As light as air; as crunchy as potato chips but still as healthy as any other food with complete love and attention from kids for its special taste are these ash gourd fryums.  Making of this budida gummadikaya vadiyalu is an art not all can excel.  If the batter poured is too much then the vadiyalu turns rock hard and the crunch heard is like one or two tooth cracking.  But when it is in the right proportion and dried perfectly, then it melts in your mouth.  You can get the right version quickly with just one click from Sitara Foods and Pickles by making an order online.

We can prepare curries, pulusu and also deep fry and consume it with sambar rice, curd rice, tomato rice, puliyogare, lemon rice etc.  The use of this vadiyalu is multiple.  When you run short of vegetables, you need   not run to the market.  So easily you can make a curry with this gummadikaya vadiyalu at home.  Or you can make a pulusu too for those who like the watery version of it.

The feel of being native

       In India, when we ask someone, our first question is which is your native?  Say you meet a new person who is your friend’s friend or your relative’s friend or anyone at work place or new neighbors; whoever it may be, this is a must question.  But this concept seems to be quite confusing to Non-Indians.  Whereas for us, it is the major part of our life that we are living – “Going to Native Place”.   Some people will be waiting for that day to come and spend the remaining time wherever they stay for career or work purposes.  No one is an exception to this principle.

At the same time, when we go to our native, we don’t forget to always carry a load full of our childhood favorite food.  Anything that reminds us of our roots is there in our return bags packed with love, care and affection from our mother or grandmother or mother-in-law.  Our sentiments and pride that is associated with these places will never change wherever we migrate.

If you take an Andhraite, he would never fail to carry pootharekulu, kommulu, minapa vadiyalu, gummadikaya vadiyalu, nalla karam podi and other favorites for their family too.  If you take a Tamilian, he carries pickles, sambar powder, chili powder, vathal and vadakam etc.

How we make our Gummadikaya Vadiyalu?

The most interesting of native preparations which is brought to you with the exact taste that makes you nostalgic is available readily to buy online from Sitara and enjoy together with your family.  A simple method of preparation which we use for the making of this wonderful gummadikaya vadiyalu is explained here for you.

It is a traditional sun-dried fritter and we ensure that you get the well dried ones so that the shelf life is longer.  Ash gourds that we use are sourced from the local farmers and hence they add an extraordinary taste to the dishes made using them.

Preparation:

We clean and grate the ash gourd, then squeeze out the excess water and keep the moisture less ash gourd aside.  Now, we have soaked a little proportionate urad dhal which is grinded along with green chilies, salt and turmeric.  After grinding, we mix the ash gourd pieces and this grinded mixture; then, we make vadiyalus with 1 spoon of batter spread out on a muslin cloth or polythene sheet and dry them in sun for 2 to 3 days.  While drying extra care is taken to spread the vadiyalus widely and also turn it out and dry on both the sides well.  Hence, the taste is inequitable to any other vadiyalus that you purchase.

The proportion in which ash gourd squeezed and urad dhal mix is the place where the secret lies to make the gummadikaya vadiyalus special and crispy.  Ash gourd is only know as gummadi kaya in telugu and hence the name for this fryums.  Once you have tasted these fryums, you will keep aside all other vathal, vadagam or fryums that you like before.  This gummadi kaya vadiyalu only would rob your heart as it is so crispy and so enjoyable when had for lunch with your regular meals.

How to use Gummadi kaya vadiyalu?

Gummadi kaya vadiyalu can be used in many ways while you cook.  Most of them know only one version and that is deep frying and using it as vadagam.  But if you are innovative, there are innumerable uses for the same.  A few for your use below:

·      After Deep Frying.

Once you deep fry the vadiyalus, it has many versions of usage either as whole or broken into small pieces.  Moreover, our vadiyalus are as light as air and are the best for such snack-ups.

** You can eat it with any rice during meals.

** You can crush it and use as a garnish for your salads.

** It can be used to prepare bhel puri at home with some puffed rice, grated carrot, beetroot and other vegetables of your choice with some onion and tomato as per your preference.

** You can sprinkle it on biriyani or tomato rice and mix it before serving which gives the crispiness to the food and enhance its taste.

·      Gummadikaya vadiyalu curry

What is called as vatha kulambu is very famous in southern side of India.  These vadiyalus can be used along with other vathals or vadakams or even separately to make this delicious curry.

Cut 10 to 15 small onions and garlic pods in fine pieces and 2 tomatoes also in the same size along with it.  Sauté all this and add the gummadikaya vadiyalu along with it and sauté well till all these items turn golden brown.  Now, add a 1 tea spoon of Sitara Sambar Powder, Sitara Turmeric Powder and Sitara Red Chili Powder and sauté well.  Now, when the oil starts separating from the mixture at this point add some Sitara tamarind paste and water along with it.  Make the curry as thick as possible and it taste excellent with roti, chapathi, parota, naan, rice, dosa and idly too.

·      Gummadikaya Vadiyalu Pulusu / Gummadikaya Vadiyalu Stew

More than making this pulusu with fresh ash gourds, this vadiyalu pulusu tastes excellent.  When it is served with hot steamed rice, it is a double dhamaka!  If you are not convinced with the taste aspect also, think when you return back home after a long journey or tired after your tedious office hours, when you have no stock of vegetables at home, just pick some vadiyalus from your shelf and make an easy pulusu with some steamed rice, fryums, papad and a little curd with pickle is a delicious dinner, isn’t it?

Making of pulusu is very easy.  Just sauté little jeera with curry leaves, onion, green chilies and add red chili powder and salt to the necessary quantity.  Now add diluted tamarind paste.  Add the fried gummadi kaya vadiyalu to your pulusu before you switch off the stove.  That’s it! Your wonderful pulusu is ready!  This is a simple yet palatable stew to rob the taste buds of all members in your family if you know to add the right proportion of chili powder, salt and tamarind paste.

The aroma of the stew can be enhanced with some coriander leaves or mint leaves of your choice.  When you fall sick with any kind of fever or flu, this is the best tasting food for your tongue at that time.  Just give it a try and it is sure to impress you the most even better than a full course wedding meal.