Vada / Vade / Vadai / Wada

Vada / Vade / Vadai / Wada

A vadai - Tamil வடை- Malayalam വട - (also vada, wada, vade), pronounced 'vah-daa', 'vah-dey', or 'vah-die', is a savoury snack from South India, shaped like a doughnut and made from dal, lentil or potato. It is a traditional South Indian food known from antiquity.

There is one other variety commonly known in south India as aamai vadai (Tamil ஆமை வடை, literally "turtle-vadai"). This is prepared using lentils.

Vada can vary in size and shape, though most are comparable to the Western doughnut except that the Indian vada is spicy unlike the sweet doughnut.

Mashed or diced potatoes and/or lentils are seasoned — sometimes sauteed — then shaped, covered in a gram flour batter and deep-fried.

Although battered and deep-fried, the finished product should not be too oily if prepared correctly, since steam build-up within the vada pushes all oil away from within the vada.

A vada served in a bun (known as a pav) with chutney is known as a vada pav, a common Indian street food in Maharashtra.


[Reference] http://en.wikipedia.org/