Kona vadai -Gobi Patti's special recipe

When Chegodis were to be made for last month's Indian Cooking Challenge, I looked for pictures that would help me make them. I landed in Sailu's blogpost. They looked familiar and I thought they were kodubale, the famous Karnataka snack. The recipe was quite different. Pondering on kodubale, I wanted to post my maternal grand mother's version. I think she just mixed up the name a bit....coining the kona vadai. The recipe is certainly unique though. My mother claims it was between Gobi Patti and the lady who comes over to help while big time cooking needs to be done, that this snack evolved. I simply love these and am sure all of you might enjoy this variation.

A very fond memory related to this snack goes thus. My cousin in Chennai desired me to make this for her when she was near term pregnant. We had just celebrated her Valaikappu and Seemantham. So there was enough time, I thought. On a weekend with Niki rolling them out with me, I made and packed a box for her. I took them to my aunt and we virtually put her on the transport to go and deliver this. My cousin was delivered of her son that very night two weeks before term :) Ten years on, I still recall fondly this whenever I roll the rings out.

As children growing up in India in the 70s, we went to our grandparents every holiday. The Gobichettipalayam house will be bustling with activity during vacations. If vengaya sambhar was to be cooked all children were bade to peel shallots. If konavadai or uppu cheedais were made we were to roll them. We have been given a small quantity of murukku maavu and a patch on the white dhothi to try making kai murukkus...though they never got to be fried.

Now to the recipe;

Ingredients:

2 cups rice flour ( though freshly pounded will be optimum, store bought works fine too)

1 cup semolina

1 cup all purpose flour (maida)

1/2 of a big coconut (scrape, or use dessicated coconut)

2" piece of ginger

6 pieces green chillis (adjust according to spice requirement)

Salt

2 table spoons hot oil/ 2 level tablespoons butter

Oil for deep frying

Method of preparation:

Seive the flours and semolina together.

Grind to a fine paste the chillis, ginger, coconut and salt.

Add the paste, fat (oil or butter) to the flour mix. Mix well to make pliable dough adding very little water only if required.

The semolina and the all purpose flour will give the dough elasticity. Pinch small balls and roll in thin ropes. Bring together the ends of the ropes and seal.

Take a small portion of the dough at a time. Keep the rest covered. Exposure to air will dry the dough and the rings may crack.

Heat oil and when oil has reached optimum heat, drop the prepared rings in and deep fry them until crisp and brown.

Roll out the entire dough and deep fry in small batches.

Enjoy the crisp kona vadais. They will make an excellent evening snack or during travel.