Indian Sour Fruit Pickle Varieties

This cookbook lists variations of sour fruit pickles listed below. The technique is greatly simplified, so that a first time cook can easily prepare them. These are the simplest pickles of them all. Just mix in salt, turmeric powder with sour fruits, add flavouring, mix in additives and your pickle is ready in a few days! 

0.: Chopped raw mango pickle.
1.: Lemon pickle ( Elumichai Oorugai)
2.: Large Citron Pickle (Narthangai oorugai).  
3.: Small Gooseberry Pickle ( Aru nellikai Oorgai)
4.: Baby mango pickle ( vadu manga).
5.: Avakkai Pickle
6.: Grated mango pickle ( Manga Thokku)
7.: Large Gooseberry Pickle ( Peru nellikkai oorugai)
8.: Karanda Pickle (Kilakkai Oorguai)
9.: Fusion Pickles 

Core Logic: Salt sour fruits to draw out their natural acid. Mx in spice powders. Let soak and use. 

Pickling Basics: Pickles were invented as a way to preserve vegetables without refrigeration.  Enzymes within food / Microorganisms from outside spoil food.  So, the goal of all pickling is to retard the microbial/ enzyme actions.

Pickling in an acid (vinegar / wine) arose in the west. History records that these pickles were eaten by Roman soldiers and even by Cleopatra.

An interesting preservation technique is to let the food ferment, so that lactic acid bacteria can create an acid, which acts as a preservative. This process is similar to turning milk into yogurt, but a lot slower. Such pickling by fermentation arose in the east. Benign lactic acid bacteria digest plant sugar, produce lactic acid, carbon di oxide and alcohol. These inhibit the growth of other harmful bacteria. Unlike vinegar / wine, which just preserve food, fermentation can actually enrich foodstuffs by making them more digestible, more flavourful and packed with vitamins. Kimchi, Sauerkraut and a huge variety of Japanese pickles are all fermented pickles. Yogurt, cheese, wine, bread, sausages - are all products of fermentation by lactic acid bacteria. India never learnt fermentation because the tropical temperature was too high for proper fermentation. This is why none of fermented products - leavened breads, cheese, wine or sausages are native to Indian cuisine.

Indian pickles rely on salting and use lemon juice / vinegar or natural acids of sour fruits as a preservation medium. The foodstuff is salted (even sunned and salted), mixed with antibacterial spices and covered with oil to seal the surface against the entry of other microorganisms. In sour fruit pickles, the preservative medium is the naturally acidic juice. Salting the fruit draws out the natural juices, reducing enzyme action. The sour juice acts as a natural preservative, preventing the growth of micro organisms.  Thus, these pickles easily last for months. Other fruit / vegetables, which do not have acidic juices (garlic, chilies, ginger etc) can be pickled the same way, but need to have an acid (vinegar / lemon juice) mixed in. By following a few simple rules listed below, you can easily prepare fool-proof pickles

. 1. Use fresh, unblemished sour fruits. The sourer the fruit, the stronger the acid and better the pickle.
2. Wash and completely dry fruits, bottles and spoons.
3. Never use a wet spoon or your bare hands to touch the pickle.
4. Aluminum, plastic or brass vessels react with the acid in pickles and should be avoided. Use glass / stainless steel / porcelain jars.
5. Salt always has moisture in it. So dry roast it / dry it in sun for a day before adding it to the pickle.
6. Sterilize the bottles before filling them with pickles. ( See below)
7. Fill the bottles almost to the top to reduce the amount of air sealed in.
8. Once pickles are ready, cover them with a layer of oil and refrigerate them to make them last much longer.
9. Optionally, mix in a tiny pinch of sodium benzoate, a preservative.
10. Optionally mix in half a handful of dried chickpeas / a spoon of fenugreek seeds / 4-5 garlic cloves with these pickles. These taste delicious when pickled in the sour juice.
11. If the fruits are not sour enough, mix in a spoon or two of vinegar.

The more rules you break, the less time your pickles will last. Follow all of them and your pickle will easily last for a year or more. .

South Indian Pickling powder:  Take a handful of mustard seeds, half a handful of fenugreek, two handfuls of red chilies. (Optionally add in a spoon of dhania / cumin). Dry the mixture in the sun for a day.( Or microwave for a minute at the highest setting). Let cool and grind to a powder.

