Javvarisi Kool Vadam

Ingredients

• Sago – 1 cup
• Water – 5 cups, plus a little more if required
• Green chillies – 4 to 5
• Cumin – 1 tsp
• Asafoetida – ¼ tsp
• Lemon juice – 1 to 1½ tbsp
• Salt – slightly less than normal seasoning, as drying concentrates it
• Oil – only for frying the fully dried vadam

Method

1. Choose a run of hot, dry days. Wash the sago and soak in plenty of water for about 2 hours, or longer if your variety is firm. A soaked pearl should be soft through the centre when pressed.
2. Grind the green chillies with a little water. Bring 5 cups water to a boil in a heavy pan, add cumin and the drained sago, then reduce to medium heat.
3. Cook for about 8 to 12 minutes, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom. The pearls should be soft and the liquid should thicken to a pourable porridge. Judge doneness by pressing a pearl, not only by colour.
4. Add chilli paste, asafoetida and salt. Cook 1 to 2 minutes more. The mixture should form a disc when spooned but still drop easily; it thickens further as it cools.
5. Switch off, cool until warm and mix in lemon juice. Keep the salt slightly lower than for a fresh dish because the flavour concentrates during drying.
6. Spoon equal portions onto clean food-safe sheets and spread into even discs—not thick in the centre or paper-thin at the edges.
7. Dry in strong direct sun. Once the tops are firm, peel and turn them so the underside dries. Bring them indoors before evening humidity and return them to the sun next morning.
8. Continue about 3 to 4 days, or until every piece is hard and brittle with no cool, flexible or damp centre. A fully dried test piece should puff and become crisp when fried; under-dried vadam may stay chewy or stick to the teeth.
9. Cool the fully dried vadam before storing airtight. Fry only as required in properly hot oil and drain immediately.