Gaarelu / Vada

Gaarelu is synonymous with the word Festival or Guests. When we were kids Amma used to make them only during festivals or when any special guests are visiting us!!!
Gaarelu/Vada/Ulundu Vada is a very famous South Indian breakfast which is accompanied with Coconut Chutney and Sambhar.
Everyone in our family likes these... hope even you will enjoy them :)

Gaarelu

Ingredients:

Whole urad dal: 2 cups
Ginger: 2 inch, finely chopped
Green chillies: 4, finely chopped
Onion: 2, finely chopped
Salt: to taste
Oil: for deep frying

Method:

1. Soak Urad Dal in enough water overnight.
2. Grind into a soft paste, using very little water. The batter should be very thick, not like dosa batter.
3. Add ginger, onions, chilies and salt to this and mix well.
4. Take a deep pan or kadai and heat oil for frying.
5. Wet your hands and take a lemon sized ball and flatten it and make a hole in the center. (You can use a plastic sheet or a banana leaf, to make things easier).
6. Slowly put it in oil and deep fry on both sides till golden brown.
7. Serve hot with coconut chutney or sambhar or even chicken curry!!

Gaarelu with Coconut Chutney

Notes:

1. If excess water is added while grinding, it is difficult to shape and drop it in oil.
2. Every time before taking batter into your hands, remember to wet your hands with water. This prevents the batter from sticking to your hand.
3. Since you wet your hands each time and put them in the bowl containing the batter, after some time, the batter is likely to become thin. So it is better to work on the batter batch wise.

And the Verdict:
"Thinte Gaarelu thinaali, vinte Bhaaratam vinaali" is a very famous telugu proverb. And this says it all!!!