To make up for my absence, I am jumping right back in with a scrumptious recipe.

"But what happened to you?" you might still be inclined to ask.

Well, there is always work of course, but this time I got a sudden big load on my shoulders with a significant deadline attached, so that ate up some time and energy. Then there is family and home life in general; we have each of us (except my husband) taken turns to be laid low with this nasty cold that is going around. Then of course there is my role as conference organizer for a volunteer organization (what was I thinking?!), with its continuous demands. But by far the most significant thing that kept me from posting has been stacks of homework and preparation for the final exams for the coursework for my masters.

That is now behind me, and so I can breathe again. In the meantime, a couple of my friends have just had babies, with several more soon to come between January and April, so I have taken up knitting again. I've just completed one little cardigan (I promise I'll put up pictures) and am about a third of the way through another little sweater; right now I am all excited about wools and patterns - i.e. when I am not totally shocked by the cost of yarn!

But to get to the recipe: this is a really easy and protein-rich version of a masala vada-type snack. Note, I said "type" - this is not the real thing, but it is delicious and easy.

The basics: grind soaked chana dhal along with onion, green chillies and spices. Make a flavorful tempering and mix this with the batter along with chopped onion, chillies and cilantro. Fry, drain and serve.

See, how much easier can it get?

I take a tablespoonful of the batter and smooth the top, then slide it into the oil. This means the batter can be a little thinner than for traditional masala vada, and you don't have to stand and shape each one by hand.

Note: After you have fried the first vada, taste it before you fry any more, and check for salt and spice. At this time you can add salt and chilli powder or other spices to the batter if required.
A neat trick is to put the additional salt and/or spices in a little bowl/katori and take a little oil and mix them up. Then stir it into the batter; this way the spices will evenly disperse throughout without clumping.