Ulundu Vadai
Crisp-shelled, fluffy-centred urad dal doughnuts, a Tamil breakfast and festival staple, traditionally shaped by hand with a hole punched in the middle.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 200 kcal
Equipment
- •Kadai for deep frying
- •Blender
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 200 kcal
- fat
- 9 g
- carbs
- 22 g
- fibre
- 5 g
- protein
- 9 g
- calories
- 200 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Drain the soaked urad dal well. Grind it with very little water into a thick, fluffy batter.
- 2
Beat the batter by hand for a couple of minutes. This adds air to keep the vadai light and fluffy.
- 3
Gently mix in the chopped green chillies, ginger, onion, curry leaves, whole peppercorns, asafoetida, and salt.
- 4
Heat oil in a kadai (deep Indian wok) to medium-hot for deep-frying.
- 5
Wet your palm and take a small ball of batter. Flatten it into a disc and make a hole in the centre.
- 6
Slide the shaped vadai gently into the hot oil.
- 7
Fry in batches on medium heat, turning occasionally. Cook until golden brown and crisp on both sides.
- 8
Drain on paper towels. Serve hot with sambar (lentil stew) and coconut chutney.
Chef's tips
Grind the batter with as little water as possible for a light, crisp vadai instead of an oily, heavy one. Beating the batter well before frying makes it wonderfully fluffy.
Ingredient substitutions
- urad dal → a small portion of chana dal blended in for crunch
Storage
Best eaten fresh; can be refrigerated for a day.
Reheating
Reheat in an oven or air fryer to restore crispness.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Adding too much water when grinding, which makes the vadai soak up too much oil
- •Frying over high heat, which browns the outside before the inside cooks through
Serving suggestions
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