DILL LEAVES SAUTÉED / SHEPU CHI BHAAJI

DILL LEAVES / SEED
In India, dill is known as 'Savaa' in Hindi and 'Soa' in Punjabi not related to Soy, In Telugu it is called soya and soya-kura (for herb greens). It is also called 'sapsige soppu' (ಸಪ್ಸಿಗೆ ಸೊಪ್ಪು) in Kannada.


Read more about Dill here

Dill Leaves / Shepu

Dill seeds / Suva

Dill is very rich in minerals, vitamin C and flavonoids, It gives protection Against Free Radicals and Carcinogens, It is considered an Anti-Bacterial Spice and it’s a flavorful way to help prevent bone loss.

Dill is mostly a culinary herb today, but it does have some value in medicine, mostly as a stomach soother and anti-gas remedy.  It is also said to increase mother's milk and help treat breast congestion from nursing. It is mild, and makes a good remedy for colic in babies.

Dill water is used often for relief of the above symptoms.

Dill can also be made into a Tea, and sweetened with honey, or prepared as an infusion by steeping 2 teaspoons of seed in 1 cup of water for 10-15 minutes, then straining.  Take 1-2 cups per day.

Tea made from a tablespoon of dill seed can help cure indigestion and treat hiccups. It has also been used successfully to treat colic (at 1/3 concentration). Save any remainder and soak your fingers in it to help strengthen your nails.

DILL LEAVES SAUTÉED / SHEPU CHI BHAAJI
This time when I had been to India my mother-in-law had made “Shepu chi bhaaji” and it was really yummy. Unfortunately it was not enough for a second helping as usually leafy vegetables when cooked always reduce drastically in quantity. Dill leaves and seeds are available aplenty in Singapore these days compared to a few years back, so I thought why not make the most of it. I have always been boiling dill seeds in water and giving my kids. On Sunday, I went to the supermarket and found a dark green fresh bunch of Dill leaves and I couldn’t resist buying. Here is a simple recipe for you'll to enjoy.

Dill Leaves Sauteed / Shepuchi bhaji

Ingredients

Dill (shepu) leaves – 1 bunch

Asafetida – A pinch

Onions – 1 (optional)

Garlic - 2 cloves

Green chilies - 2

Salt as per taste

Method

De-stem the Dill leaves. Wash them well in a colander by running water through it.  Drain and chop the leaves. Peel and slit the garlic into slivers. Break the green chillies into two.

In a wok, add a teaspoon of oil, once its hot, add a pinch of asafetida, add in the garlic slivers and green chillies, add in the onions for extra flavour(if you want) sauté till the garlic is orange in color. Don’t burn it. After this add in the chopped dill leaves, salt and sauté. You will see that it shrinks in size. Saute until the water is completely gone and until you see that the dill leaves look a bit fried. Serve hot wih fulkas/chappatis, Jowar/bajra rotis. Enjoy this flavorful healthy curry (sabji).

MEDHU VADAI OR ULUNDHU VADAI (Savory Indian doughnut)

MEDHU VADAI OR ULUNDHU VADAI (Savory Indian doughnut)

The Savory Indian doughnut is what my non-Indian friends call our Medhu vadai in Singapore and I tell you they love it to the last bite.

Nothing can beat the crunch of the outside to the softness & puffiness of the inside. It’s bland but when it combines with sambhar or coconut chutney or yogurt, it turns into something else.

I have been trying to make the perfect Medhu vadais since the year 2001 when I got married and moved to Singapore but always ended up making mysore bondas (dropping the medhu vada batter into round balls instead). The taste is the same but the look is different. I wanted it to look like the ones we buy in the hotel. Until one day my friend Vidya who hails from Trichy got me some perfectly shaped doughnut like vadas, crispy on the outside and soft and well cooked on the inside. I asked her for the recipe and she told me that it is difficult to grind in the Blender (mixie) and she usually grinds for the vada batter in the wet grinder. She also told me that you should add water along the way an Urad / Udad dal should be ground into fine bouncy paste. Once I bought my little Premier Wet grinder, I decided to attempt Medhu Vadais with Vidya’s recipe. Now mind you Vidya’s mother is a fabulous cook and a perfectionist. Her mother had given her a tip of adding toor dal while soaking the Urad / Udad dal. This not only makes the vada crispy but also keeps the batter be bound together and makes it easy to make the doughnuts with the batter.

Medhu Vada

Ingredients

Skinless Black gram / Urad Dal – 2 cups

Yellow split Pea / Toor dal - 2 tablespoons

Green Chillies – 4-6 nos

Ginger – ½ inch (optional)

Onion – 1(optional)

Salt – 3/4 tsp

Asafetida (Hing or perungayam) - ½ tsp

Curry leaves – A sprig

Oil- for frying

Method

Soak the Urad dal and toor dal in water for 2-3 hours. Grind the soaked urad dal along with chillies, ginger and salt into a fine paste i.e. when you take the batter in your fingers you should not feel the grains. While grinding like I mentioned before kindly add water slowly, you can sprinkle water. Ensure that the batter doesn’t become watery. The batter should be thick and not like the dosa batter which flows down when dropped from a spoon.

Heat oil in a kadai. Dip your hands in water. Take the batter of the size of a small ball in your palm or a plantain leaf or a polythene sheet and pat it to form a circle. Dip your index finger in water and make a hole in the patted batter in the center. I prefer to do it on my palm as it is easy to maneuver the batter.

Fry the vadas in oil till golden brown on both sides.

Medhu Vadai

Different Types of Vadai

Coriander Leaves and Curry Leaves - You can add curry leaves and finely chopped coriander to the batter.

Spinach Vadai (Keerai Vadai)

You can add any green leafy vegetables like Palak keerai, Arai Keerai, Mullai Keerai, Murunga Elai(drumstick leaves),

Onion Vadai

You can add finely chopped onions,

Cabbage Vadai

You can add finely chopped cabbage,

Potato Ulundhu Vadai

You can add grated potato into the batter

You can use all or any of the permutation and combinations and still have a wholesome and nutritious snack which is very delectable.

RASAM VADA

Soak the vada in Rasam.

Soak the vada atleast for half an hour before serving. Only then the rasam will penetrate into the vada and will taste good.

While serving the Rasam vadai just garnish it with finely chopped coriander and then serve.

SAMBHAR VADA

Soak the vada in Sambhar.

The sambhar should not be very thick. Soak the vada atleast for half an hour before serving. Only then the sambhar will penetrate into the vada and will taste good.

While serving the Sambhar vadai just garnish it with finely chopped coriander and then serve.

DAHI VADA

Soak the vada in Dahi.

Kindly click on the link to follow the recipe. In my recipe replace the moong vada with the Urad vada and follow the method as per the link.

Tips

I have already given you the tip of adding Toor dal alongwith urad dal while soaking.

Here are some more tips :-

- You can add a pinch of baking soda just before making the vada, this makes the vada  

   crisp

- Add a boiled and mashed potato to the batter and mix it well. By adding boiled potato

   the vada will remain crisp and puffy for a long time

- If the batter is watery it will not freely drop into the oil. It will break half way through  

   the journey from your  hand to the oil. If it is like that don’t worry. Add some Rice   

   flour to the vada batter.

- To check if the Vada is cooked fully wash the tip     

  of a knife and pierce the vada. If no batter sticks on the knife then the vada is fully

  cooked or else it needs more cooking.

Neivedyam to the lord.