Masala Cheeyam

Chettinad region belongs to Sivaganga district in Southern part of Tamil Nadu, which include Karaikudi town and 74 other villages. The Vyasyas (now known Chettiar) are well known for trading and money lending. They migrated and settled down in Sivanganga district, which is a dry region in South, Tamil Nadu. Nagarathar or Nattukkottai chettiars(translated :people with palatial houses in the countryside) are the majority people in the region and the wealthiest among Chettiars.
Due to different opinion among Vyasyas , they splited in subdivisions (subcaste). Vyasyas are strict vegetarian but some subdivisions are not. The spoken language is tamil and Telugu (for some subcaste)
Chettinad is reputed for many things: the mansion (marble and Burma teak are mainly used through out the mansion), cotton sari ( Saris with bold color & checked pattern), temple like Pillayar patti rock cave temple and of course for their unique spicy culinary flavor.

Personally, I like the distinct flavor of the cuisine, combine with lots of fresh spices. When it comes to Chettinadu dish I always refer to Solai’s True Chettinad. One of the experienced blogger, her blog contains some rare Chettinadu dishes that we could never find in any restaurant. She started her blog to help out her newly married daughter. I can say we re blessed to have you around Aunty. I picked one of the Chettinadu tiffin items: Masala Cheeyam. She says: If you are uncomfortable making medu vadas, this one will never go wrong. You don’t need to pay any attention for the batter like for vadas , it will not suck any oil and the batter can be stored well in fridge for 2 days! It is absolutely true, the cheeyam didn't suck any oil and was very crispy from outside and soft inside! I can rename it medu vada for dummies! I picked for chutney her cilantro chutney/Khotamalli thokku.

When it comes to authentic , I don't like to change anything when I do for first time! If you want to serve only for 2 adults, halve the recipe or the dough stores well for 2 to 3 days!

Ingredients:

Raw rice: 1 cup
Parboiled rice/ idli rice: 1 tbsp
Urad dhal: 1 cup
Sabudana/Tapioca pearl: 1 tbsp
Salt:according ur taste

Soaking:
Soak all the ingredients in plenty of water for 1 hour.
Grind into smooth paste adding little by little some water (the dough should be neither thick like for vadas nor runny) Add some salt & remove in a bowl.


Seasonning for the dough

Onion: ½ cup minced
Green chillies: 4 num
Curry leaves:a sprig
Grated coconut: 2 tsbp
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Urad dhal: 1 tsp
Oil: 1 to 2 tsp

Heat a small pot with oil and add the mustard seeds and the urad dhal. When they start to splutter add the onion, green chillies and curry leaves and fry until they turn translucent. Add the coconut and fry few seconds. Add the seasoning to the dough and mix well.


To Deep fry

Oil to deep fry

Heat the oil in Kadai (or deep fryer), make a small balls from the dough and drop slowly into hot oil and fry in medium heat. When they are cooked, drain in tissue paper and serve hot with any chutney!

I served with her cilantro chutney those masala cheeyam.


Thanks Aunty once again sharing some authentic Chettinadu dishes!


Sending to RCI-Chettinadu Vegetarian Cuisine started by Lakshmi and hosted by Foodyguru