Ilai Vadam

Ilai Vadam!! Ilai means leaf and Vadam means the dry papad like item, which u have to fry in hot oil,
But in our house, we make ilai vadam to eat like a snack...
it is hard work but, the end result is just amazing...

To make 40 to 50 ilai vadams, it will take 3 hrs (more or less).. if you want, you can resist eating them and let them dry and then deep fry them and enjoy them..

You need
Idli Rice ---- 1 Cup
Salt---- as needed
Ajwain (Omam in Tamil) - 1/4th teaspoon
Water --- as needed

---->Soak the Idli rice for 3 to 4 hours
----> Grind to a smooth fine paste and let ferment for 2 days
---->On the third day, you can smell the dough and it will smell a little sour
---->At this point, you add the salt and ajwain to it and add enough water so that when you try to pour some on a plate, it doesnt run too much ....
--->Assemble your steaming equipment, i have used a kadai, a ring, and three stainless steel plates with oil on them, you will also need a lid
---->alternatively you can use a ilai vadam steamer, if you are lucky to have one.... (I have heard my great grandma used to own one and it could do about 15 vadams in one take... )--
---> Add some water to the kadai and keep on a medium high flame, and let it come to a boil
---->now start pouring one ladleful dough on the oiled plate and place the plate on it
---> in about 45 seconds it should have cooked and you should be able to roll it out of the plate easily
--->now repeat the process agian and again and again (you get the point)
--->The dough should be in a good consistency (not very watery and not very thick)

Some of the ilai vadam posts i liked are this and this!!!


My sister, cousins and myself enjoy this sooooo much... and just thinking of the days when i would come back from school and find a stack of ilai vadams waiting for me on the table, makes me so happy...... must have taken my mom hours to do that....