01
Ganatha Vadam
Rare
Ganatha – dense, set texture, sun-dried preparation, usually fried before eating
Fermented rice batter with til and chilli powder, spread thin on vadam plates, steamed, dried and fried till crisp.
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AMMAMMA'S NOTES.
Raw rice
3 cups
Normal rice
1/2 cup
Sesame seeds
1 spoon
Chilli powder
1 spoon
Salt
1 spoon
Asafetida
1/4 spoon
01
Wash and soak both rice varieties for around four hours. Grind them to a fine paste.
02
Transfer to a vessel, add salt, chilli powder, and asafetida, then leave it overnight to ferment.
03
Add the sesame seeds and mix well. The batter should be neither too watery nor too thick.
04
Oil the vadam plates lightly and spread the batter as you would for dosa.
05
Steam each batch in the cooker for around five minutes without a weight.
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MY FAVOURITE MEMORY OF GANATHA VADAM IS FIGHTING WITH MAITHU OVER ONE EXTRA PIECE. AMMAMMA WOULD START MAKING THEM TWO HOURS BEFORE WE GOT BACK FROM SCHOOL, SO TWO FULL PATRAMS WOULD BE WAITING BY THE TIME WE ARRIVED. (SO WE DIDN'T ACCUSE HER OF ANYTHING, AND HAD AN EQUAL SHARE). WE'D FINISH EVERYTHING IN UNDER HALF AN HOUR, EACH GUARDING OUR PORTIONS LIKE OUR LIFE DEPENDED ON IT.
YAMINI VENKATESAN
WHAT'S FOR LUNCH, 2026