Yam Balls (Write For Us Contest Entry - 40)

Are you bored of trying the regular Bajji's and Vada's for snacks? Try these yummy Yam Balls for a perfect evening snack with hot tea or coffee. Lots of dishes can be prepared using Yam. I learnt this recipe from my mom and this is one of my favorite snack. And interestingly she used to prepare a flavorful dish using the leftovers balls. This can be served as an evening snack or as a starter. I had seen many people avoiding this vegetable because of the irritation/itchy feeling in hands(while cleaning) and tongue(while eating), so I would like to share a few tips to avoid this.
1. To avoid the itchy sensation while cleaning the skin of yam, just apply oil in your hands before chopping.
2. Adding tamarind juice in cooking along with yam can also reduces the itchiness.
3. In this recipe, yam is boiled before frying to reduce the itchiness while eating.
Try these delicious balls and enjoy your evening snack.

Ingredients:

• Yam - 500 grams(finely chopped)
• Onions - 3(finely chopped)
• Dry Red Chillies - 7
• Garlic pods - 15
• Ginger - 1 inch(chopped)
• Coconut - half cup(grated)
• Toor dal - 2 tablespoons
• Chana dal - 2 tablespoons
• Roasted Bengal gram - 2 tablespoons
• Khus-Khus - 1 teaspoon
• Saunf - 1 teaspoon
• Salt - As per taste
• Curry leaves - Handful(chopped)
• Oil - For frying

Preparation:

Add the chopped yam pieces in a boiling water and cook for 3-4 minutes. Drain the water and keep aside.

Dry roast the toor dal and chana dal.

Add the roasted dals and the remaining ingredients except yam and curry leaves in a mixie and grind coarsely. Now at this stage, add the cooked yam pieces and grind to a fine paste.

Add the chopped curry leaves and mix well.

Make small balls and deep fry them in a medium flame.

Once fried, remove from oil and drain the excess oil using kitchen towel. Serve hot.

Serving Options:

Serve these hot Yam balls with Tomato Sauce.

Contributed By: Priya Satheesh