Vadai / Fritters is one of the most common or traditional food among Tamilians. Vadai is prepared on all occasions and so it is been the must in the festive dishes list. Vadai is available in all nook and corner streets of Tamilnadu in Tea shops and also comes under street food list.

Vadai can be served as breakfast and snacks. There are many varieties of fritters among all those varieties, this Blackgram / Ulunda paruppu / Urad dal Vadai is the most common. It’s been prepared in by all south Indian families. It is easy and simple recipe, but it taste good only when it comes to the perfection else it would be a disaster.

Two important things where people suffer in preparing this vadai are making holes in the middle and the consistency of vadai batter. Most of the people feel difficult to make hole in the centre and few confuse with the batter. Let me share the recipe along with the tips…

Ulunda vadai / Fritters

Ulunda vadai / Fritters

Ingredients:

• Whole White Blackgram / Ulundam Paruppu / Urad dal – 1 cup
• Onions – 1 ½ nos
• Black Pepper – ½ tsp
• Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
• Curry leaves – two sprigs
• Salt to taste
• Oil for deep frying

Making of Ulunda Vadai / Lentil fritters –

Preparation:

• Soak the urad dal/ulundam paruppu/blackgram in water for 2 to 3 hrs (more it soaks the batter becomes more fluffy).
• Drain the soaked urad dal and grind them in mixer by sprinkling little water, only when it gets struck.
• When it’s almost ground, Add in the black pepper, cumin seeds and salt to the batter and grind them to fine paste.
• Peel and finely chop the onions, also chop the curry leaves roughly.
• Transfer the batter to a bowl, add in the chopped onions and curry leaves. Stir well with your hands.
• Heat the oil in the kadai, Keep a small bowl of water near the batter.
• Now dip your palm in the water and gently take a portion of batter, transfer it to your palm (where you dipped water), now place your index finger in the center of the batter and drag the hole to a big size.
• Check for the oil, and gently drop it to the oil with your index finger.
• Swap the side after 2 mins and cook both sides, remove the vadai, when it turns golden brown.

Batter mixed with onions, salt and curry leaves

Making home wit index finger

Transferred to index finger and about to drop in oil

Gently getting dropped to oil

Dropping into oil

Gently dropped in oil

Getting fried

Getting fried

Ulunda vadai / Fritters

Ulunda vadai / Fritters

Serve hot. Goes out well with sambar and chutney.

Do check out other fritters recipes in this link: https://madraasi.com/recipes/snacks/.