 Medhu Vadai |
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| Origin | |
|---|---|
| Alternate name(s) | Vade, Vadai |
| Place of origin | South India |
| Region or state | Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu |
| Dish details | |
| Main ingredient(s) | dal, lentil or potato |
Vada (IAST: vaḍa, Tamil: வடை, Telugu: వడ, Tulu: ವಡೆ, Kannada: ವಡೆ, Malayalam: വട); also known as vadai, wada or vade (pronounced "vah-daa", "vah-dey", or "vah-die"), is a savoury snack from South India.
Contents |
Description
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.[1] 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.
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.[2] 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.
Vadas are preferably eaten freshly fried, while still hot and crunchy. They are usually accompanied with coconut chutney and sambar.
Varieties of vada
The main vada types are:
- Ullundhu vadai (Tamil: உளுந்து வடை), Uddina vada (Kannada ವಡೆ), Uzhunnu vada (Malayalam), 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 South India, especially Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala.[3]. Also referred to as medhu vadai (Tamil மெது வடை, or "soft vadai").
- Parippu vada (Malayalam: പരിപ്പ് വട) or paruppu vadai (Tamil: பருப்பு வடை). 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.[4]
Other types of vada are:
- Perugu Vada (పెరుగు వడ - Telugu) / Thayir vadai (தயிர் வடை - Tamil)/ Thairu Vada (തൈരുവട - Malayalam) / Dahi Vada ( दही वडा- Hindi) , made by serving the vada in a mix of yoghurt and spices).
- 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.
- Maddur vada (Kannada: ಮದ್ದೂರು ವಡೆ) is a type of onion vada unique to the state of Karnataka. This is typically larger than other vadai types, flat, crispy (to the point of breaking when flexed) and had no hole in the middle.
- Masala vada, a softer less crisp vada.
- Rava vada, vada made of semolina.
Vada Pav, one of the most popular fast foods of 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 vadai.
- Sabudana vada is another variety of vadai popular in Maharashtra, made from Pearl Sago.
- 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.
See also
- Fried dough foods
- Hushpuppy, a similar dish of the American South
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Vada (snack) |
External links
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