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Kalkandu vadai
Sweet urad dal rock sugar vadai
கல்கண்டு வடை: sweet Chettinad urad dal vadai studded with rock sugar and coconut (plus 2 hours soaking)
Kalkandu vadai is the sweet cousin of medu vadai, made in Chettinad homes for festivals and for the trays that go to a bride's house. Soaked urad dal and a little rice are ground fluffy and mixed with crushed kalkandu (rock sugar) and coconut, then fried into small golden rounds that are crisp outside, soft inside, with pockets of melted crystal sugar. They are eaten warm with coffee. A common mistake is grinding the rock sugar in with the batter, which turns the batter runny; crush it coarsely and fold it in just before frying. Chef's tip: fry these on slightly lower heat than savoury vadai, because sugar browns fast and burns before the centre cooks.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the batter
- 7 oz whole skinned urad dalsoaked 2 hours
- 1 tbsp raw ricesoaked 2 hours
- 3 ½ oz rock sugar (kalkandu)coarsely crushed
- 3 tbsp fresh coconutcut into small bits
- 4 green cardamomseeds ground
- 1 pinch salt
For frying
- 3 cups sunflower or groundnut oilfor deep-frying
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Drain 7 oz whole skinned urad dal and 1 tbsp raw rice well and grind with sprinkles of cold water, no more than 3–4 tbsp in all, to a smooth, fluffy, thick batter. A blob dropped into water should float.
12 minStep 2: Just before frying, fold in 3 ½ oz rock sugar (kalkandu), 3 tbsp fresh coconut, 4 green cardamom and 1 pinch salt.
2 minStep 3: Heat 3 cups sunflower or groundnut oil in a heavy kadai, filled no more than a third deep, over medium to 160–325°F; a pinch of batter should rise in about 3 seconds with small, calm bubbles. Never leave the oil unattended.
6 minStep 4: Wet your fingers, take a lime-sized portion of batter, flatten slightly into a small round on wet palm or a wet banana leaf and slide it into the oil. Fry 4–5 at a time.
4 minStep 5: Fry for 3–4 minutes, turning, until golden-brown and crisp with a hollow sound when tapped. If they darken in under 2 minutes, turn the heat down.
15 minStep 6: Drain on kitchen paper and serve warm.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 270 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 34 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kalkandu vadai take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of raw rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of rock sugar (kalkandu)?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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