Koozh Vadam Recipe | Koozh Vathal Recipe

Koozh Vadam is a crunchy and tasty South Indian style fryums made with rice batter. It is sun dried and stored, then fried whenever needed. It is a popular traditional side dish that is usually had along with sambar, rasam or even curd rice. Kids love it as a snack too because it is so light and crispy.

The recipe is made by cooking rice batter along with sago and spices, spreading thin on cloth or plastic sheet, drying under hot sun for few days and then deep frying. The result is a crisp and airy vadam that almost melts in mouth. It is very simple once you get the method right, and storing them makes it easy to serve anytime with meals.

About Koozh Vadam

Koozh Vadam is one of the oldest style vadams prepared in South Indian homes during summer time. Families make them in big batches and store for months to use as a side dish. The main base is rice and sago which makes the texture light and crunchy after frying. The taste is very mild with little spice from green chillies and nice aroma from jeera.

Traditionally these vadams are dried under the scorching summer sun which makes them perfect crispy. If the drying is not done properly then the vadams turn chewy instead of crunchy. That is why many households prepare it in peak summer days. The batter thickens on cooling, so timing and stirring also matters to get good shaped vadams.

The texture is very light and crisp, it does not feel oily when fried properly. Jeera gives the typical flavor and the rice base makes it puff up nicely in oil. Kids usually enjoy munching them as snack, while for elders it is more of a side dish with meals. It is also a nice option on days when there is less vegetables at home.

I tried making these in small batch as it was my first attempt, and it came out quite good. It dried in two days because the sun was strong, and the vadams fried really well. It is quite satisfying to make homemade vadams and stock them in airtight jar for later use.

Koozh Vadam Ingredients

• Raw rice – I have used regular raw rice, soak and grind to make the base batter. It gives the body and crispness for the vadam. You can use any raw rice you have.
• Sago – Adding sago makes the vadam extra light and gives small bubble like texture. You can use nylon sago or regular, both works.
• Water – Water is used to cook the rice batter and bring it to right consistency. You can adjust a little depending on rice type.
• Green chillies – Ground green chillies gives the mild spice kick in the vadam. You can reduce or increase as per your liking.
• Jeera – Jeera adds nice aroma and tiny bites when you eat fried vadam, also helps in digestion.
• Roasted jeera powder – This gives extra flavor and makes the vadam more aromatic. If not available you can skip.

Why This Recipe Works

• This recipe is a traditional one that uses very simple pantry ingredients.
• It is a crunchy and light snack that goes well as side dish or even as evening bite.
• You can make in big batch during summer and store for months, it stays good.
• The combination of rice and sago gives perfect airy crispness after frying.
• It is a recipe that brings back homely feel and is fun to make together in family.

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How to make Koozh Vadam Step by Step

1.Measure the ingredients and keep it ready. Soak it at least for 4 hours. Mix both and rinse it well and drain water. Add it to mixer along with green chili.

2.Grind it to a smooth paste, you will see full sago here and there that is ok. Heat water in a pan.

3.When it starts to boil add the rice mixture. Keep the flame in low, stir with a whisk to avoid lumps. Keep stirring, it will start to thicken.

4.Cook till it comes together. When it starts to turn slightly transparent and thick add salt, jeera and roasted jeera powder, cook for few more mins until its thick. Switch off.

5.Let it cool down. Then take a star press, fill the press with dough and start pressing.

6.Do this till the entire mixture finishes. Press it horizontally, don’t worry if it doesn’t come as continuous lines, anyways we are going to break it later. Dry it in hot sun till there is no moisture. When it starts to turn crisp at the edges start peeling and turn to other side. Once the other side is also dried, transfer to a wide tray and let it dry. Let it dry like this in daylight at least for 3 days. I dried it for 3 days.

7.Then  store in a clean container and use it as and when needed. Heat oil in a kadai. Heat oil in a kadai. Fry till it puffs up completely and is slightly golden in color.

Serve it with any variety rice of your choice or have it as such

Expert Tips

• Cooking batter – Keep the flame low when cooking rice batter, keep stirring else lumps will form. I usually stand near and keep mixing.
• Drying – Sun drying is very important, I have dried for 2 full days and it turned crispy. If the sun is less, dry for more days.
• Testing – Always test fry 1 vadam before storing. If it is chewy, it means not dried enough. Keep it back for more drying.
• Oil heat – Oil should be really hot. I drop one vadam to test, if it raises immediately then the oil is ready.
• Storing – Store in clean airtight jar after vadams are fully dry and fried ones are cooled. This keeps them fresh longer.

Serving and Storage

Serve Koozh Vadam with curd rice, sambar rice or rasam rice. It also goes well as crunchy snack with tea time. Store the sun dried vadams in airtight jar and fry whenever needed. Once fried, you can keep in box and finish same day for best crisp taste.

FAQS

1.Can I skip sago?

Yes, you can skip sago but the texture will be little dense compared to the light version.

2.How many days should I dry vadam?

It depends on sunlight, usually 2-3 days in strong sun is enough.

3.Can I dry vadam inside home?

Not really, it needs good hot sun to dry properly, else it will turn chewy.

4.Why my vadams are chewy after frying?

It means they are not dried fully. Keep drying for one more day.

5.How long can I store vadam?

Sun dried vadams stays good in airtight jar for many months, fry only in small batch as needed.

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