Step 1
Ingredients
Black gram (urud dal ) – 2 cups
Water – 1 Cup
Preparation
Soak the dal for about 5 hours and then drain it.
Grind the dal into a smooth paste, in small quantities by adding minimum water only. For example, if you are using a small Mixer& Grinder, use the grinding jar – fill it with a handful of dal and add 2-3 tbsp of water. For 2 cups of dal, less than one cup of water is used. Later beat the batter well using egg beater/ hand mixer / bare hands to make it fluffy for few minutes. Various options are shown in the video. Beat until the batter is fluffy and consistency can be tested by placing a small portion in a cup of water. Perfect batter will be floating fully.
Step 2
Ingredients
Rice Powder – 2 tbsp
Green chilli – 2 to 3 nos, finely chopped
Onion – 1 No, finely chopped
Ginger-1tbsp, finely chopped
Curry leaves – few, finely chopped
Black pepper – 1 tbsp, crushed
Baking soda – 1/4 tsp
Salt – as needed
Preparation
Add all the ingredients into the batter (step 1) and mix well.
Oil is heated in a frying pan and ensure enough oil is there for deep frying. Wet your hands and take a portion of batter – a big Lemon sized ball and using thumb, make a hole in the center (Similar to doughnut). Another way to prepare it, is shown in the video – using a ladle, which is useful for beginners.
Deep fry over medium flame, till the vada turns brown.
Serve hot with chutney and sambar.
Refer detailed step by step cooking video below