 

North Indian Pickling powder Take a handful of red chilies. Add two pinches each of onion seeds ( kalonji), fenugreek, cumin, peppercorns and  four pinches of mango powder.. Let dry in the sun for a day (or microwave at the highest setting for a minute). Let cool and grind to a coarse powder.

For south Indian pickles use sesame oil and for north Indian pickles use mustard oil. If you do not like the raw oil taste, heat the oil till it smokes, let it cool and then add to the pickle.

Sterilising bottles Fill a pan with cold water. Immerse the bottles and bring water to a boil. Boil for five minutes, remove bottles and keep them inverted in the sun till they are completely dry.

You can use this technique to pickle any sour fruit from across the world.  

Tamil Keerai Kootu Varieties

Kootus are mild, thick curries built from boiled lentils and coconut. A thick kootu without boiled lentils starts resembling a poriyal and a kootu without coconut borders on becoming a dal curry. So cooking a kootu without coconut or lentils is best left to experts. A Kootu is always mildly flavoured. Too much of spices / chilies are never used. A huge variety of spinach is used in Tamil kootus, some of which are listed below  : 

0.:  Arai Keerai  kootu

1.: Mulai Keerai  kootu

2.: Thandan Keerai  kootu

3.: Ponnanganni Keerai  kootu

4.: Murungai Keerai  kootu

5.: Agathi Keerai  kootu

6.: Vendaiya kerai kootu

7.:  Palak keerai  kootu

8.: Manathakkali Keerai kootu

9.: Fusion kootu ( Bok Choy kootu, Kale kootu etc)

The base :
Kootus  are cooked with a variety of dals , though Bengal gram ( Kadalai paruppu), Tuvar dal ( Tuvaram paruppu) and Mung dal ( Pasi paruppu) are the most common. A mixture of lentils is  also used. A kootu cooked with yogurt is a Thayir kootu. The popular Aviyal is a type of thayir kootu. A sweetish pal kootu is cooked up from from milk / coconut milk. Kootus can be eaten not just with rice, but with a variety of flatbreads like chappatis and parathas. Being mild, they also serve as an excellent introduction to south Indian cuisine. A large variety of spinach go well with kootus.

The flavouring :
The blended paste of cocont, cumin and chilies are common to all kootus. . Like most Tamil curries, all kootus can be garnished with a pinch of mustard and curry leaves fried in oil. In addition a mix of fried, roast & ground  or fried and ground spices ( listed in column 2) can be used as flavouring. Ready made kootu podi can be mixed in for an extra burst of flavour.

Easy Kootu podi :

 Take ½ handful roasted urad dal,  1 spoon of roasted chana dal  and 3 red chilies. Add to a mixie and blend all to a powder. Optionally add a bit of dhania, pepper, cumin, curry leaves or sesame seeds.

 Spinach used.: 
Almost  any edible greens can be used in a kootu. A huge variety of spinach is consumed across south India and all of them can be turned into delicious kootus. It is faster to precook spinach and add it to the kootu. Spinach can be easily cooked in the following ways :

Stir frying : Heat a spoon of oil. Add two handfuls of chopped spinach.& stir fry for 3 - 5 minutes.

Boiling :Bring a liter of water to a boil. Add a spoon of salt. Add two handfuls of chopped spinach. Cook for 3-5 minutes. Pour in a colander to drain water. (Chitra rightly points out you lose nutrients here by draining the water. To minimise nutrient loss you can cook spinach in the simmering kootu itself. Would however take longer to cook.)

Microwaving : Add two handfuls of chopped spinach in a microwave safe cup. Sprinkle a bit of water. Cover loosely and cook on high for 1 -2 minutes.
Pressure cooking : Add two handfuls of chopped spinach to a pressure cooker. Add half a cup of water, Pressure cook on medium heat for 2 whistles.

Sour Fruit based South Indian Pickles 10

This cookbook lists 10 sour fruit pickles listed below. The technique is greatly simplified, so that a first time cook can easily prepare them. These are the simplest pickles of them all. Just mix in salt, turmeric powder with sour fruits and your pickle is ready in a few days! 

1.:Chopped raw mango pickle.

2.:Lemon pickle ( Elumichai Oorugai)

3.:Large Citron Pickle (Narthangai oorugai).  

4.:Baby mango pickle ( vadu manga).

5.:Small Citron pickle (Kidarangai Oorugai)

6.: Avakkai Pickle

7.: Grated mango pickle ( Manga Thokku)

8.:  Karanda Pickle (Kilakkai Oorguai)

9.: Small Gooseberry Pickle ( Aru nellikai Oorgai)

10.:Large Gooseberry Pickle ( Peru nellikkai oorugai)

Core Logic: Salt a sour fruit to draw out its juices, mix in spices.

