Onion Vada (Vulli Garelu)

Vada is a traditional savoury snack from south india. Although they are commonly prepared at home, vadas are as well a typical street food in India. There are many ways of preparing vada. Here is one recipe of vada which is an extension to the basic Medhu vada, which is plain without any extra seasoning.

Ingredients:

urid dal – 2 cups

onions – 1 large

green chillies – 3 to 4

grated ginger – tbsp

salt to taste.

Oil – for deep frying

Mother’s tip: If you are grinding the dal in a mixer, add about 2 Tbsp of yoghurt to it to have fluffy vadas.

Preparation:

• Wash and soak the urid dal for about 5 to 6 hours.
• Drain the water completely and grind the dal with the yoghurt without adding water to a paste.
• Cut the onions and green chillies into small pieces and add them to the dough.
• Add the ginger and salt and mix them well.
• Now wet your hand and take some batter and make the vadas on your palm. (alternatively, you can make the vadas on a wet cloth or a wet plastic paper) Poke a hole at the centre of the vada so that it will get evenly fried in oil.
• Now gently drop the vada  into the oil and fry on both the sides till golden brown.
• Serve hot as it is or with sambhar or any chutney of your choice.  It tastes great with chicken/mutton gravy too.