Corn Vadas / MokkaJonna Vadalu

I had so many corn recipes in mind for the third day of BM that I kept contemplating on what to cook until the last moment. However an occasion at home yesterday called for these super yummy vadas. Your's truly, you know who turned an year older yesterday. :) Back home, it was an unwritten rule that my dear mother had to cook bisibelebhath and masala vadas on my birthdays. Surprisingly, I never craved for sweet dishes on my birthdays though I had / still have a big sweet tooth. Keeping up the tradition, I cooked BBB yesterday and was looking for an alternative to vadas as I had not thought of soaking chanadal.

The first thing that came to mind were these corn vadas, suggested by one of my aunts during my last India visit. She had reiterated that they really taste good and I need to give them a try. Her recipe didn't include besan but I had to add it for binding since my batter was little on the watery side. These fritters taste similar to masala vadas and if you are going to use frozen corn and a food processor like me, the batter is a breeze. It takes only a couple of minutes,  literally to prepare the batter. A great recipe when you have impromptu guests or in a mood for a quick, savory snack.  

Ingredients: (Yield 12 vadas)

2 cups corn kernels (I used frozen corn.)

2 green chillies (I used Serrano peppers. Adjust if using other variety.)

A handful of cilantro leaves

Salt to taste

1/2 cup besan / chickpea flour

1 onion - finely chopped

Oil to fry

 

Method:

* Place the corn kernels in a bowl with 1-2 tbsp of water and boil in microwave for a minute. Drain the water.

* Add the corn, chilies, cilantro and salt to a food processor or a blender and grind them to a coarse paste without adding water. Transfer the ground paste to a bowl.

* Add besan and onion to the bowl and mix well. 

* Heat oil in a small frying pan / kadai.

* Take a small portion of the batter (about 1.5 tbsp. size) onto your left palm, slightly pat it and gently drop it into the hot oil. Repeat the step with the remaining batter. Drop as many patties as the pan could hold without overcrowding.

* Fry them on low flame, turning them around once or twice in between until they are cooked through and turn brownish.

* Remove them with a slotted spoon and serve warm. 

 

This is going to be a part of BM #35 under the theme of "Cooking with Corn". Check what other marathoners are cooking here.

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