Odiyam is actually a sun-dried wafer which is deep fried in oil and eaten as a side-dish or appetizer. This pachi(raw) odiyam which is the stage before sun-drying is a very tasty, succulent (instead of the crispy dried one) accompaniment for rice.

In the summer, when people prepare huge quantities of odiyam batter for drying, they reserve a small portion for that day’s lunch menu. The batter is flattened like vada (or the odiyam) and deep fried in oil right away. The spicy, mouthwatering delights are served hot as rice accompaniment. They are very special.

This is prepared once in a while as pachi odiyam itself with a piece of ash gourd for variation in the lunch menu. Unlike for the dry ones the gourd need not be selected carefully to be in the right maturity, form etc. Anything will do afaik 🧐

Ingredients:

• Ash gourd – 2 cups cubed (after draining)
• Whole urad dal – 1 cup
• Red chillies – 10 or 12
• Hing – a small piece or 1/2 tsp
• Onion – 1 medium, diced
• Green chillies 4 chopped
• Salt
• Water

Method:

1. Wash and soak whole urad dal (or split one with skin) for 2.5 hours along with red chillies.
2. Cube the ash gourd and add a tsp salt, mix and keep.
3. In a mixie first add the soaked chillies and grind it roughly. Drain the dal and add to the chillies and grind it adding little water as you would for vada.
4. Beat the batter lightly for a few minutes to aerate.
5. Soak the piece of hing in little warm water and add the dissolved mixture to the batter along with required salt. Hing is very important in this recipe giving it a strong flavor. It also aids digestion.
6. Squeeze the ash gourd pieces tightly to remove the water and add them to urad batter.
7. Add onion pieces and chopped green chillies and mix well.
8. Heat oil in a kadai and make vadas with this batter.
9. You can also spread it like adai on a tawa and spread oil around it and cook on both sides.
10. These are usually eaten with hot rice and a drop of ghee, with mukkala pulusu combination.

Note:

• Urad dal can be difficult to digest for some people due to its high fiber and protein content, which can lead to gas, bloating, and indigestion. Hing helps with digestion and relieves gas.
• Pachi as well as dry va/odiyams are made to taste very spicy. Dry ones after drying in the sun lose some of their spiciness but the ash gourd pieces absorb the spice and once fried they give a sharp spicy shock when they are bitten.
• In pachi odiyam people (probably MIL style) add onion. But dry vadiyam is without onion or green chillies.