 Pickling Basics: Pickles were invented as a way to preserve vegetables without refrigeration.  Enzymes within food / Microorganisms from outside spoil food.  So, the goal of all pickling is to retard the microbial/ enzyme actions. This is accomplished in sour fruit pickles by salting. Salt draws out the natural juices, reducing enzyme action. The sour juice acts as a natural preservative, preventing the growth of micro organisms.  Thus, these pickles easily last for months. Other fruit / vegetables, which do not have acidic juices (garlic, chilies, ginger etc) can be pickled the same way, but need to have an acid (vinegar / lemon juice) mixed in. By following a few simple rules listed below, you can easily prepare fool-proof pickles.

1. Use fresh, unblemished sour fruits. The sourer the fruit, the better the pickle.

2. Wash and completely dry fruits, bottles and spoons.
3. Never use a wet spoon or your bare hands to touch the pickle.
4. Aluminum, plastic or brass vessels react with the acid in pickles and should be avoided. Use glass / stainless steel / porcelain jars.
5. Salt always has moisture in it. So dry roast it / dry it in sun for a day before adding it to the pickle.
6. Sterilize the bottles before filling them with pickles. ( See below)
7. Fill the bottles almost to the top to reduce the amount of air sealed in.
8. Once pickles are ready, cover them with a layer of oil and refrigerate them to make them last much longer.
9. Optionally, mix in a tiny pinch of sodium benzoate, a preservative.
10. Optionally mix in half a handful of dried chickpeas / a spoon of fenugreek seeds / 4-5 garlic cloves with these pickles. These taste delicious when pickled in the sour juice.
11. If the fruits are not sour enough, mix in a spoon or two of vinegar.

 

The more rules you break, the less time your pickles will last. Follow all of them and your pickle will easily last for a year or more. .

South Indian Pickling powder:  Take a handful of mustard seeds, half a handful of fenugreek, two handfuls of red chilies. (Optionally add in a spoon of dhania / cumin). Dry the mixture in the sun for a day.( Or microwave for a minute at the highest setting). Let cool and grind to a powder.

 

North Indian Pickling powder Take a handful of red chilies. Add two pinches each of onion seeds ( kalonji), fenugreek, cumin, peppercorns and  four pinches of mango powder.. Let dry in the sun for a day (or microwave at the highest setting for a minute). Let cool and grind to a coarse powder.

For south Indian pickles use sesame oil and for north Indian pickles use mustard oil. If you do not like the raw oil taste, heat the oil till it smokes, let it cool and then add to the pickle.

Sterilising bottles Fill a pan with cold water. Immerse the bottles and bring water to a boil. Boil for five minutes, remove bottles and keep them inverted in the sun till they are completely dry.

You can use this technique to pickle any sour fruit from across the world.  

Tamil Koozhu Vadam ( Porridge based crispies)

This cookbook lists 1000 variations of porridge based vadams from 000 to 999. As with all One page cookbooks, 000 is the easiest recipe and 999 the hardest. Variations of  the following vadams are listed in this cookbook

Pacha arisi vadam

Maravalli Kilangu vadam

Godi vadam

Javvarisi vadam

Pulicha arisi vadam

Ravai vadam

Arisi vadam with javvarisi

Godi pal vadam

Ragi pal vadam

Koozhu Vadam Logic: Cook a cereal into a porridge, sun dry into various shapes. Deep fry.

Tamil cuisine discovered that a batter made from raw / fermented cereals / grain milk can be boiled into a thick porridge ( Koozhu), mixed in with flavouring, additives and sun dried into various shapes. These taste delicious when deep fried ( or microwaved). They usually accompany variety rice or  rice & curry.

Shaping Vadams: Depending on the thickness of the batter, you can shape vadams in various ways. If the batter is very thick, you can pinch off small pieces ( killu vadam). You can also extrude it into different shapes using a muruku press or cookie press. If the batter has the consistency of thick soup, you can pour a spoonful of it on a plastic sheet and spread into small rounds. For most vadams , The koozh ( porridge) should have the consistency of dosa batter. If it is too thick, mix in hot water. If it is too thin, mix in rice flour dissolved in water and cook to get the right consistency.

