Carrot-Beetroot Kola/Vegetarian Kola Urundai

Ingredients :

• 2 carrots,2 potatoes,1 beetroot,medium sized
• 3 garlic pods
• 1 inch ginger cube
• 1 tbsp roasted split chickpeas(pottu kadalai)
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp fennel seeds
• 1/4 tsp garam masala powder
• 1/4 bread crumbs
• salt
• oil for frying

Procedure :

1.Clean and chop all the vegetables into big chunks and pressure cook them with 1/4 cup of water for 2 whistles.

2.Drain all the water from the cooked vegetables completely and set it aside.

3.Separate the cooked beetroots and add ginger,garlic,split chickpeas,fennel seeds along with the beetroot into a blender and run it for a couple of minutes, until the beetroot is smashed and mixed well with the rest of the ingredients.

4.Add this beetroot mixture to the boiled carrots and potatoes.Then add chili powder,garam masala and salt.

5.Using your hands,mash the potatoes and carrots and mix everything together,until most of the chunks are gone.

6.Now add half of the bread crumbs to the mixture and mix well.If the mixture is still a little soggy,or,its hard to roll into a ball,add the rest of the bread crumbs.You can always test one, before adding some more breadcrumbs.

7.Heat oil in a kadai.Roll the carrot-beetroot mixture into a ball .First fry one kola into the oil and check if it holds its shape and taste comes out good.

8.Then you can start frying 5 or 6 kolas in the oil.Once the bubbling goes down significantly,you can see a crust formed on the outside.

9.Remove from the oil and serve hot as a side dish for rice or as an evening snacks.

Trivia :

1. Make sure you completely drain off all the liquid, to avoid the sogginess.Breadcrumbs can be added,more than the measure said above, but too much bread crumbs tend to alter the taste and texture significantly.So let it be your last call to save the dish.
2. You can roll the balls ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.Fry them and serve them hot for best taste.
3. Natural sugars in beetroot and carrots, gives a rather darker color when frying. Don't be alarmed.
4. Keep the heat uniform,(at a medium flame) at all times.All the veggies are already cooked,so no need to be in the oil for a long time,its only to get the raw smell out and for the crunch.