CHINNA VENGAYA VADAKKAL
My mother is not very fond of onions.But she has never denied us the pleasure of savouring onions in the various delicious dishes she specially cooked for us.Vengaya vadakkal (Onion fry) is her speciality and on the days she prepared this dish none of us even glanced at sambar or rasam. We gorged on the onion fry with steaming hot rice for lunch and dinner.We ate it with any 'tiffin' during tea time.We even used it as a spread on the bread and tucked it in greedily.
Since onion shrinks drastically after cooking mother had to chop a mound of onions, intermittently sniffing away the stream of 'tears', to make a large quantity of fry that was required to satiate the needs of our huge family.She cut the big onions lengthwise,into thin slivers and cooked it with spice and salt,and finally gathered it into a whole flavoursome mass.
I have used the same method here to prepare the 'chinna vengaya vadakkal'.
INGREDIENTS
Baby onions/shallots - 500 gms
Chilly powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 pinch
Salt - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - a few
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 2 tbsps
METHOD
1. Peel,wash and drain the onions.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds.
3. When the mustard splutters add curry leaves and then the onions.
4. Add chilly powder,coriander powder,cumin powder,turmeric powder and salt.(I used my home made spice powder).
5. Mix well with a spatula, cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes on low fire.
6. Remove lid and stir the fry so that the spices get evenly distributed.
7. Sprinkle little water if necessary and cover and cook again till the onions are cooked.
8. When the onions start looking glassy remove lid and keep frying till the oil sepatates.
Enjoy the chinna vengaya vadakkal as a main dish with hot rice or as a side dish with your favourite meal.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds.
3. When the mustard splutters add curry leaves and then the onions.
4. Add chilly powder,coriander powder,cumin powder,turmeric powder and salt.(I used my home made spice powder).
5. Mix well with a spatula, cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes on low fire.
6. Remove lid and stir the fry so that the spices get evenly distributed.
7. Sprinkle little water if necessary and cover and cook again till the onions are cooked.
8. When the onions start looking glassy remove lid and keep frying till the oil sepatates.
Enjoy the chinna vengaya vadakkal as a main dish with hot rice or as a side dish with your favourite meal.