Thalir Vadams / Ilai Vadams : These are special kind of koozhu vadams where the batter is not boiled, but steamed and sundried. The batter needs to have a thin, spread able consistency like a thick soup.. It is spread it onto palm sized rounds on flat plates/ banana leaf ( hence the name ilai vadam or leaf vadam).  The batter is steamed in an idli cooker / steamer  for five minutes. It is then peeled  and sun dried. Special Ilai vadam moulds designed to be used in a idli cooker are available. These taste extra delicious when the batter is left to ferment for 3-4 days. They can also be cooked from batter which has been partially boiled. Depending on whether the batter is fermented/ unfermented, boiled / raw, thick/ thin, short fermented ( overnight) / long fermented (4 days) – you get different tasting thali vadams.

The base
Though raw rice followed by sago is the most common base for vadams, a variety of cereals / cereal milk / starchy tubers can be cooked into Koozhu vadam. Experiment by turning your favourite cereals / tubers  into vadams.

Flavouring
Almost anything can be used to flavour a vadam. The traditional flavourings are listed in column 2.

Additives
Traditional additives are listed in column 3. Lemon / Yogurt are usually used to lend a sour taste when the batter is not fermented. These are not cooked, but mixed in just before the batter is removed from fire. A variety of food colours are now used to make colourful vadams. Even jaggery / sugar is mixed in to make sweet vadams. Sesame lends a nice flavour, but is prone to spoilage on long storage. Feel free to experiment with your favourite additives.

Though vadams last long, they do deteriorate over time. It is advisable to use them within an year or refrigerate them for longer storage. Freezing vadams for a week after sun drying them would help improve their shelf life (as freezing kills off any insect larvae / eggs)

 Key skills :
1. Learn to make a porridge. Almost any porridge can be turned into a vadam.
2. Learn to make grain milk. Almost any grain milk can be cooked into a vadam. Experiment with rice milk, wheat milk, oat milk etc.,

Once you master these basic techniques, you can mix and match stuff to your hearts content and cook up never before cooked vadams !

No cook Vadam / Vadagam varieties ( Tamil sun dried crispies)

This cookbook lists 1000 variations of no-cook vadams from 000 to 999. As with all One page cookbooks, 000 is the easiest recipe and 999 the hardest. The variations of  the following vadams are listed in this cookbook

 

Sadham vadam

Avil Adam

Pori Vadam

Paruppu vadam

Idli vadam

Thayir avil vadam

Karamani vadam

Thenga vadam

 

Vadam Logic: Sun dry spiced lentil – processed cereal paste in various shapes. Deep fry and use

Shaping Vadams:  Depending on the thickness of the batter, you can shape vadams in various ways. If the batter is very thick, with the consistency of a chapatti dough, you can pinch off small pieces ( killu vadam) or extrude it with a muruku press ( or a cookie press) into different shapes ( long thin strips, coiled tubes like a jalebi, short, thick strips etc). If the batter has the consistency of thick soup you can pour a spoonful of it on a  plastic sheet cloth and spread into small rounds

The Base
Processed cereals ( Rice flakes, puffed rice, cooked rice, even Idlis) are mashed into a paste form the base for many vadams. Soaked and ground dals (Urad dal, cowpea, tuvar dal, chana dal ), coconut are also used as a base. These are usually mixed with chili & salt.

Flavouring
Almost anything can be used to flavouir a vadam. The traditional flavourings are listed in column 2.

Additives
Traditional additives are listed in column 3. Bone vine grows wild in countryside is a unique additive. A variety of food colours are now used to make colourful vadams. Sesame lends a nice flavour, but is prone to spoilage on long storage. Feel free to experiment with your favourite additives

Though vadams last long, they do deteriorate over time. It is advisable to use them within an year or refrigerate them for longer storage. Freezing vadams for a week after sun drying them would help improve their shelf life (as freezing kills off any insect larvae / eggs)

Thalippu Vadam   / Thalippu Vadagam or Vengaya Vadagam is the secret ingredient in divinely flavoured kulambu / kootu / poriyal / sambar. Traditional thalippu (fried seasoning) ingredients are mixed with crushed shallots , garlic and are sun cooked it for a couple of days. They are then shaped into lemon sized balls and are sun dried completely. A small bit of the ball is broken, fried in oil and used to flavour curries, imparting a deep, rich  flavour to them. Surprisingly, Castor oil, a powerful laxative is traditionally used to shape this vadagam !     As Vadouvan, it has started to gain global fame and is now used in traditional western dishes. Like all vadagams, they can be oven roasted instead of being sun dried.

