaped differently and with a ton of oomph from garlic, the herbs and choice of lentil may vary but the result and satisfaction are remarkably similar! Which is why I call these Split Pea Vadais, Tamizh Falafel. Tamizh is the language of the South Indian state I am from where Masala vadai are a common snack item.

Split Pea Masala Vada aka Tamizh falafel

1 cup dried split peas {soak them overnight in just enough water to cover}

1 T ginger garlic paste

1/4 cup diced onions

1 green chili, minced

2 T chopped fresh dill

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp garam masala or curry powder

salt to taste (sprinkle a little more than you would usually season with)

Pulse the soaked and drained split peas, without any added water, till you get a chunky paste and some of the peas are still whole

Add the rest of the ingredients and mix. Mold them into flat patties and see if they hold shape. If they do, they are ready to be fried.

If the patties crumble apart, pulse a third of the mix into a finer paste and add back to mix through.

Heat 2 cups of oil in a heavy bottom pan or wok. When hot but not burning (350F if measuring), gently slide in the patties. Deep fry them a few at a time so as to not crowd the pan and bring down the oil temperature.

Brown one side and then gently turn over till the bubbles stop in the oil. Remove to plate and repeat.

VERY MUCH TAMIZH….