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[00:00:00] You're listening to the Quint's podcast.
[00:00:30] The year is 728 AD.
[00:00:46] That's 1,300 years ago.
[00:00:49] At the age of what is today, the city of Vishakapattana, on top of a bald hill, a Buddhist
[00:00:55] monk sits facing the ocean.
[00:01:06] That was about the time the Mahabali Puram temple was being built, in a distant show near
[00:01:10] Madras.
[00:01:11] But that's another story.
[00:01:13] The monk is reading the Susiddhika Rasutra.
[00:01:16] It is an extremely dense Buddhist scripture full of esoteric mantras and practices.
[00:01:23] He reads with perfect posture and unwavering concentration until he comes to chapter 12.
[00:01:32] The entire chapter is dedicated to the different types of food that are to be offered to the
[00:01:37] gods.
[00:01:38] Apupadhana karampa sattu vata ka taila paayasa shakani suttani verjayed.
[00:01:47] He reads about the vata kaas, round cakes made of different pulses and fried in oil or butter.
[00:01:55] His stomach begins to rumble.
[00:02:01] The noises lost in the sound of the ocean waves crashing on the rocky shores below.
[00:02:14] But the hunger pangs remain.
[00:02:16] He wonders about the thin soup and sparse vegetables that will be served for dinner.
[00:02:22] And then he sighs.
[00:02:23] The Buddhist monk Shubhaka Rasimha is known for his supernatural powers in Buddhist and
[00:02:28] Chinese culture.
[00:02:30] Maybe he conjured some vata kaas for himself.
[00:02:33] After all, they are unbeatable when you get the manchis.
[00:02:36] Vata kaas, you know vata kaas, those crispy round cakes that today are famously known
[00:02:41] as Vadas.
[00:02:49] Welcome to the final episode of the first season of Sadaan's Love.
[00:02:53] I am Vikram, your host.
[00:02:55] In our journey of exploring the stories of recipes from South India has been delectable,
[00:03:00] varied and a definite high for me.
[00:03:02] Especially when I stumble upon a lost recipe or an interesting historical anecdote or
[00:03:07] a forgotten memory from my childhood.
[00:03:09] I am glad you've been with me on this from the beginning.
[00:03:12] I do hope you give the second season as much love as you did the first.
[00:03:17] We'll be back soon, but in the meantime, you can check out our full playlist on Apple
[00:03:21] podcasts, Google podcasts, Spotify and Geo Saban.
[00:03:26] Before we dig into the story of the Vada, it's time to bring back Kandan, the expert
[00:03:31] in all things around crispy and fried.
[00:03:33] He's a relative of mine, but we share a common love for all things food.
[00:03:45] He was part of our episode on Bondas, which two are similarly fried condiments, but vastly
[00:03:51] different culturally.
[00:03:52] Kandan puri paizu corners here of food and an excellent cook.
[00:03:56] Here is his take on what we today call the Masala Vadae or the Masal Vadae, which was
[00:04:02] once the Vattaka.
[00:04:08] The Masal Vadae is very famous for the middle class and lower middle class people.
[00:04:14] The evening snacks, the Masal Vadae is absolute and apt for your weakens.
[00:04:19] A person who wants to take a Masal Vadae, the best combination for him, the Masal Vadae
[00:04:24] with the tea.
[00:04:25] I'm a diehard coffee addict and I have an entire episode on South Indian filter coffee
[00:04:30] as an ode to my undying love for the beverage.
[00:04:33] And yet I agree with Kandan puri pa.
[00:04:36] Masal Vadae is a dish best served with tea.
[00:04:40] Until the onion bone that took over, most tea stalls across Chennai served the Masal Vadae
[00:04:45] and the Ravana Bajji.
[00:04:47] Even today some continue the tradition.
[00:04:50] I wouldn't recommend giving them a go anymore but the aroma of the Chanadal, the onion
[00:04:55] garlic dried chilli combination fried in oil is sure to tempt you.
[00:04:59] Let's see the recipe of Masal Vadae.
[00:05:10] One cup of Chanadal, four teaspoons of quarter cup of Dwarathal and four red chillies,
[00:05:18] a little paper, soak it for one hour.
[00:05:23] The water is very hot.
