Puli Vadai, Tamarind Vadai – Kongunad Special Pulusu Vadai

Puli Vadai is a southern kongunad specialty. Its very popular in the Pollachi – Udumalpet belt. People of southern kongunad are called as the Dhatchanam people / Dakshin people meaning people of the south. My father in law always says that its a dhatchanam specialty and Coimbatore guys can never make it as good as them. I need to agree with him. I did not know about this vadai till the time I got married. Its a must for all festivals and special occasions at my husbands place. This tamarind vadai fluffs up like poori when fried and the vadai batter is nothing like you have seen. Its very unique and very delicious tangy fluffy goodness. My mother in law Gokilama makes amazing puli vadai / pulusu vadai. This is her way of making it. She learnt it from her mother in law. Here is how to do it.

NOTE: This is not a beginners recipe

This vadai is made with a rice batter. Par boiled rice / puzhungal arisi is what is used for making this vadai. The ingredients are soaked and ground to a very thick batter and then shaped and fried.

Soak the rice and the toor dal in water for a couple of hours. Drain and set aside.

Take a mixie jar and add in all the ingredients to the jar. The soaked rice and dal, tamarind, salt, dried red chillies and fresh shredded coconut.

Do not add water at the beginning while grinding. Pulse the mixie several times until the mixture is kind of pasty. Add couple of tablespoons of water at a time and grind the batter to a paste. Add water only when absolutely necessary. Let the paste be very slightly coarse. The batter should be thick. So use caution and add very little water while grinding. The batter will slightly firm up after an hour of resting.

Now, what to do if the batter goes wet?

So sometimes, the batter may go wet and here is a remedy. Take the ground batter and spread it on a plate. Place a dry towel on the batter and gently press to remove the excess water. If the batter is still wet, then add in a couple of tablespoon of rice flour and mix well.

Once the batter is ground, rest it for an hour. I keep the ground batter in the refrigerator to firm up. You can store the batter at this stage for up to 2 days in the refrigerator.

Now its frying time. Heat oil until hot.

Take a plastic paper and keep it on a flat surface. Slightly oil the paper and your hands. Take a small piece of the batter and make a ball. Place the ball on the paper and spread the ball with finger tips to form a circle. Keep the circle thick. Thin vadas will not fluff up. Also make sure there are no holes while forming the vadas.

Gently remove the spread batter from the plastic sheet and place it in oil. Do not disturb for 10-15 seconds. The vadas will start to fluff up. Gently turn the vadas. Fry for 20-30 seconds on each side. The batter will fluff up in oil like pooris. When the vadai is deep golden brown, remove and drain on paper towels.  Do not crowd the pan while making vadas.

Serve hot.

5.0 from 3 reviews

Puli Vadai, Tamarind Vadai - Kongunad Special Pulusu Vadai

 

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Prep time

2 hours

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

2 hours 20 mins

 

Recipe for Puli Vadai , Pulusu Vadai - A southern kongunad specialty. Puli Vadai made with rice, lentils and tamarind.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Appetizer

Cuisine: Kongunad

Serves: 20 vadas

Ingredients

• measurements used - 1 cup = 240 ml
• 1 cup par boiled rice (puzhungal arisi)
• ¼ cup toor dal
• 1 small lime size tamarind
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 dried red chillies
• ¼ cup fresh shredded coconut
• 500 ml vegetable oil for deep frying

Instructions

Grinding

1. Soak the rice and the toor dal in water for a couple of hours. Drain and set aside.
2. Take a mixie jar and add in all the ingredients to the jar.
3. Do not add water at the beginning while grinding. Pulse the mixie several times until the mixture is coarse. Add couple of tablespoons of water at a time and grind the batter to a paste. Let the paste be very slightly coarse. Do not grind to a fine paste. The batter should be thick. So use caution and add very little water while grinding.
4. Once the batter is ground, rest it for an hour in the refrigerator.

For frying

1. Heat oil until hot.
2. Take a plastic paper and keep it on a flat surface. Slightly oil the surface. Take a small piece of the batter and make a ball. Place the ball on the paper and spread the ball with finger tips to form a circle.
3. Gently remove the spread dough and place it in oil. Fry for a minute on each side. The batter will fluff up in oil like pooris. When the vadai is deep golden brown, remove and drain on paper towels.
4. Serve hot.

3.5.3226