NAGPUR STYLE SAMDAR VADI / PUDACHI VADI

The authentic Nagpur style SAMBAR VADI / PUDACHI VADI is a widely popular street food. This is similar to spring roll with stuffing of coriander. Coriander is a popular Asian and Mediterranean herb which is widely used in savory dishes in almost all part of world. Coriander is known to have disease preventing and health promoting properties. In Marathi "Coriander" is known as "Sambar" and so the name originated. The other name for it is Pudachi Vadi and here as the name signifies “Pud” means folding like a pocket and “Vadi” means cubes or slice or wedges. This is a perfect evening snack and loved by all ages. You can make the coriander stuffing ahead of time, if you are planning to make it and store it in an airtight container in refrigerator.
      Here is a special savoury dish from Kitchens of Maharashtra. Crunchy and aromatic with the zesty flavour of coriander and ginger-garlic. These vadis are sure to tickle your taste buds and spark your appetite…!!! My husband is a big fan of this recipe. It is ideally served as a side dish for a meal, but can be served as a starter or enjoyed as a evening snack with a cup of tea. It can be enjoyed with sweet and green chutneys and tastes heavenly on a chilly and rainy afternoon!!!!

INGREDIENTS:
For Outer Covering:
2 Cup Besan Flour / Gram Flour
2 tablespoon Arrowroot Powder / Corn Flour
1 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
1/2 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
¼ teaspoon Asafoetida
Salt as needed
2 tablespoon Oil for Moyan
For Stuffing:       
2 Cups chopped Coriander
2 tablespoon desiccated Coconut
1 tablespoon Ginger-Garlic Paste
2 teaspoon Khus Khus/ Poppy Seeds
1 tablespoon roasted Peanuts-Sesame Seeds Powder
1 ½ teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
¼ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds Powder
1 teaspoon Coriander Powder
½ teaspoon Amchur Powder
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon Sugar
1 teaspoon Lemon Juice [optional]
1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
¼ teaspoon Asafoetida /Hing
10-15 Charoli / Chironji
8-10 Raisins /Kishmish
1 tablespoon Oil
For Paste:
1 teaspoon Kala Masala
1 teaspoon Amchur Powder
Pinch of Salt
1 tablespoon Water
Other Ingredients:
Oil for deep frying
METHOD:
Preparation:
STEP 1 - Clean and wash the coriander leaves under running tap water.

STEP 2 - Then put it on colander and drain all the excess water from it.

STEP 3 - Spread it on the kitchen towel and let it dry completely.[see notes]

STEP 4 - When the coriander is completely dry,

chop it very fine and keep aside for further use.

For Making Stuffing:
STEP 1 – Heat a pan with oil and lets crackle cumin seeds and then add asafoetida in it.

STEP 2 – Then add ginger-garlic paste and sauté well for few seconds.

STEP 3 – Add turmeric powder, cumin seed powder, coriander powder, salt and khus khus, charoli and raisins and mix well and roast it for a minute.

STEP 4 – Now add grated coconut and mix well.

STEP 5 – Next add chopped coriander in it and mix it very well. Cook it well by stirring it well.
STEP 6 – Add peanut-sesame powder and lastly sugar in it. Mix it well and cook for a minute.

STEP 7 – Your stuffing is ready. Remove the mixture in a plate and let it cool down to room temperature.

For making the outer cover:
STEP 1 – In a mixing bowl or plate, sieve besan flour and arrowroot powder and mix it very well.

STEP 2 – Then add turmeric powder, salt, asafoetida and 1 teaspoon oil and mix it really well.

STEP 3 – Add water and 

make a stiff dough with it.

STEP 4 – Finally, add the remaining oil and knead the dough and make it soft.

STEP 5 – Cover it and keep it aside for 5 minutes.
Preparing Paste:
STEP 1 – Add all ingredients in a small bowl, add water and mix it well. Reserve it for further use.

To assemble Pudachi Vadi:
STEP 1 – Pinch out small balls of ping pong balls size. Dust a rolling borad with little corn flour and start rolling.

STEP 2 – The disc should be in oval/ elongated shape and should not be very thick or thin. [see notes]

STEP 3 – Spread out a spoonful of the paste evenly over the disc.

STEP 4 – Put 1 tablespoon coriander stuffing over it in the middle as shown in the picture below.

STEP 5 – Starting from one side tightly roll over the stuffing. First flip both the sides [lengthwise] over each other and close tightly. Then flip the remaining sides as shown in the picture below.

STEP 6 – Make sure the sides are closed on all sides. Prepare all the sambar vadis and keep aisde.

STEP 7 – Heat oil in a wide kadai on medium flame.
STEP 8 – When oil is hot, slide one or two vadi in oil and deep fry them until crispy. Flip it once or twice to get a nice golden colour.

STEP 9 – Remove and keep them on kitchen towel or tissue paper to drain excess oil. Serve them hot.

Serve sambar vadi with any chutney of your choice like spicy coriander-mint chutney / sandwich chutney / tomato ketchup and a cutting chai.

NOTES:* Dry the coriander leaves completely before using for making the stuffing otherwise you will not get the crunchy texture.
             *You can roll the disc in circular shape. I made it oval in shape to make it easy to close the sides.