AI-generated image
Maddur vada
ಮದ್ದೂರು ವಡೆ: crisp, flat onion and semolina vadas from the Bengaluru–Mysuru road
Maddur is a small town halfway between Bengaluru and Mysuru, and for nearly a century travellers on that road have stopped at its railway station and highway stalls for one snack: Maddur vada. Unlike soaked-lentil vadas, these are made from rice flour, semolina and plain flour rubbed with hot oil and loaded with sliced onion, curry leaves and green chilli, then patted flat and fried until crunchy and golden all the way through. They keep their crunch for hours, so they are packed for long journeys. Serve with coconut chutney and filter coffee. Chef's tip: add the onions first and let them sit with the salt for ten minutes; their juice moistens the flours, so you need very little water and the vada stays crisp.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the dough
For frying
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Put 2 onions in a bowl with 1 tsp salt, rub them with your fingers and leave for 10 minutes, until they soften and release their juice.
Step 2: Add 3 ½ oz rice flour, 1 ¾ oz fine semolina (rava), 1 ¾ oz plain flour (maida), 3 green chillies, 1 tbsp fresh ginger, 15 curry leaves, 3 tbsp fresh coriander and ¼ tsp asafoetida. Pour over 2 tbsp hot oil or melted ghee (it should sizzle as it hits the flour) and rub everything together.
Step 3: Squeeze and press the mixture into a stiff dough using only the onion juice; add a little 2 tbsp water only if it won't hold together. Common mistake: making the dough soft and wet; it soaks up oil and the vadas turn chewy instead of crunchy.
Step 4: Heat 3 ¼ cups sunflower oil in a kadai over a medium heat to about 350°F; a pinch of dough should rise steadily with gentle bubbles.
6 minStep 5: Divide the dough into 12 pieces. On an oiled sheet of plastic or banana leaf, pat each into a thin round about 8 cm across and 5 mm thick, with ragged edges.
Step 6: Peel them off and slide 3–4 at a time into the oil. Fry on a medium heat for 5–6 minutes, turning a few times, until deep golden-brown and crisp right through; the bubbles around them will slow down when the moisture has gone.
18 minStep 7: Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot or warm with chutney. Cooled vadas stay crisp in an airtight tin for a day.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 360 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 19 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does maddur vada take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of plain flour (maida)?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Coastal Mombasa mix
A Mombasa street-food bowl: chickpeas and potato simmered in coconut milk with raw mango and chilli, ladled into small bowls and topped with crisp lentil fritters, crunchy chevdo and red, green and tamarind chutneys. Make the fritters and chevdo ahead and assemble at the table. It's sweet, sour, hot and crunchy all at once.
Okonomiyaki
Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き, 'grilled as you like it') is the pride of Osaka, where it's cooked on hot iron griddles in lively restaurants. Finely shredded cabbage is folded into a light batter with egg and spring onion, then fried into a thick, soft pancake with a crisp outside. It's painted with a fruity brown sauce and zigzagged with mayonnaise. Bonito flakes are usual on top; this vegetarian version uses seaweed flakes and pickled ginger instead. Chef's tip: don't press the pancake down with your spatula while it cooks. Osaka cooks leave it alone so the cabbage steams inside and stays light and fluffy; pressing squeezes out the air.
Masala khakhra
Khakhra are thin chapaties roasted slowly on a griddle until they turn crisp, like a cracker. This masala version adds gram flour, fresh fenugreek, turmeric and chilli to the wheat dough. They are a light Gujarati breakfast or tea-time snack, and lovely with pickle, chutney or a smear of butter. You can also make them in a roti maker.
