A mix of Muslim and Hindu cooking, this vadai represents unity

When Jay, my nephew and his finacee Amelia decided to come here from abroad and get married in a resort in south India, they chose to observe all the customs and traditions of an Indian wedding. The four-day saga had its share of drama, fun and celebration. I suppose the whole wedding scene in India is like a Bollywood movie. A leading choreographer was hired to teach us some jhatkas and matkas as everyone wanted to perform on stage. The mehendi ceremony, arrival of the baraat and mapillai azhaippu was testimony to the union of different wedding cultures.

 

Not just that, the food too represented how diverse India is. The evergreen idli and delicious samosa, which occupies a place in most homes in India, along with chaat and momo counters had us confused about what to eat. It took us a while to walk around all the counters and I wondered how I was going to try all these dishes. The desserts were placed in the center of the buffet. Tiramisu and badam halwa seemed to get on well and so did the fresh fruit soufflé and Danish pastries, which blended with the rasmalais and sharkara varatti.

This stupendous experience had us all so exhausted and our stomachs were begging for rest after eating all sorts of dishes right from bisi bele bath to pasta and what not. Among all the food, however, an item stood out and was the most delicious. The humble mutton kheema vadai from South India with its name changed to a fancy Anglcised one, definitely made me want to read more about its royal lineage that I was little aware of.

Mutton kheema vadai was the brilliant creation of a chef who worked with the prince of Yercaud 200 years ago. The influence of the Muslim kheema dish and the famous vadai dish of Hindustan gave birth to this hybrid vadai — the fusion reminded me of my nephew’s wedding! It was a pleasant surprise to see this kheema vadai at his wedding reception.

  

Mutton (erachi) vadai is a simple to make and it was a lip-smacking snack and all-time favourite during the British Raj too. It finds favor in a few wedding receptions these days but more so at the local food cart wallah’s on the beach. It sells out so quickly especially on full moon nights.

100 gm minced mutton

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 handful coriander leaves, chopped

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp black gram flour (sattu)

A pinch of powdered asafoetida

1 tsp salt or to taste

1/2 tbsp garlic paste

1/2 tsp ginger paste

2 tbsp Bengal gram flour (besan)

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

2 chopped green chillies

1/4 cup shallots, peeled and chopped 

1 cup sunflower oil or groundnut oil

1 handful curry leaves

1/2 cup water

Prep Time: 50 m

Cooking time: 45 min 

Calories per serve: 290 cal