Faradi/ Farali Chevda

Chevda makes a delicious and satisfying snack!

Farali or faradi means without grains, and this is a typical Gujarati dish to make on fasting days like Ekadasi when grains/ beans are prohibited. Since this time of year for practitioners of Bhakti Yogi (Gaudiya Vaisnavas) includes some special days when Ekadasi rules are observed we thought it might be useful to post this. For your information, the days coming up soon are the Appearance of Lord Nityananda, Sivaratri and Gaura Purnima-  dates vary from country to country so please check here if you want to celebrate them.

My husband made this; it's his recipe, which he developed as a result of years of eating the house chevda from various takeaways in Birmingham.  He has made this 5-10kg at a time on occasion. Having watched him do it, I can vouch for the fact that as long as you follow these instructions and tips it's a fairly simple process. Prepping time can be greatly reduced by using a food processor to grate the potatoes.The quantities in this recipe made enough chevda for 6 of us to munch on over a couple of meals. You don't need much at a time because it is deep fried after all, and quite a rich food. (And we all know how "naughty" deep fried food is, don't we?) I'm not sure how long it would keep, as every time we make a jar full it disappears after a couple of days!

500g grated potato

150g peanuts

150g almonds

150g sultanas (make sure they are not coated in a grain-based oil)

seasalt and black pepper to taste

oil for deep frying- we use organic sunflower oil- you could also use peanut oil. (If you are making this dish for Ekadasi, be careful not to use an oil which is grain-based, such as corn or rice bran oil.)

• Soak the grated potato in cold water for an hour, then drain in a sieve, squeeze out any excess moisture and pat dry with a paper towel. This part is really important to get rid of excess starch because otherwise, when you fry them, the potato shreds will all stick together.
• Briefly deep fry the peanuts and almonds, taking care not to burn them.
• Deep fry the potatoes, a small amount at a time. Ensure the oil is hot (but not smoking), at about the same temperature as you'd have it for frying chips/ French fries. By cooking them in small batches, the temperature of the oil will be maintained and they will come out nice and crisp and not too oily. too many in the pan at once will cause the oil temperature to drop.
• Scoop out the potatoes once they are cooked and put them in a fine-meshed sieve (lined with kitchen paper if you like) to drain and cool.
• Mix with the nuts and sultanas and season to taste.
• Store in an airtight container; a glass jar with a screw-on lid is ideal.