[00:05:25] That's very important.
[00:05:26] Drain all of the water.
[00:05:28] Grind it coarsely, set aside, soak three teaspoons of rice in water for an hour, drain
[00:05:34] and break the rice in a mixer.
[00:05:36] Don't grind too finely.
[00:05:38] Parnit, you mix it with this mixture.
[00:05:41] This is the fridge.
[00:05:42] Put it in the fridge for about 15 to 20 minutes.
[00:05:48] Chopped onion, two onions,
[00:05:49] one green chilli,
[00:05:50] a little paper,
[00:05:52] coriander leaves,
[00:05:53] curry leaves,
[00:05:53] after this little mint leaves.
[00:05:55] With a little bit of chopper,
[00:05:57] chop all of this and mix in the batter along with the soft food.
[00:06:00] Mix well.
[00:06:01] Nallu Vadae is here.
[00:06:03] Pour oil onto a wide-ridden bowl and put the flame in sim.
[00:06:07] Take the batter in your hand and shape it like a flying saucer.
[00:06:11] Need to round not too flat.
[00:06:12] Fry it in the oil in medium flame for about 5 to 6 minutes.
[00:06:16] Keep flipping it.
[00:06:17] 5 to 6 minutes.
[00:06:18] Take out the lid and take it out.
[00:06:20] When you remove the lid and the lid,
[00:06:22] cut it up.
[00:06:23] When you remove from the flame,
[00:06:25] you should be able to see all of the ingredients
[00:06:27] in the lid on the surface of the Vadae.
[00:06:30] When you split it open,
[00:06:31] the cross section will look fluffy, firm and well cooked.
[00:06:35] The best combination for this Vada is a cup of tea.
[00:06:38] I think you'll enjoy it.
[00:06:39] Give me your feedback after you try.
[00:06:51] In a sense, the Masal Vadae harkens back to the ancient recipe of the Vatakas.
[00:06:56] From as early as the Rigvedic Age,
[00:06:59] Uraddhal was in Vog, especially in rituals,
[00:07:02] until there was a sudden tabo against it at the beginning of the Christian era.
[00:07:07] A revamped version is described in the Manasol Lasa,
[00:07:10] a treatise on all things that delight the mind,
[00:07:13] written in the 12th century.
[00:07:21] Uraddhal, seasoned with Asafoetida,
[00:07:25] salt and pepper was fried in butter or oil.
[00:07:28] The procedure is the same.
[00:07:30] The pulses have changed.
[00:07:42] The Kannada author and poet, Charmarasa,
[00:07:44] writes about it in his magnum opus Prabhu Linga Lila.
[00:07:48] Even today in Karnataka, the same recipe but with Anil and Ghalik added,
[00:07:53] exist in various forms and with different pulses as a base.
[00:07:57] It was once known as the Katakarana and was prepared with Turdhal.
[00:08:02] And it is this recipe that is famously called the Masal Vadae or Amavadae in Tamil
[00:08:07] and Paripuvada in Marayalam.
[00:08:09] Shape like a flying saucer and with no hole in the centre,
[00:08:12] this one stands out for its coarse texture, crunch and unbelievable aroma.
[00:08:19] But the Vadae of the Tamil is undoubtedly the Medu Vadae.
[00:08:28] Today it's made of Uraddhal ground into a butter like batter,
[00:08:32] spiced with pepper, Asafoetida and salt,
[00:08:35] shaped into a round doughnut like disc with a hole in the centre
[00:08:39] and fried to a light golden brown.
[00:08:42] It's lighter than it looks and when you bite into it,
[00:08:44] the crunch is satisfying.
[00:08:49] Inside, if well cooked, the white Uraddh batter feels fluffy in the mouth and melts before the 4th or 5th chew.
[00:09:03] The Telugu who's called it Garilu.
[00:09:06] It was called Gharika in ancient India and finds mention in the Matsya Purana.
[00:09:10] The oldest, most well-preserved of the Puranas,
[00:09:13] which dates back conservatively to 1st century BC.
