Vada (or Wada or Vade) is a popular Indian snack. Mashed or diced potatoes and/or lentils are seasoned (and sometimes sauteed), then shaped, covered in a gram flour batter and deep-fried. The shape and size can vary, although the finished product is usually like a doughnut. Although battered and deep-fried, if done right, the finished product should not be very oily. Considered the street-food equivalent of a hot dog, a vada may be served in a bun (called pav-vada) with fresh spicy/sweet chutney. Medu Vada (Uzhunnu Vada)(Uddhina Vada in Kannada) This is a variant of the above said Vada. This is very popular in the south Indian states of Tamilnadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. This is normally taken along with Idli (another popular south Indian breakfast) and also separately as a snack. Preperation Time 20 Minutes Ingredients 1 cup of black gram, skinless (urad dal) Salt to taste ¼ tspn of asafoetida 8-10 curry leaves 1 tspn of cumin powder 1 tspn of crushed black peppercorns Oil to fry Recipe Wash and soak urad dal for six hours. Grind into a fine paste. Add salt, asafoetida, curry leaves, cumin powder and crushed peppercorns to the batter and mix well. Heat oil in a kadai. Wet your palms and take batter into the palms. Shape into balls and make a hole with the thumb in the centre like a doughnut. Deep-fry this in medium hot oil until golden brown and crisp. Serve hot with sambhar and coconut chutney.

Other Varieties of Vada

* Dahi Vada (Made by serving the vada in a mix of yoghurt and spices)

* Ulli Vada (Made of Onion)

* Maddur Vada (Made with Onion, not doughnut shaped)

* Parippu Vada (Tour Daal) * Thairu Vada (Uzhundhu Vada put in Yoghurt)

* Masala Vada (a more soft and not so crisp Vada)

* Rava Vada (Vada made of Rava, a grain in south India)