Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Vaazhai poo vadai .

Mostly I love to write about my mom, food and culture as the anecdote for every post. But for a change I am eager to occasionally include a few thoughts on dinning , hosting and food related thoughts.
OK... I know many are thinking...What is the relationship between a plantain flower vadai and dining etiquette? Nothing , but it can be served as good starter dish in a dinner. That's it :)

Some basic definitions:

Formal dining : A properly planned dinner arranged in a theme , hosted by someone. Food cooked and served by trained professionals. Guests attend it with proper invitation and suggestions (adults only / kids only / dress code etc.,).
Informal dining (Any culture):A dinner hosted for family and friends. The hostess prepares and serves food with a little voluntary help from guests. The host can ask for specific food allergies while inviting the guest.


Table etiquette (Formal and Informal dining):


First lets see the well known basic Do 's' and Don't 's'.

1.Do stay in your seat till the dinner is over. Use the restroom before sitting down.
Sit according to the waiter's directions (if any).

2.Sit straight on the chair , with both feet on the floor. Don't clutch your legs around the table leg or stretch your legs wide. Keep arms on lap while waiting.

3.Don't lean backwards by tilting and playing with the chair. Don't play with spoon or vessels.

4.Wait for the food to be served.

5.Try a little bit of everything on your plate unless you have a severe allergy. You can avoid a serving by a 'No , thanks' and not a long story on why you hate it. You can choose and have the food in a buffet. But don't discuss your aversion on a served dish. This will definitely hurt the hostess if she has prepared it.

6.Take small but required portion at a time . Don't over crowd your plate.

7.Talk with people on either side of you. Don't shout across the table.

8. Do not eat too fast or too slow while everyone is waiting to get up.

9.Ask for things to be passed with a please, thanks etc. Meanwhile do not reach in front of someone.

10.Do not pick up the dropped silverware, food or napkins.
(to be contd....)

Look forward for more tips in the upcoming posts.
Hope you all like it.

Vaazhai poo vadai / plantain flower vadai :
Recipe source: My Gandhi chithi , she did this for us and taught my mom this recipe, when she visited us.
Vaazhai poo vadai is one of the most favorite tea time snack for many of us. It has a pleasant earthy flavor induced by the plantain flower . The toughest part is to clean the flowers before using. You can click here to see how to clean the banana flowers .

Ingredients:
Channa dhal /kadalai paruppu /Bengal gram - 1 cup
Chopped banana flower - 2 cups
salt - to taste
ginger - 1 inch
onion (chopped) - 1/2 cup
curry leaves- 1 sprig
fennel seed - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
cooking oil-250 ml. (for deep frying)

Preparation:
Clean the banana flower and chop it coarsely.
Soak the dhal for 1 hour in water.
Take out a handful of soaked dhal and keep aside.(This gives a wonderful crispy texture to the vadai.)
Grind the dhal with salt , ginger and fennel seed without water.
Add the left over dhal,coarse dhal mixture,chopped onions,chopped banana flower and curry leaves and mix well .
Heat oil in a deep frying pan.
Take a small ball of the mixture (in the size of a lemon), slightly flatten in the palm of your hand then place in the hot oil .
Deep fry on both sides to a golden brown color to mild red color.
Remove the vadai , drain oil by placing over a tissue paper.

Serving suggestions:

Makes 15 big size 'vaalai poo' vadai.
Serve hot with Coconut chutney or Tomato ketchup.

26 comments:

Yasmeen said...

Yummy vadai!Good points about table manners,I'm glad to be reminded :D

chakhlere said...

Hey that's a nice write up!!
Vadai looks yummy!!

kittymatti said...

wow!! looks soooo good! awesome entry

Suparna said...

hi viki,
Tha's an important topic :)for a post! Plantain flower vadiai though had heard about it have'nt prepared it myself :) Thanks viki
TC

Sushma Mallya said...

looks very crispy viki...never tried anything with banana flower yet...must try this soon

Raks said...

I always make vadais if i buy banana flower,but for past few month am not buying ...Should buy soon :)
Vadas look perfectly done!

ARUNA said...

nice write-up Viki and the vada looks yummy!!!!

Gita Jaishankar said...

Awesome post dear....very informatiave...the vadais tempt a lot...I never get vazahipoos here...I miss this yummy vadai :)

Mangala Bhat said...

Hey Vadai looks soo cruchy and yummy ..Very informative post ..Thanks for sharing dear .These kind of post helps a lot Thanks da :)

Usha said...

vazhai poo vadais looks crunchy and inviting !

lubnakarim06 said...

I think it is good to remember ourself this things....very nice post....vada looks yummy...

Home Cooked Oriya Food said...

yummy vadai... Awesome...
Haha - good to be reminded about the table manners...

Home Cooked Oriya Food said...

Viki - also I love your writeups... I usually read them with lot of interest... They are witty or informative or both!
Good job - keep it going...

Doloncookbook said...

I loved your post topic .... & the vadai looks yummy ... Started feeling hungry dear ...

Hari Chandana P said...

looks spicy and tempting.. nice presentation.. :)

Anonymous said...

yummy Vada

Anu said...

Looks delicious........ Yummy Vadai !!!
Awesome entry.......

Solai Chidambaram said...

Viki.Great blog you have dear.Many items I love.Bookmarked.Will try some and will write my experience.Keep rocking.Nice collection

Unknown said...

Yummy and crunchy vadai Viki..I love anything made with vazhaipoo...

Rina said...

Hi Viki, I have never tried this at home...though got ot taste only once in chennai...I know it is very tasty if I want to eat it in this part of the world, we have to make it our own. You inspire me ot try it now.

lissie said...

Vada recipe seems quite easy...I will try this sometime. nice write up...delicious looking Vadas!

Lissie
http://saltandspice.org/

Unknown said...

Do you get vaazhaipoo here?And great info!

dsdsds said...

Those vadais look so yummy.. i want to make them again..

Faiza Ali said...

The Vadai looks so crispy. And yeah..nice write up about etiquette for dining :)

Parita said...

Thats very helpful write up but I am not very sure if i'll be able to eat my food with all those do's and dont's :) but its very imp when one is have a client luncheon or dinner..vadai looks sooo crispy!

Pari Vasisht said...

Hi My first time here and your vadai looks really crispy. Liked ur write up but seriously I will anyday prefer anything informal.Do dig into my space sometime and leave me a note.

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