Authentic Recipe for South Indian Vada and Chutney

South Indian Vada is a mouthwatering snack that fits into every occasion. It is easy to prepare and good for health. It is prepared from Urad dal and deep-fried to make it crispy outside and soft inside. Every South Indian eatery serves this fabulous dish for breakfast. It is generally relished with Coconut Chutney and Sambar. Idli-Vada is the hot favorite combination of breakfast in the South.

Here is the authentic South Indian vada recipe to make perfect Vada and Chutney at home. I am giving the recipe in very simple, easy to make steps. You don’t have to struggle for long hours to make this yummy, crispy, tasty dish.

Ingredients Required for Vada

• Two Cups Urad Dal
• Rice Flour – 1 Tea Spoon
• Few Coconut Pieces (Optional)
• Green Chillies – 4 (finely chopped)
• Black Pepper – 1 Tea Spoon
• Asafetida – 1 Small Spoon
• Salt to taste
• Coriander leaves finely chopped
• Curry leaves
• Onion – Finely chopped (Optional)

Method of making South Indian Vada

Soak Urad dal in water for 1½  hours after washing it thoroughly. Drain the excess water. Grind the soaked dal to a thick paste adding little water. You can grind it either in a mixer or grinder based on the quantity. It should be ground to a smooth paste and the batter should be thick. If you add more water, Vada absorbs a lot of oil while frying, and also it will not be good to eat.

To this batter add finely cut green chilies, rice flour, coconut cut into small pieces (this is optional), and black pepper ground to a rough powder or whole seeds based on your preference, asafetida, and salt. The dough should be thick and smooth so that you can bring it to the shape of the vada with your hands.

Preparation :

Heat a thick-bottomed frying pan, let it not be shallow. Add oil and heat it in medium flame. When the oil is hot, take about a teaspoonful of Vada mix by hand, bring it to a round shape, make a hole in the center, and put it in oil. The perfect shape can be achieved only by practice and also if the consistency of the batter is correct.

Fry till golden brown on medium flame.

South Indian Vada should be relished when hot. If left for long it loses its crispiness. Enjoy South Indian vada with hot sambhar and spicy coconut Chutney

Coconut Chutney

Freshly prepared coconut chutney goes very well with vada. Sambhar is also preferred along with chutney, but chutney is a must with vada.

Ingredients required for Chutney:

• Fresh coconut grated – 1 cup
• Fried gram 3 tablespoons
• 4 green chilies, coriander/ pudina leaves
• Curry leaves
• Tamarind paste 1 small spoon
• Salt to taste
• Asafetida 1 pinch.
• Oil – 1 spoon
• Mustard seeds for tempering

Method 

Fry the chilies in little oil, add asafetida and curry leaves at the end, fry for 1 min. Grind the fried gram to a powder in a dry mixer jar, then add all other ingredients and grind to a homogeneous mixture with water. Put it in a bowl, temper it and garnish with coriander leaves.

Tips

• Finely chopped Onion or Pudina can be added to South Indian vada Mix to get a different taste.
• If the batter is not as thick as required, you can add an extra spoon of rice flour or cornflour to make it thick.
• Vada will be crisp only when it is fresh. So relish it immediately after preparing it with chutney and hot sambar.