Vada/Garelu - A South Indian Lentil Doughnut

Vada/Garelu is yet another South Indian lentil based recipe. There are many variations in this recipe. A simple vada/garae is prepared by soaking urad dal for 5-6 hours then grinding by adding sliced onions and salt, then deep frying till golden. I always make it a point to prepare a simple and easy breakfast during the week days. As I have to cook and pack lunch also. But on weekends entirely a different story. A weekend is a time to relish upon some dainty breakfast delicacies may be some heavy breakfast which will turn into brunch at times.

When I say cooking is one and the most efficient form of stress buster, cooking together is much more fun and weekend is perfect time to do this. Call your loved ones and cook something with their involvement (may be little)....this will fill the air with not only the aroma of food but also with the joy, fun and laughter.

Cooking together not only distresses but also gives you a quantity and quality time to spend together. Hmm isn't it? So, get ready and plan a crazy rocking weekend. Be careful and never forget that you are in kitchen (hehehehe). Now coming to the recipe. Vada(s) or Garelu (telugu) can vary in shape and size, usually look like doughnut. Even though they are deep fried the, finished product will not be too oily as the steam build-up within the vada pushes all the oil away from within the vada.

The above picture is going to participate in Click:Stacks, event by Jai and Bee of Jugalbandi. To check the updated entries ofr Click:Stakes click here.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups Urad dal/black gram
• 2 tbsp raw Rice
• 1 tbsp Chana dal
• 1 Onion, peeled and fienly chopped
• 1 tbsp Jeera/cumin seeds
• 6-9 fresh Curry leaves
• 2 Green chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
• Salt
• Oil for frying

PREPERATION:

• Combine urad dal, raw rice and chana dal. Wash throughly for 2-3 times and soak for 5-6 hours.
• Using a colander strain all the water from the dal and grind it to paste by just sprinkling drops of water if needed.
• In a bowl mix chopped onions, green chillies, jeera, curry leaves and salt. Mix well by adding above ground paste.
• Pour enough oil in a kadai or heavy bottom cooking vessel for deep frying. Slowly heat up the oil, but not too hot.
• Wet your hands with oil or water and take a lemon sized ball from the batter and flatten it on a greased plastic sheet or plantain leaf to form a circle, put a hole on the center with your finger.
• Slowly and carefully drop it into the hot oil and fry on both the sides on a medium flame, till the vada is nice golden in color.
• Once the vada's are completely cooked take them out on a kitchen tissue/kitchen towel and repeat the process till the batter is completed.
• Serve hot with coconut chutney/ peanut chutney/ sambar/ karivepaaku karam podi.
• Last but not least add your 'love' to make the dish 'YUMMY'.

A generous drop of ghee on a hot golden vada with little spicy karivepaaku karam podi and fresh flavoured just grounded coconut chutney is all you need to seduce your taste buds.

TIPS:

• Do not over heat the oil; this may burn the vada's.
• Do not overload the kadai or cooking vessel with too many vada's, this may result in uncooked vada's.

The above recipe is going to participate in MLLA - Twelfth Helping hosted by Apu of Annarasa, event by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook.