The CWS-June 2012 Black Gram is being hosted here. Created by the immensely talented, Priya of Priya's Versatile Recipes Just a last-minute reminder to send in all your fabulous Urad Dal recipes by tomorrow, June 30th, 2012.
This vada reminds us of the neivedyam offered to Hanuman at the ancient rock-cut temple.
This area in South Malabar/ Valluvanad is dotted with rocky hillocks cradling a famous Baghavathi temple, an ancient rock-cut passageway and cave.The Baghavathi temple is famous for its annual fire-works. This temple harks back to the Jain and Buddhist past of the region. The deities are tall and standing. Parts of inner circumambulation is uneven, unpaved and the natural rocky terrain on which the temple is situated.
It has a large paved perimeter and the Hanuman statue was located in one part: roughly formed, adorned with his rows of Vada-Mala/ Vada Garlands, he was a powerful figure. The Vada's were delicious. It had no other spicing except perhaps black pepper. We speculated that they sometimes had the flavour of Dalda or ghee.
They were always in the drop-batter shape and were brought back in big steel undavus/ vessels or steel buckets.
