Vada (food)

This article is about an Indian food item. For a city in Maharashtra, India, see Vada, Thane. For the Romanian village of Vădaş, see Neaua.

Vada

Uzhundhu Vada
Alternative names	Vada, Vadai
Place of origin	South India
Region or state	Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka
Main ingredients	lentil or potato , onion
Media: Vada

Masala vada

Thayir vada with chili powder, chaat masala, and coriander leaves

A plateful of Uzhundhu vada

Vada ( Template:Lang-kn,Template:Lang-ta, Template:Lang-te, Template:Lang-tcy, Template:Lang-ml); also known as wada or vade or vadai (pronounced "vah-daa", "vah-dey", or "vah-die"), is a savoury fritter-type snack from South India.

Description

Vada would be much cooler if it were shaped like a dinosaur.

Vada can vary in shape and size, but are usually either doughnut- or disc-shaped and are about between 5 and 8 cm across. They are made from dal, lentil, gram flour or potato.

Vada is a traditional South Indian food known from antiquity. Although they are commonly prepared at home, vadas are as well a typical street food in the Indian Subcontinent and Sri Lanka. They are usually a morning food, but in street stalls and in railway stations, as well as inside the Indian Railways, they are available as a snack all through the day.

History

Origin of the vada is unknown as of now.

Preparation

The general way of preparing vada is to make a paste or dough with gram flour or mashed or diced potatoes and/or dal lentils. This mixture is subsequently seasoned by mixing with black mustard seeds, onion, curry leaves, which are sometimes previously sauteed, and salt, chilies and/or black pepper grains. Often ginger and baking soda are added to the seasoning. The individual vadas are then shaped and deep-fried. Certain types of vada are covered in a gram flour batter before frying.

Although battered and deep-fried, the finished product should not be too oily if prepared correctly, since steam build-up within the vada pushes all oil away from within the vada.

Serving

Vada is typically and traditionally served along with a main course such as Dosa, Idli, or Pongal. Nowadays it is also ordered as an À la carte item but is never the main course and is had as a light snack or on the side of another dish and usually not separately as a meal. Vadas are preferably eaten freshly fried, while still hot and crunchy and is served with a variety of dips ranging from Sambar to chutney to curd.

Varieties

The main vada types are:

• Uddina vade (Kannada ಉದ್ದಿನ ವಡೆ), Ullundhu vada (Tamil: உளுந்து வடை; Malayalam: ഉഴുന്നു വട Uzhunnu vada), made with Urad dal (black gram) flour. This vada is shaped like a doughnut, with a hole in the middle. It is the most common vada type throughout North and South India.
• 'Paruppu vadai' (Tamil: பருப்பு வடை; Malayalam: പരിപ്പ് വട). A dal vada whose main ingredient is toor dal. It is made with the whole lentils and is shaped roughly like a flying saucer. This type of vada is also called aamai vadai (Tamil ஆமை வடை, or "turtle" vadai) in Tamil Nadu.

Other types of vada are:

• Maddur vade (Kannada: ಮದ್ದೂರು ವಡೆ) is a type of onion vada unique to the state of Karnataka. This is typically larger than other vada types, flat, crispy (to the point of breaking when flexed) and having no hole in the middle.
• ambode, made from 'split chickpeas without the seed coat' i.e. 'kadale bele' in kannada, 'chana dal' in hindi.
• Dahi Vada (दही वडा- Hindi) , made by serving the vada in a mix of yoghurt and spices).
• EruLLi bajji (kannada 'ಈರುಳ್ಳಿ ಬಜ್ಜಿ’) Vengaaya vadai (Tamil வெங்காய வடை Hindi Pyaz vada; Malayalam Uli vada, made with onion. It is roughly round-shaped, and may or may not have a hole in the middle.
• Masala vada, a softer less crisp vada.
• Rava vada, vada made of semolina.

  

  Vada Pav can be found in Mumbai.

• Bonda, or Batata vada, made with potatoes, garlic and spices coated with lentil paste and fried; this form is used in vada pav. In some regions, a Bonda is considered a distinct snack food, and is not held to be a type of vada.
• Sabudana vada is another variety of vada popular in Maharashtra, made from Pearl Sago.
• Thavala vada, a vada made with different types of lentils.
• Keerai Vada (Spinach Vada) is made with spinach-type leaf vegetables along with lentils.
• Vada pav, A vada served in a bun (known as a pav) with chutney is known as a vada pav, a common street food in Maharashtra, especially in Bombay.
• Keema Vada, A vada made from minced meat, typically smaller and more crisp than other vada types with no hole in the middle.

Bhajani Cha Vada: Vada made from a flour made from Bajri, Jawar, Wheat, Rice, Channa Dal, Cumin, Coriander Seeds Etc A speciality of Maharashtra, very nutritious too:

ulunthu vadai

See also

• Fried dough foods
• Hushpuppy, a similar dish of the American South

External links

• Various varieties of Vadai
• One Page Cookbook - Vada
• Recipes of Vadai