I should admit that this is one of the most popular snacks of South India. There is no doubt about it. It can be had with the breakfast or as a snack. It could be made into a Sambar Vada when it is dunked in Sambar or Thayir Vada (Curd Vada) when dunked in yogurt. It is also known as South Indian doughnut. Though it has very few ingredients, I had found it tricky sometimes as there are various factors to be taken care of while making the batter. Hence, reading all the steps carefully before trying to make the Vada is very important. Please let me know how your attempt went on.
Ingredients:
| Whole Urud Dal (soaked and drained) | 2 cups |
| Onion | 1 medium |
| Ginger | 2 tbsp |
| Chopped Green chillies | 2 tbsp |
| Chopped Curry leaves | 1 tbsp |
| Asafoetida | 1/2 tsp |
| Oil to deep fry | as needed |
| Salt | to taste |
1. Soak the Urud Dal for about one and a half hours. Drain it completely.
2. Grind the Urud Dal preferably in a wet grinder with very little water. Keep in mind not to add more water or all the water at once as it is going to make the Vada batter watery and you cannot shape the Vada properly.
3. The batter needs to be fluffy but not watery. I am repeating this because this is a crucial step.
4. After the batter is ground, remove it in a bowl and beat the batter with your hand to promote aeration. This step is extremely important if you are using a blender / mixer instead of a wet grinder.
5. Add green chillies, ginger, finely chopped onions, curry leaves, asafoetida and salt. Mix the batter thoroughly.
6. In a Kadai or a deep pan, heat the oil for frying. The oil has to be really hot.
7. With your palm, shape the Vadas like a doughnut (with a hole at the centre) and drop them into the hot oil. Some people use plantain leaf greased with oil or greased zip lock bags to shape the vadas. It is your choice to use any of these but I prefer to do it with my palm.
8. Flip the Vadas carefully until both sides are slightly brown and crispy. Remove the Vadas with a big slotted spoon into a kitchen tissue.
9. Serve the hot Vadas with your favourite chutney.
Some people add a tablespoon of Rice flour to the batter to make the Vadas crisp. But if your batter is right, you should be able to get crispy Vadas even without the Rice flour. Also, adding coconut pieces to the Vada batter gives a great flavour. Enjoy your Vadas with evening tea or coffee…
Vadas look very crispy. Goes best with Idlis and some sambhar.
Thanks Poornima..Idli Vada with Sambhar is a great combination.
Thanks LIsha.
Great recipe. Love it Subha