Cilantro-Coconut Vada is delicious and crunchy - a spicy version
of the medu vada. Made with urad dal (split black gram), coconut, and
cilantro (coriander leaves), this vada makes a healthy snack and
breakfast. Except for the couple of hours of soaking time, this is a
quick
and easy vegetarian/vegan recipe.
Servings: 4-5
(Makes 12-14) Cooking Time: 30
minutes (excluding the soaking time for dal)
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups urad dal (split black gram)
1/2 cup cilantro (coriander leaves), finely chopped
1/4 cup coconut, freshly grated
1 1/2 tsp ginger, grated
3-4 green chillies, finely chopped (adjust to taste)
Vegetable Oil for deep frying
Salt to taste
Preparation
Soak the urad dal for 3 hours.
Drain the water and in a blender,
grind into a thick, smooth
batter, adding only a little water. The batter should not be watery.
Add the ginger, coconut, and cilantro (coriander
leaves) and mix well. Mix in the salt when you're ready to fry
the vadas.
Heat oil in a deep frying pan.
Keep a bowl of water handy. Take a plastic sheet (or
ziploc bag) and brush some oil on it, and then place a small golf-sized
ball of the cilantro-coconut vada batter on it, flatten it a bit, and
make a hole in the
center, as in a doughnut.
Drop it into the pan.
Repeat with the remaining batter, reduce the heat to
medium, and fry the vadas until golden brown.
Serve the cilantro-coconut vadas with hot sambar
and coconut chutney or ginger
chutney.
Cooking Tips
Salt makes the batter watery, making it difficult to make the balls for
the vadas. So add salt to half the batter first, and when you've used
all of this, then add salt to the remaining batter.
For grinding lentils and grains, use a high-powered blender that can
grind these to a smooth consistency without getting overheated quickly.
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