Vada / Uzhunnu Vada / Medu Vada / Ambado / Ambade (with rice and urad dal)

Urad dal - Rice Vada / Ambado - A very tasty evening snack. Good combination with coconut chutney !!!!

Makes: 12 normal vadas or 14 - 16 ambados (round balls)

Ingredients

1 cup (100 g) urad dal

1 cup (100 g) raw rice (pachari / ponni rice)

2 cups water

1 - inch piece ginger, finely chopped

1 green chilli, finely chopped (1 big isze or 2 small size)

8 curry leaves, finely chopped

2 pinches hing (asafoetida)

1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste( not more than 3/4 teaspoon)

250 ml oil

Method

Wash and soak urad dal and rice together for 2 hours. Drain out water completely and make a smooth and thick batter in a mixer in 2 batches. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons water when making batter.

Transfer the vada batter into another bowl and mix with chopped ginger, green chilli, curry leaves, hing and salt. Prepare ambado / vada immediately.

For normal vadas - Heat oil in a karahi / frying pan on high heat. Reduce the heat to medium. 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. Carefully transfer into hot oil (4 – 5 vadas at a time) and fry on  a medium heat until golden brown on both the sides. Drain out from oil and place on kitchen towel / paper towel to absorb extra oil.

For ambade / ambados - Heat oil in a karahi on high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and drop teaspoons (use small spoons which shape like ice cream scoop to get evenly round shape) of the vada / ambado batter (8 ambados at a time ) and fry till golden color on both the sides.

Drain and place on kitchen towel to absorb excess oil.

Serve as an evening snack with Coconut chutney.

Coconut chutney (Hotel New Woodlands, Chennai style special coconut chutney)

Serves: 3

Ingredients

1 cup / 6 tablespoon grated coconut

1 green chilli, chopped

1/2 - inch piece ginger, chopped

1/2 teaspoon tamarind paste

8 mint leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt (or To taste)

2 tablespoons water

Method

Make a smooth and thick paste of above ingredients in a mixer / blender. Serve with vada / ambados.