Milagu Vadai / Pepper Vadai (Anjaneyar Vadai)

Milagu vadai is a thin deep-fried disc prepared from coarsely ground whole black gram and lots of cracked black pepper. It is a common religious offering to the Hindu God, Hanuman (also known as Anjaneyar). Ever since I was three years old, I have had a special fascination and reverence towards this particular Hindu God. So, this vadai is a special favorite. I love its simple taste, and the feeling of peace, quite, and hope it evokes.

This is a very simple and easy preparation that takes no time at all to make.

Ingredients (makes 15-16 vadais):

1. 1 cup whole skinned, black gram / ulundu
2. 1 tablespoon black peppercorn
3. 1 tablespoon rice flour
4. 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon water
5. 1 teaspoon ghee / clarified butter
6. 1 teaspoon salt
7. 2-3 cups vegetable oil for deep frying

Preparation:

1. Grind the black gram and peppercorns to a coarse texture - like that of coarse rava/semolina or cornmeal.
2. Mix the ground mixture with salt and rice flour. Slowly add water to this and mix until you can form firm and tight balls that you can press thin. I needed 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon of water. (Please be careful with adding water; a little too much will make it hard to shape and transfer the vadai to the hot oil)
3. Add ghee and gently mix in. 
4. Heat oil for deep frying. Smear a drop of oil on a plastic sheet. Take a small ball of the prepared mix and place it on the greased plastic sheet. Cover this with another plastic sheet and press the ball thin with the bottom of a mug or glass. Gently remove the top sheet, make a small hole in the middle of the pressed disc, gently remove it from the sheet and drop into the hot oil. 
5. Make sure the vadai cooks inside by heating the oil at medium to low-medium (if the oil overheats) and fry the vadai on both sides until golden brown.
6. Remove and drain on paper towels. Grease the plastic sheet every time the vadai is pressed and repeat frying. 

Store the vadai in an air-tight container and have it within a day or two of preparation.