Easy Tamil Vatrals ( Sun dried veggies)

This cookbook lists 10 simple vatrals ( sun dried vegetables). The logic is simple :

Vatrals : Sun dried goodies:  Sun dry raw / marinated/ blanched vegetables, deep fry and use.

Sundrying is one of the oldest ways to preserve foodstuff.  Enzymes/ other natural chemicals within food / Microorganisms from outside are the main causes of food spoilage. Sun dries out water (and enzymes). This absence of water prevents the growth of microorganisms. So food is prevented from both internal and external spoilage.  Sun drying works only when the weather is really hot. Almost any fruit / vegetable without too much water content can be sun dried.  Large pieces do not sun dry well as the water deep inside does not evaporate fast. In coastal areas, a large variety of fish/ prawns is sun dried into karuvadu . It is interesting to note that only vegetables indigenous to India are sun dried into vatrals. Introduced vegetables like beans, carrots, tomatoes, mushrooms etc are not made into vatrals. The following vatrals are listed in this cookbook :

1.       Avarakkai Vatral

2.       Kothavarangai Vatral

3.       Vepampoo vatral

4.       Kathirikai Vatral

5.       Chenai vatral

6.       Sundakkai Vatral

7.       Kovakkai Vatral

8.       Manathakkali Vatral

9.       Vendakkai Vatral

10.   Thamarai thandu vatral

11.   Pavakkai vatral

 

Using Vatrals :

1. Vatrals can act as vegetable substitutes in kulambu  & sambar. Just add them straight to the gravy and let simmer till cooked.

2. Brush vatral with oil and microwave on high for 30 seconds to a minute or deep fry them in hot oil. Use to accompany curry and rice.

3.Deep fried / microwaved vatrals can be  crumbled into a coarse powder and eaten mixed in with hot rice and ghee.  

Tips :

1.  Hot, dry, breezy days are best for vatrals.  A temperature of 85ºF or above, with humidity below 60 % is ideal for vatral making..

2. Keep vartals on a raised, perforated surface so that air can circulate all around them. Keep them covered with a cheese cloth to deter pests.
3.  An oven or a dehydrator can be used instead of sun drying.
4. After sun drying, keep vatrals for 4-5 days in the freezer to make them last longer (Freezing kills off most insects / insect eggs).
5. Though not commonly practiced in south India, tomatoes can be cut into quarters, sun dried and used in gravies / as pizza topping.
6. Sun dried vatrals still have around 5-10% moisture left. So they do deteriorate eventually. Use them within a year.
7. While sun drying, keep vatrals indoors at night or they might soak up moisture from the cool night air.

Popsicle Varieties

Popsicle : The fool proof frozen dessert

Pour a liquid in a mould, insert a stick and freeze it – how much more simpler can a recipe get? No wonder these are popular across the world as popsicles in America, Paletas in Latin America, Ice pops in Ireland, Ice lollies in UK, Icy pole in Australia, Freezies in Canada, Kuchi Ice in Tamilnadu and Kulfi in north India.

Almost any liquid can be frozen into a wide variety of popsicles. Each has a special name – the Hispanic paletas are made from frozen fruit puree, Indian kulfi is made from frozen milk, French sorbet is made from frozen juice / puree. Adult popsicles can be made from a variety of spirits / cocktails. Column 2 lists flavouring ideas and column 3 lists additives which would give pops a nice texture. Be creative – even Boiled sago, boiled vermicelli, & coconut are common in south Indian popsicles. I was surprised to find corn in a popsicle !

Making Layered Popsicles :

Add a layer of a base. Let it freeze. Add a different coloured layer. Let freeze. Repeat to have as many layers as needed.

 

Tips :

1. If the Popsicle has not set hard, you can still serve it in a cup as a slush.

2. Frozen pops keep well in the freezer.

3. Small plastic /  paper cups/ yogurt cups - even ice trays work well as popsicle moulds . Popsicle moulds are readily available and are very easy to use.

4. Immerse the mould in warm water so that the pop can be removed easily.

5. Sugarcane cut into finger length sticks, swizzle sticks, lollipop with candy, toothpicks , sturdy twigs make interesting sticks.

6. If the liquid is not thick enough, the stick will not stay upright. So freeze the liquid for 3 -4 hours and then insert sticks. Or cover the mould with foil and poke the stick through foil.

