Ingredients:
Urad dal - 1 cup
Black eye peas - 1/2 cup
White pumpkin / Winter melon / Poosani kai - 1 cup, skin peeled and shredded
Red chilies - 10 or to taste
Asafoetida - 2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Method:
- Wash and soak urad dal and black eye peas separately with enough water, over night.
- Next day morning, drain the water from both the dals.
- Squeeze the water out of the shredded pumpkin and keep it aside.
- In a food processor add red chilies, asafoetida, both urad dal and black eye peas.
- Process by adding little water (or use the juice from the pumpkin) at a time until it forms a coarse and thick paste. Add the shredded pumpkin and pulse couple of times to mix.
- Transfer the ground dough into a bowl. Add salt to taste and mix well.
Sun drying:
- Spread a clean white cloth, plastic sheet or aluminum foil on a clean surface where you get a full sunshine.
- With a small spoon or by hand drop a quarter size dough on the sheet. Continue with rest of the dough.
- Let it dry in the hot sun for couple of days or until both side are completely dried. Make sure to flip after one side is dried.
- Store it in a air tight container with some dried red chillies. The red chillies will keep the bugs out.
- Can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer too.
Uses:
Deep fry the vadam until dark brown and drop it in vatral kuzhambu, dal or kootu for extra flavor. You can also make sambar with just this fried vadams.
