MONSOON MUNCHES-KOLAVADAI/KODUBALE-SAVOURY FLOUR RINGS

MONSOON MUNCHES

KOLAVADAI / KODUBALE

My mother -in-law loved to prepare savoury snacks, and Kolavadai ( known as Kodubale in Kannada ) was one of her specialties. The Kolavadai/Kodubale she prepared using a few ingredients could never be stored, as all of us polished them off even before she could finish frying the entire lot! It is a joy to munch Kolavadai/kodubale in between sips of hot coffee or tea especially on rainy days.

Kolavadai/Kodubale can be prepared using rice flour or ragi (finger millet) flour. Both can be prepared by following the same recipe.

INGREDIENTS
Rice flour/ Ragi flour - 1 ' pav' or 1 glass ( which can hold 250 ml of liquid)
Freshly grated coconut - 4 heaped tbsps
Green chillies - 4
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Butter or ghee - 3 tsps
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
oil - for frying

Method 1. Grind coconut gratings,green chillies, salt and asafoetida to a smooth paste adding water if required.
2. Take the flour of your choice in a bowl and mix in the ground paste and cumin seeds, and rub in the ghee or butter.
3. Now add water little at a time and knead to form a smooth, pliable but stiff dough.
4. Take a ball of dough and roll it on a board with your palm and shape it like a rod. ( Just like how children roll the modelling clay to make snakes.)
5. Bend one end of the 'rod' and join it to the other end, overlapping the ends slightly, making a 'kolam' (circle) or ' bale' ( Bangle).
The kolavadais can be prepared in any convenient size- finger ring, bangle or medium size.
6. Heat oil in a kadai on low fire and wait till the oil starts giving out an aroma. This indicates that the oil is hot enough. You can test it by dropping a pinch of dough in the oil . If it rises immediately, the oil is ready for frying.
7. Slide 6 Kolavadais/ Kodubales ( or more if the kadai is big enough) into the hot oil and do not disturb for a while.When the frothing and hissing decrease, and when the kolavadais/kodubales are stable enough, turn them with the perforated ladle.
8. Cook till the kolavadais/Kodubales start floating and the bubbles subside.
9. Remove when the rice kolavadais/kodubales acquire a golden hue and drain on a paper towel.
10. Roll and keep the second batch ready while the first batch is cooking and start frying as soon as the previous batch is taken out of the oil.


Allow the Kolavadais/Kodubales to cool and then store in an air tight container which will be surely emptied in no time!