7. Pops can be made even without a refrigerator. Fill a large container half way with crushed ice, mix in salt (salt dramatically lowers the temperature of ice) and bury the popsicle moulds in ice. They should set within a couple of hours. The Indian Kulfi is traditionally made this way.

Pakodas ( Crunchy fritters from Tamilnadu )

Any edible flour can be used to coat a variety of goodies which can then be deep fried into crispy treats – The Pakodas.  South Indian Pakodas belong to the fritter family consisting of  North Indian pakoras, Japanese tempuras, American hush puppies, South Indian bajji, North Indian bhajias, South Indian bondas, Japanese kakiage, , French beignets., Italian frittas and all such crispy, deep fried recipes, which exist in virtually every cuisine. All these are nothing but goodies dipped in batter and deep fried into crunchy treats. Pakodas are unique that they use dry flour as a coating and not batter. The water content of the goodies used is enough for the flour to cling to them. Unlike other members of the fritter family, Pakodas are shapeless.

 Different cuisines prefer different flours. All of them / a combination of them can be used for pakodas. Column 1 lists some of them. A range of flavouring agents listed in column 2 can be mixed in with the flour to cook up scores of variations.  A variety of goodies listed in column 3 can be mixed with the flour and deep fried. There are no fixed rules about the goodies & flour combination. Experiment with your favourite goodies!

 Understanding the principle behind deep frying is the only way to cook a light and crispy fritter every time.

 Deep frying principle : Keep the oil clean and at the right temperature

1. Use safflower or sunflower oil which can heat up to higher temperatures.
2. Have enough oil so that it is at least twice the depth of the food you fry. Using less oil results in its temperature dropping fast when you add stuff to it is added.
3. Fry at the right temperature. Too high and you burn the batter. Too low and the batter soaks up oil and becomes greasy.
4. If the oil smokes, it is too hot. To check temperature, drop a couple of bits of batter into the oil. At the right temperature, batter sinks a bit, but bobs right up and browns within a minute. If the batter sinks, oil is not hot enough. If it dances on the surface, oil is too hot.
5. Do not overcrowd the oil. Carefully add the batter, leaving lots of space around each piece. Too much food causes oil temperature to drop and makes the food greasy.
6. Cook with fresh oil. Unless filtered and stored well, oil earlier used gives a stale flavour.
7. Cook with clean oil. After every couple of batches, filter away the particles of batter floating around.

 Safety First

1. Never fill over half the pan with oil.
2.  A smoking oil can catch fire. Reduce heat immediately.
3. To clean oil spills, sprinkle flour and wipe clean.
4. Avoid frying stuff with high water content as it splashes heavily.
5. If oil catches fire, cover the pot immediately to cut off air supply.
6. Gently slip the batter into oil. Plonking it in would cause splashes.

 The flour:
Different cuisines use different flours. Column 1 lists some of them

1.       Gram flour forms the base for most North Indian pakoras , South Indian bajjis, Bondas and Pakodas.

2.       Wheat flour is the base for Japanese Tempuras.

3.       Pearl millet flour is not very usual but can be used to get crunchy pakodas.

4.        Yellow corn meal batter is used in southern states of America to cook up Corn fritters / Hush Puppies .

5.       Finger millet flour is used to cook up Ragi pakoras popular in Tamilnadu.

6.       Rice flour is used to cook up Almojabanas. , a Puerto Rican recipe. It is also mixed in with gram flour to cook crispy pakodas.

7.       Rava (cream of wheat) is used estensively in Konkan cuisine to cook up a crunchy fritter.

8.      Any edible flour can be used to cook a pakoda. Some all purpose flour is usually mixed in so that the flour clings well.

 The flavouring :
A range of flavouring agents listed in column 2 can be mixed in with the batter to cook up scores of variations. Some fritters like the Tempura use little or no flavouring.

The goodies:
A variety of goodies listed in column 3 can be dredged in the flour and deep fried. There are no fixed rules about the goodies & flour combination. Each flour and goodie combo will have its own crunch. Experiment with your favourite goodies!

This post was inspired by Nandu’s world famous Pakodas. I’ve repeatedly bumped into people who are exceptional in cooking up one recipe – and stop at that. When you have mastered a core principle ( deep frying in this case), you can easily extend your expertise in cooking up a huge array of similar recipes – by just varying the building blocks. This is what One page cookbooks are all about. I hope we get to see a post on more world famous pakodas from Nandu. J