Malvani Kakdi Vade

I follow regularly a Gujarati cook show that comes on an Indian television channel and most of the time, the show features traditional and creative recipes by renowned chefs. The show has caught my fancy with it's interesting recipes. This kakdi / cucumber vade were a part of that show and they looked so appetizing that I had to try them. These were a hit, particularly with my husband and they reminded us something similar to what we had in temples in India. This takes the first place among the savories I cooked for this marathon, according to my husband.

The chef mentioned that these are a part of festivities among the Malvani community, including weddings. Malvani cuisine belongs to the Konkan region of Maharashtra, Goa and some parts of Karnataka. Konkan region is basically a part of the western coastline of India. These vades are usually served with a non-veg curry but I think the chef had prepared a yogurt based side dish to go with it. They don't need any side dish if you ask me. Traditionally the rice, chana dal and urad dal are toasted and powdered in specific proportions. I had all the flours ready and so I just combined them in the proportions mentioned. And did I mention how good they were?

Ingredients: (Yield 8)
1/2 cup rice flour
1/4 cup chickpea flour / besan
1/4 cup urad dal flour
Salt to taste
A pinch of asafoetida
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp green chili paste
2 tbsp. minced cilantro
1/2 cup grated cucumber
1 tbsp. hot oil
Oil to fry (I used canola oil.)

Method:
* Mix everything in bowl (except the oil to fry) to make a stiff dough. There is no need to add water since the moisture from the cucumber would be enough.
* Divide the dough into 8 portions, roll them and keep them aside. Grease a plastic sheet and pat one dough ball into a slightly thick disc. 
* Meanwhile, heat oil in a kadai / deep frying pan. The oil is ready if a small piece of dough is dropped into the oil, it sizzles and comes to the surface.
* Gently peel the disc from the plastic sheet and slide it into the hot oil. Fit as many discs as the pan can hold. 
* Fry on low flame, flipping in between until they turn golden brown. Remove them with a slotted spoon and drain on absorbent towels. Fry the remaining discs
* Serve them warm.

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