Spinach Fritters/Keerai Vadai

Summer suddenly fell into Fall and the air has turned crispy. Plump red berries adorn the sidewalk coloring the landscape in the brightest of hues…..

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……while the temps have taken a nose drive this weekend. Dark clouds hang low and it’s raining on & off over the weekend……

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……..all setting the mood for some Fall cooking….and it’s only beginning !

The baby spinach packets I had bought were still fresh in the refrigerator, an idea was forming in my head even as I looked at them. Rainy days & fritters/vada’s/vadai (singular) was always a hit combo back home, wanting to recreate the same magic across the oceans, I set about soaking the chana dhal/split chick peas in water.While it was soaking for an hour or two, I got the other ingredients ready and managed to watch a movie on Netflix too. Make the best of what you are given, if the rains keep you indoors, find a way to keep yourself happy doing things you love indoors, I said to myself as I chopped the spinach leaves & onions. Soon enough the dhal was soft enough to be ground into a coarse paste ( not exactly fine, coz that would mean it would absorb more oil, so NO! to that one) & before I knew it, the piping hot Vadas were ready on a rainy afternoon, good to go for an evening snack.

Keerai Vadai  is a deep fried snack prepared with a combination of Bengal Gram Dhal & Spinach.These fritters are made with Spinach, Onions, Ginger and Green Chillies. Similar to Paruppu/Masal Vadai with the addition of Spinach . It is a perfect evening teatime or rainy day snack.

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Spinach Fritters/Keerai Vadai

Spinach Fritters/Keerai Vadai

Recipe by Maya Shetty
Course: FOOD, INGREDIENTS, SNACKS, SPINACH
0 from 0 votes
Servings

servings
Prep time

minutes
Cooking time

minutes
Calories

kcal
Total time

minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup 1 Chana Dhal/Split Peas ( soaked in water for an hour or two)

  • 1 1 Onion chopped finely

  • 2 2 Green Chillies chopped finely

  • 2 sprigs 2 Curry leaves

  • 1 tsp 1 Ginger chopped finely

  • 1 tsp 1 Fennel Seeds / Sombu / Saunf

  • A pinch Asafoetida / Hing

  • Salt to taste

  • 2 cups 2 Spinach chopped finely

  • Oil for deep frying

Directions

  • Soak chana dhal for 1 to 2 hours. Drain completely and grind into coarse mix.Set aside.
  • Mix the finely sliced onions, spinach, green chillies, ginger into the coarse paste with a little salt, asafoetida & fennel seeds.
  • Take small ball sized mix & flatten them & fry them in hot oil, till they turn crispy & golden .
  • Drain the fried vada’s on a kitchen towel, so the oil is absorbed, before you serve it.
  • Serve hot with spicy chutneys or tomato ketchup.Simply stated it is a “Norukku Theeni” a Tamil ( South Indian Language) word for a food you know is not necessarily healthy, not necessarily essential, yet one you cannot do without, coz there are happy memories linked to it ! 🙂 😀

Enjoy your rainy day snack with a hot cup of coffee, warmth will fill your being & the cold weather outside won’t matter anymore!

The links to my previously published Spinach recipes are attached below for your interest.

No Comments

  1. Oh yum Maya….that looks and sounds so delicious!

  2. Wowww looks super yummy !