Andhra Kobbari Garelu | Rice Flour & Coconut Vada | Tengai Vada
This is the recipe for a traditional snack from Andhra Pradesh called Kobbari Garelu. Made with rice flour and grated coconut, these deep-fried beauties are crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Rice Flour (~ 100 gms)
- 1/2 Cup Grated Coconut (~ 60 gms)
- 6 to 8 Green Chillies
- 1 tbsp Cumin Seeds
- 1/2 Cup Boiling Water
- Salt to Taste
- Oil for Deep Frying
Instructions
The Prep
- Boil 1/2 cup water and let it simmer on the stove.
- Pound the green chillies and cumin together to get a coarse paste.
Making the Dough
- To a large bowl, mix the rice flour, green chilly-cumin paste, grated coconut, and salt.
- Gradually add the hot water and use a spoon to make a firm dough.
- Wait for a couple of minutes for the dough to cool a bit.
- Grease your palms and quickly knead the hot dough into a smooth ball. If the dough is too soft, add some rice flour.
- Cover and set aside for 10 minutes.
Making the Kobbari Garelu
- Divide the dough into 8 equal parts and roll each part into a ball.
- Grease a plastic sheet with a few drops of oil.
- Place a portion of the dough on the sheet, and flatten it into a 4" circle.
- Use your index finger to make a small hole in the centre.
- Over medium flame, heat enough oil to fry the Kobbari Garelu. Use enough oil so that the vada does not stick to the bottom of the kadai.
- Drop a tiny ball of dough into the hot oil. If the ball sinks to the bottom and then slowly rises to the top where it sizzles and fries, the oil is at the right temperature.
- Slide one vada at a time into the hot oil and fry till the edges turn light brown.
- Flip and fry till both sides are a pale golden brown.
- Remove the vada from the oil and drain the excess oil.
- Serve hot with Avakai or Dahi.
Notes
- The heat of the oil should be right to get a crisp vada. If the oil is not hot, the vada will absorb oil. If the oil is too hot, the vada will fry quickly and become golden brown.
- Let the garelu fry slowly so that the exterior crisps up