Wash and soak raw rice for 3-4 hours.Grind to a smooth paste with pouring consistency( slightly on the thinner side), add salt (slightly lesser than your taste) and let it rest for 24 hrs and ferment well.Add a bit of Asafoetida powder, spoonful of Cumin seeds(jeera) Or sesame seeds (til), Green chili paste/Red Chilli flakes/Crushed pepper as per your taste and mix well.
Pour a small quantity of the batter on a small greased steel plate and spread it well. Steam it for about 50-60 seconds.
Use a spoon or a knife to lift it from one corner of the plate and then using your hands slowly remove it from the plate and spread it on a plastic sheet to dry.
Once it is completely dried you may deep fry the same and enjoy it.You may store the dried Thali vadams in an airtight container and use it whenever you need.
Additional Tips
You can make instant Thali Vadam by mixing Raw rice powder or Maida (All purpose flour) and the other ingredients as mentioned above and make a batter by adding the required quantity of water. Also squeeze in a lemon and mix well. Follow the same process after that.
Make sure to mix the batter everytime before pouring it on to the plates.
Make sure the vadams are not very thick as it will not be crispy. You may adjust the consistency of the batter at any point in time by adding more water or Rice powder.
By Sundari Balasubramanian
Simple home cooking 