SHAHI RASOI: KOOZH VADAAM

Koozh Vadaam can be made both with green chilies and red chilies. Both ways are shared below.

Koozh Vadaam with green chili

Ingredients:

Method:

In a mixing bowl, add 2 cup of rice and ½ cup of sago. Wash it twice and soak it in enough water overnight.

Next day early morning:

Blend 3-4 green chili and salt into a paste with 2 tbsp water. Strain the juice in a bowl and keep aside. Also squeeze juice from the lemon to a different bowl and keep aside.
Blend the soaked rice and sago into a smooth paste.
In a large deep pan, add 2 cups of water and bring it to a boil. When it boils, add the green chili paste and rice-sago paste.
Lower the heat to simmer and continue cooking the rice paste while stirring continuously. The continuous stirring will ensure that no lumps are formed and the dough doesn’t stick to the pan.
Cook until the dough is fully cooked and thickened. To check whether the dough is cooked, wet your palms in cold water and lightly touch the dough. If the dough doesn’t stick then its is cooked. If dough sticks continue cooking for few more seconds.
Remove from heat and transfer the dough to a plate or wide bowl. Let it cool for few mins and mix in the lemon juice.
The koozh vadaam dough with green chili is ready.

Koozh Vadaam with red chili

Ingredients:

Method:

In a mixing bowl, add 2 cup of rice and ½ cup of sago. Wash it twice and soak it in enough water overnight.

Next day early morning:

Blend 2-3 dry red chili with soaked rice and sago into a smooth paste.
In a large deep pan, add 2 cups of water and bring it to a boil. When it boils, salt and asafetida. Mix well and add the ground rice-chili paste.
Lower the heat to simmer and continue cooking the rice paste while stirring continuously. The continuous stirring will ensure that no lumps are formed and the dough doesn’t stick to the pan.
Cook until the dough is fully cooked and thickened. To check whether the dough is cooked, wet your palms in cold water and lightly touch the dough. If the dough doesn’t stick then its is cooked. If dough sticks continue cooking for few more seconds. (The dough will look like the earlier pic except with orange color due the addition of red chili.)
Remove from heat and transfer the dough to a plate or wide bowl. Let it cool for few mins and the koozh vadaam dough with red chili is ready.

Sun drying the vadaam:

Spread a clean white cloth or plastic sheet in balcony. Also choose the plate of your choice:

While the dough is warm, take a handful of dough and fill the idiyappam press. Squeeze straight lines if using ribbon pakoda plate or star shape plate.
If using idiyappam plate, squeeze the dough to form a circle and lightly overlap so as to close the ends. Then continue making circles similarly. Don’t overlap with too much dough as it will take more time to dry.
Continue the process until the entire dough is finished.
To avoid birds pecking the vadaam or to avoid any dust falling on vadaam, they can be covered using a thin shawl if needed.

Let it dry under hot sun in day time and dry inside the house during night. You will be able to peel from the cloth/ plastic sheet by evening (if the sun was very hot) or by next morning.
After peeling, let the semi-dry part face up. Continue drying for 3-4 days until the vadaams are dry and crispy.

Koozh vadaam with green chili in idiyappam plate

Koozh vadaam with green chili in ribbon pakoda plate

Koozh vadaam with red chili in star shape plate

Test frying the vadaam:

Heat oil in a kadai and try frying 1 or 2 vadaams. If the fried vadaams turn crisp and fluff up in size, then the vadaams are completely dried. If the fried vadaams are chewy, then the vadaams need to sun dry for another 2-3 days.
Store the sun-dried vadaams in an air-tight container and never let any moisture into the storage container.
Fry them as and when needed in hot oil. The vadaams should always be deep fried in hot oil.
Drain the vadaams from the oil onto kitchen tissue to remove excess oil.
Enjoy as an evening snack or serve with rice.

SHAHI RASOI