Instant Vada Recipe | With Urad dal flour

Quick and easy Instant Vada recipe using urad dal flour. There is no blending required. All you need is a little pre-soak to make these.

Like regular medu vada, these are crispy on the inside and airy inside. This is a perfect dish to make as a quick snack or during festivals. Post includes recipe video with clear instructions!!

About the Recipe

Vada is probably one of those snacks that is made all over India in one form or the other. From chillu garelu or medu vada in the south to ram ladoo in the north, these deep fried snacks are popular everywhere in India. They are also made during festivals as offering to god.

Traditional vada is made using whole urad dal that is soaked for at least 4 hours. Then the dal is ground to a smooth paste adding little to no water. This requires patience and a good blender to make the perfect batter.

These instant vada use urad dal flour instead of the whole lentils. This saves time with the soaking and grinding. The flour needs little soaking time too, but instead of 4 hours it needs only 1~3 hours. This ensures that the resulting vada turn out soft.

Also if you think shaping the batter into medu vada, that vadai with hole, is hard, then simply drop the batter into hot oil like pakoda.

What is Urad dal flour?

As the name suggests it is the flour made from urad dal that has been dry roasted and ground to a very fine powder. It is one of the most convenient pantry item to have on hand to make quick recipes like dosa, idli, paniyaram or these easy vada.

I always keep a bag of urad/ urid flour in my pantry because:

• I am forgetful and usually forget to soak dal to make idli/ dosa. So this flour comes in very handy when the family craves some South Indian food.
• Grinders in India can handle batters like these in a breeze. But the American blenders are not powerful enough to grind the lentils without adding copious amounts of water.

Ingredients

For the details of the exact quantities of each ingredient and the list of ingredients needed, check the printable recipe card below.

Here are the ingredients you need to make these easy vada recipe:

• Urad flour or urad dal powder or ulundu flour - this is available in Indian groceries.
• Baking soda - makes these instant medu vada light and airy.
• Onions, green chilies, ginger and curry leaves - you can omit and make plain vada as well.
• Salt

Instructions

For the detailed instructions on how to make the recipe with exact timings, check the printable recipe card below.

Here is how to make this easy instant vada recipe:

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt and whisk well. Add water to make a thick batter. Add water very slowly, so that you won't end up with watery batter, you want it to be thick. Cover and set aside for at least 1 hour and for up to 3 hours.

Stir in onion, curry leaves, green chilies, and salt. Mix well. Just before making the vadas, add the baking soda and mix well again.

Heat oil for deep frying. Take a small lemon size ball of the batter and place it on a damp plastic ziploc bag or your palm. Flatten it slightly and poke a hole right in the middle (as in a donut or bagel).

Gently slide the vada into the hot oil and fry on medium flame until golden. Flip carefully and fry on the second size until golden. Fry 3~4 vada at a time depending on the size of your pan. Repeat with rest of the batter.

Remove using a slotted spoon onto a paper towel lined plate. Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve hot with chutney.

If you think shaping medu vada or vadai with hole is hard, then simply make pakoda. Drop the batter into the oil using a spoon. You will end up with fluffy vada just like below.

Expert Tips

• Make sure not to add too much water to urad flour. If the batter is too watery, it will be difficult to shape the vada. But if you happen to add a little too much water to the batter, then add a few tablespoons of rice flour or all purpose flour. Mix well and fry as usual.
• Soaking urad flour helps with making a soft vadai. So soak it for as long as you can.
• If you think shaping medu vada or vadai with hole is hard, then simply make pakoda. That is drop the batter into the oil using a spoon.
• Omit adding onion if you are making these for a festival. But you can substitute it with finely shredded cabbage instead. 
• Add baking soda just before making the vada and make sure to stir it in well. This ensures that the instant vada are airy and light inside.
• Make sure that the oil is hot enough before adding the batter. Test by adding a drop of batter, if it starts to sizzle then it's ready for frying. If not, heat oil for a minute more.
• To make sure that the inside of the vada is cooked properly, fry them until the bubbles and sizzles around them get smaller.
• Remove the fried vada onto a paper towel lined plate to absorb any excess oil.
• Vada are best when eaten hot. If you happen to have any leftovers, then store them at room temperature for 1 day.

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Here are a few more delicious South Indian recipes that you might like try:

I love hearing from you!! If you’ve tried this and liked it, then don't forget to let me know. Give a star rating and let me know in the comments below. Also tag me in your creations on Instagram @cooks_hideout. I love sharing photos when people make my recipes. You can use the hashtag #cookshideout too.

Recipe Card