Festivals are the time when families get together and have lots of fun, and food which is always the integral part. Being in abroad we miss the actual spirit of festivals. Even though there are different communities celebrating our festivals, nothing comes to close celebrating with family. Diwali falls on 19th of October this year. I'm trying my hand on different snacks and sweets and will share my successful experiments here.
Today I'm sharing a easy and really quick snack recipe - omapodi. Omapodi is nothing but plain sev made with chickpea flour (besan), rice flour and carom seeds, alias omam in Tamil and ajwain in Hindi. Carom seeds have a slightly bitter taste, so do not use more than the quantity mentioned. The dough is pretty easy and since it is squeezed so thin it does no take much time to cook. You can have it as such or use them for chaat recipes. Off to the recipe now.
OMAPODI RECIPE
{ Deep fried snack with chickpea flour, rice flour and carom seeds }Ingredients:
1 cup besan / chickpea flour
2 tbsp rice flour
1 tsp ajwain / omam / carom seeds
1 tsp red chilly powder
1/4 tsp asafoetida / hing
1 tbsp butter, softened
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying
Method:
1. Powder the carom seeds and soak in 2 tbsp warm water. Set aside for 10 minutes. Using a coffee strainer, filter the water.
2. In a large bowl, add besan, rice flour, red chilly powder, asafoetida, salt and mix well. Add the butter, ajwain water and mix with hands to incorporate the butter.
3. Add water little by little to form a soft non-sticky dough. Keep the dough covered with wet cloth to avoid drying.
4. Heat oil for deep frying. To check if the oil has reached right temperature, drop a small piece of dough into the oil. If the dough sinks and then comes to the top, it means the dough is ready.
5. Take the sev press and put the disc with small holes. Fill it with 3/4 of the dough. Turn the heat to low and press into the hot oil making circles starting from the outer side.
6. Flip and cook both sides. Once the bubbles cease, remove and drain on a paper towel. Repeat for remaining dough.
7. Once the sev has cooled, break them and store in an airtight container.
Notes and Tips
- The carom seeds will be slightly coarse when grinding, which is fine.