[00:09:18] The
[00:09:19] Kerala
[00:09:20] The
[00:09:21] Kerala
[00:09:22] The
[00:09:23] Kerala
[00:09:24] The
[00:09:25] Kerala
[00:09:26] The
[00:09:27] Kerala
[00:09:28] The
[00:09:29] Kerala
[00:09:30] The
[00:09:31] Kerala
[00:09:32] The
[00:09:33] Kerala
[00:09:34] The
[00:09:35] Kerala
[00:09:36] Like today, it was then prepared with the batter of Uraddhal called Mashaadhal.
[00:09:42] It had not 1 but 5 or 7 holes and was fried in oil.
[00:09:47] It was also offered to the gods, like mentioned in the Buddhist scriptures.
[00:09:51] The term Wataka means a ball.
[00:09:53] What is today doughnut shaped was once a ball.
[00:09:56] In a sense, our ancestors ate the center of the savory doughnut that we are eating today.
[00:10:01] And quite early on, South Indian cooks figured out that the Vadais took on interesting properties when dropped into liquids.
[00:10:09] In fact, dropping these Watakas into milk, churned buttermilk or plain curds were a thing even 2000 years ago.
[00:10:16] Of course, the Thai Rwadai or what is known as the Dahi Vada is one recipe that exists even today.
[00:10:22] The Vada Abhil Chilumudu is a lot of food available in South Indian dishes.
[00:10:28] The Dharasavar Vadais are available.
[00:10:36] The Thai Rwadai is a little small, little complication.
[00:10:41] The consistency is correct.
[00:10:47] In the literature of the Mahanubhava sect, from the early 12th century, we find reference to a recipe in which sometimes churned curds and gruel are mixed and made into a thick consistency.
[00:11:04] And spices like ginger and coriander leaves are mixed with it.
[00:11:07] I am going to end this episode with Kandan Peripa's version of the Thai Rwadai.
[00:11:11] I think it is by far the best verbal explanation of a recipe.
[00:11:22] So, Ulythabar Pura Kapa, Rindus Pothoram Bharap,
[00:11:25] Soak a cup of Urad dal and 2 tablespoons of Turdhal for half an hour in water.
[00:11:30] Grind it finely like you would for the Mido Vadai.
[00:11:33] Keep adding little bits of ice or cold water intermittently to grind it.
[00:11:37] So, the final batter looks like a ball of butter.
[00:11:40] Set aside in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.
[00:11:48] Fry mustard seeds, cumin, urad dal, coriander leaves, finely chopped green chillies, curry leaves and 2 spoons of chana dal.
[00:11:56] Set aside.
[00:12:00] Fry 2 spoons of coriander and dried chillies in very little oil.
[00:12:03] Grind and set aside.
[00:12:05] Then you take the solid curd.
[00:12:08] The curd is cut in a little bit.
[00:12:10] Blend the curd without lumps.
[00:12:12] Add the ground powder and blend again.
[00:12:15] Pour the curd onto a flat vessel.
[00:12:18] The curd is ready.
[00:12:19] Now, the oil is going to be added.
[00:12:21] It is similar with the Mido Vadai.
[00:12:23] Pour the oil into a pan and place the flame on a sieve.
[00:12:27] Shape the vadai like you would a small doughnut and semi-fried.
[00:12:31] So, it looks slightly brownish.
[00:12:33] You soak it for about 5 minutes in the hot water.
[00:12:36] Add the kappara, add the roti shi-ri-moo and place on tissue paper so the excess water is absorbed.
[00:12:41] Then, place gently one by one into the curd.
[00:12:45] Spoon more curd onto the vadai.
[00:12:47] Sprinkle coriander leaves, boondi and refrigerate for half an hour.
[00:12:52] Very delicious, very soft and fantastic.
[00:12:55] And really you will love it, Devla.
[00:12:57] Enjoy it. Please try it and give us your feedback.
[00:12:59] Thank you.
[00:13:04] And that brings us to the end of a season of spice, history and culinary mysteries that I have been enriched by.
[00:13:17] We started off with this spicy unbelievably simple russam and went around the idli, dosa, biryani,
[00:13:26] onam, sadhya and moe.
[00:13:28] So, until next season, should you feel hungry?
[00:13:31] Do remember to binge on the full playlist of Sada and Slur.
[00:13:34] Available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and GeoSaven.
[00:13:39] And as always, thank you for listening.