Vadiyalu are sun dried crisps, sundried lentil balls or patties made with either lentils, vegetables or rice. Name of the vadiyam (singular) starts with the ingredient used, followed by the word vadiyam.
Today I have vadiyalu made with saggubiyyam/sago/tapioca pearl. Saggubiyyam is cooked with plenty of water until soft and seasoned to taste. Saggubiyyam are starch pearls and when cooked, the liquid becomes starchy and thickens. A teaspoon of this thick liquid is dropped onto a plastic sheet to make a vadiyam. Vadiyalu are sun dried for at least 2-3 days to a week. Once the vadiyalu are very dry and hard, are stored in airtight container for up to a year.
These sun dried vadiyalu or crips are deep fried before eating. These saggubiyyam vadiyalu are served with rice as an accompaniment or can be eaten as a snack anytime of the day. I warn you, these are very addictive.
I made these vadiyalu as part of my Journey Through Telangana Cuisine for letter W. I had to twist the letter and do W for wadiyalu as I could not come up with any other regional food that starts with W.
Below is a collage of saggubiyyam vadiyalu preparation. Of all the vadiyalu I made, I had a tough time with these vadiyalu. I don't have a balcony and just one cup of saggubiyyam yields 7 - 8 cups of porridge or vadiyalu broth when cooked. I used two large sized cookie sheets, one medium sized sheet, 2 pizza plates, and couple of other plates to fit all the vadiyalu. With so many sheets and plates, I was chasing sun and running around the apartment with these plates to put them where there was sun. If it were just 2 - 3 plates, I could have put them in the windows that got most of the sunshine. The good thing was, saggubiyyam vadiyalu were dry by the end of first day and from second day onwards, I could put all the vadiyalu in 2 large cookie sheets.
Total Time: 50 - 60 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 - 35 minutes
Cooling Time: 10 - 15 minutes
Shaping Vadiyalu: 10 - 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 cup Saggubiyyam ~ Sago ~ Sabudana ~ Tapioca Pearls
- 7-8 cups Water
- 1 - 1 ½ tsp. Salt (adjust to taste)
- 1 tsp. Cumin Seeds ~ Jeera
- 1 ½ tbsp. Sesame Seeds
Preparation:
- Bring 7 cups of water to boil.
- Wash saggubiyyam and soak until water in the previous step comes to boil.
- Add saggubiyyam and cook on high flame for about 15 minutes. Keep stirring every 3-5 minutes.
- Reduce the flame to medium - medium high flame and cook for another 10-15 minutes until saggubiyyam is clear and transparent. At this point you may notice that 10-20% of the saggubiyyam is semi transparent and that is fine. While the saggubiyyam porridge or mixture cools, uncooked saggubiyyam will get cooked completely in that heat.
- Add cumin, sesame seeds, salt and cook for another few minutes. Check for consistency. It should be watery and flowing in consistency. Also mind you the mixture will thicken as it cools. If the mixture is thick, add some water and dilute it.
- Remove from fire and let it cool for 10 - 15 minutes.
- Place a plastic cover in sun. I cut open ziploc bags and placed on cookie sheets.
- Take some saggubiyyam porridge in a small bowl that is easy to hold, perhaps a cereal bowl and keep the remaining porridge covered until needed. This porridge thickens as it cools as always keep it covered from this point of time.
- With a teaspoon, pour a teaspoon of saggubiyyam mixture/porridge on the plastic cover. Repeat the same keeping a little distance. Consistency should be thin and the mixture should spread by itself. If it is thick, put it back on stove, add some water and bring it to a boil. Again, always keep porridge or mixture covered.
- Put the cookie sheets in sun. I put in my window as I don’t have a balcony. Let the vadiyalu dry for at least 2-3 days to up to a week. At the end of first day or early second day, flip the vadiyalu. If the vadiyalu are semi dry, vadiyalu will easily peel off from plastic when picked.
- I do not have a balcony or terrace to dry vadiyalu under direct sun. I lined a baking tray with ziploc bag and placed my vadiyalu on it. Then put the tray in the window where I get plenty of sunlight from 11 am to sunset.
- Once completely dry, store in an airtight container.
To Fry Vadiyalu:
- Heat oil in a pan for deep frying.
- Once the oil is hot, drop few vadiyalu in oil.
- Fry the vadiyalu on medium - medium high flame. Once fried, remove from oil, drain on paper towel.
- Serve with any Indian meal or as a snack.
This day in 2014: Kosoi Bwtwi from Tripura
This day in 2015: Cheese and Herb Scones
This day in 2016: Wadiyalu and Tamata Atukula Vadiyalu ~ Tomato Poha Vadi
sapana behl says
Wow I love the sago vadi and you have made them at home in winters.Kudos to your efforts.
srividhya says
One of my favorite. Tried this in US last summer when Amma was here. Need to try it this year too..
Srivalli says
Awesome usha..I love these ones...so wonderful that you made it at your home, I thought you prepared this when you came down to India...