Vada / Uzhunnuvada & Coconut Chutney

Vada / Uzhunnuvada - A deep fried  snack in South Indian cuisine. Best with coconut chutney !!

Soaking time: 3 hours
Makes: 10 - 12

Ingredients

1 cup / 200 ml / 8 oz  (Indian standard measuring cup) urad dal

2 1/2 cup water ( for soaking )

2 green chillies. finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon hing ( asafoetida / kaayam )

1 teaspoon peppercorns (optional, not recommending for kids)

1 - inch piece ginger, finely chopped

1 spring curry leaves  or 6 nos

1/2 teaspoon salt ( or to taste )

3 tablespoons water ( for grinding )

250 ml oil for frying

Suggestion for Vegetable Vada - Mix vada batter with 2 tablespoon finely sliced cabbage, 1 tablespoon grated carrot and 1 tablespoon sliced onion and also add remaining ingredients (green chilli, ginger, curry leaves, hing and salt to taste).

Method

Chop ginger, green chilli and curry leaves. In a bowl, mix hing ( asafoetida ), peppercorns and chopped ginger, green chillies, and curry leaves. Do not add salt now. 

Wash and soak urad dal for 3 hours. Drain out water completely.

Grind urad dal to a thick and smooth paste in a mixer in 2 batches. Add / sprinkle 3 tablespoons water during grinding. It should be a thick batter.

Transfer the vada batter into another flat bowl and mix it with chopped ingredients, peppercorns, hing , and salt to taste (Finally add salt).

Heat oil in a kadai / frying pan. Reduce heat to medium. Avoid frying on high heat.

Wet your palms and take batter into the palms. Shape it like a doughnut with a hole in the centre. The reason for putting hole is to allow for expansion during frying as well as to obtain uniform cooking through out the cross section.

Alternately one can shape it like a ball / bondas if one find it difficult to shape it like a doughnut.

Release the doughnut shaped batter directly into the medium hot oil.

Care should taken not to splash oil on to your palms.

Repeat this as far as the space permitting in your kadai (4 - 5 vadas at a time).

Also too many vadas at a time may result in uneven cooking of vadas. Normally at first the underside of the vadas turn brown. So turn the vadas over so that the uniform color ( golden color ) is obtained through out the surface. Cook on a medium heat. Avoid high heat.

Drain out from the oil and place on kitchen paper  / paper towel to absorb excess oil. Please use 3 - 4 paper towels. Serve with coconut chutney / Sambar / Tea / Coffee.

Note: If by any chance you add more water the paste may become loose. But that is not the end of the world. Add a little rice flour (2 – 3 teaspoon) to it to make it more firm and then continue as per recipe. Only fall out is that the vadas may be a little bit harder (but it won't be hard if you add grated vegetables with vada batter).

Coconut  Chutney (1 st recipe)

Ingredients

 6 tablespoon  coconut grated

2 tablespoon split roasted gram dal (pottukadalai)

1 green chilli, chopped

Salt to taste ( or 1/2 teaspoon )

¼ teaspoon asafoetida (hing)

2 tablespoon water

Method

Grind all the ingredients to a smooth paste in a small mixer with  2 tablespoon  water. Adjust the thickness of the chutney with extra 1/4 cup (50 ml / 3 - 4 tablespoon) water if required. Chutney will be very  tasty if it’s thick in consistency.

Coconut chutney (2nd recipe)

Ingredients

1 cup ( 75 g / 8 tablespoon ) coconut grated

2 green chilli, small

1 red chilli

1 teaspoon tamarind paste ( optional )

Salt to taste ( or 3/4 teaspoon )

Ginger - 1/2- inch piece

For seasoning:

Ingredients

2 teaspoon oil

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1/4 teaspoon urad dal

1 red chilli

1 spring curry leaves (or 4 nos)

Method

Grind all the ingredients to a smooth paste with a little water. Adjust the thickness of the chutney with extra 2- 3 tablespoons water if you required.

For seasoning:

In a pan, heat 2 teaspoon oil. Add mustard seeds. When they splutter , add remaining ingredients. Saute well. Pour this over to coconut chutney. Serve with Idli / Dosa / Pongal / Vada...