Last week was the Tamil New Year, and that always warrants something special. And what can be more special than crunchy, utterly satisfying deep-fried food?
I won’t lie: although I like to watch what I eat, it is never easy for me to resist the golden deliciousness of foods dunked in bubbling oil. Given my sub-zero willpower around fried foods of any sort, I usually resist temptation simply by not keeping store-bought fried foods around the house.
But festivals are a great excuse to pull out that cast-iron pan and get some oil on the boil.
For the new year, Desi suggested masala vadai, one of his favorites.
Masala Vadai is pretty easy to put together and very versatile. It can be a snack, an appetizer at parties, a light meal, even, with some sambar and chutney.
You can add some veggies like cabbage or spinach to your vadais to make them more nutritious. But one ingredient is an absolute must if you want the true flavor of a traditional masala vadai: cinnamon.
I added some saunf and garlic and onion as well– all traditional ingredients that together bring an exquisite complexity to the flavor of the vadai.
For a slightly untraditional twist, I served it with an avocado-tofu chutney that was really quite delicious and healthy to boot.
So here it is, my own chunk of deep-fried bliss, Masala Vadai with Avocado-Tofu Chutney. Hope you enjoy it!
Crunchy Bliss: Masala Vadai with Avocado-Tofu Chutney
Ingredients
- For Vadai:
- 1 cup chana dal , soaked at least 2 hours
- 3-4 1- inch sticks of cinnamon
- 1 tsp saunf
- 10-15 curry leaves
- 3 red chilies or 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 red onion , diced
- 4-5 cloves of garlic , minced
- Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp cilantro , chopped
- Oil for deep frying.
- For Avocado Chutney:
- 2 ripe avocadoes , peeled, pitted and diced
- 1 tbsp ginger , grated
- 1 green chili , jalapeno or serrano would work.
- 1 cup silken soft tofu
- A few drops of lemon juice
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Make Masala Vadai:
- Put all the ingredients other than the cilantro and the oil into a food processor or blender and process until it comes together in a coarse paste. I ground up my vadai batter quite fine, but you could leave a few visible bits of the dal in there for a more traditional look.
- Try not to add any water, because you want a stiff batter that you can shape into vadais. If your blender refuses to budge, however, add water 1 tablespoon at a time until it relents. If the batter gets too loose, sprinkle in just enough chickpea flour so the dough holds together.
- Add the cilantro to the batter and mix in. Check the seasoning and add more salt if needed.
- Heat oil in a cast-iron or other pan.
- Make a ball about one inch in diameter with the vadai batter and then flatten between the palms of your hands into a disc.
- Fry in hot oil until golden brown, about a minute on each side.
- Serve hot with chutney.
- Make Avocado-Tofu Chutney
- Place all chutney ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree until nice and smooth.
- Garnish with coriander, if desired.
Cham says
April 16, 2008 atMasala Vadai and Avoca-tofu chutney new combo… Sounds good and healthy chutney next to the bubbly oily vadas , vaishu… My favo snack masala vadai, they re pretty….
ChocolateCoveredVegan says
April 16, 2008 atThe Vadai sounds good… but I am REALLY loving the sound of that chutney! I must try it!
Dhivya says
April 16, 2008 atnice combo vaishali!love those and vadas and tofu chutney too…creative idea
Richa says
April 16, 2008 atyummmm 🙂
am big on avocado, hv posted soup & buttermilk using it 😉 ur chutney sounds so good!
LisaRene says
April 16, 2008 atFun combination of flavors! I’ve been experimenting more and more with Indian spices as I do love them.
The chutney is totally unique, I would never have thought of that combination on my own. The calories you sacrificed for the fried masala vadai you made up for with a healthy tofu condiment 🙂
SHUBHA says
April 16, 2008 atvaishali…. i just loved the idea of ur tofu n avacado chutney iam gonna try it tonight for dinner…:D thanx for the lovely vadai recipe…:P
Pearlsofeast says
April 17, 2008 atHi vaishali,Wow avo chutmey, sounds great.The masala vada looks absolutely watering.
I love your space always unique!!!!!!!11
Divya Vikram says
April 17, 2008 ati love masala vadai..Ur tofu chutney is a new creation
Saswati says
April 17, 2008 atVaishali …like the vadai but chutney’s combo is gr8
Susan says
April 17, 2008 atI can’t resist fried foods, either. With all those curry leaves, Vaishali, your kitchen must be a fragrant paradise. Sigh.
Happy cook says
April 17, 2008 atI guess we all are same, i cant resisit too deep fried food.
Vadas looks delicious
Medhaa says
April 17, 2008 atmasala vadai looks great love the chutney, will surely try this and let you know. Thanks for sharing.
TBC says
April 17, 2008 atI like that- avocado and tofu chutney.:-)
I rarely buy avocado ‘cos it’s pretty tasteless but it sounds like a great addition in this chutney.
Uma says
April 17, 2008 atyes, masala vada is so divine. Yours look simply delicious. Love the idea of avocado-tofu chutney.
Mansi Desai says
April 17, 2008 atthe chutney sounds lovely Vaishali! hope you had a lovely new year beginning:)
ranji says
April 17, 2008 atmasala vadai is sooooooo delicious..love the color..i want a bite of it:)
Annu says
April 17, 2008 atMouth watering dear,feels like to grab one:-)……..
SHUBHA says
April 18, 2008 atvaishuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu,…. ur just amazing muah muah muah….. i tried the chutney yday at it was amazing, awesome, terrific….. no other word to appreciate it…. made little changes to it…. it was a hit as a combi for my spicy mysore masala dosa…. was wondering do u mind if i post it in my blog???….ur tooo good… waiting for more such recipes…:D
n yeah it will be a good dip too 😀
Cilantro says
April 18, 2008 atNice looking Vadai.. I will sure try the chutney. My daughter just saw the name of the chutney and immediately asked me to make it.
Sarada.
Vaishali says
April 18, 2008 atCham, Chocolatecoveredvegan, Dhivya, Richa, LisaRene, Pearlsofeast, Divya, Saswati: Thanks all you lovely ladies!
Susan, Happy Cook: Thanks. Fried foods definitely make for good eats, don’t they?
Medhaa, Thanks.
TBC: I do love avocadoes, not least for how healthy they are. I cannot resist snacking on them just by themselves. I do hope you try this.
Uma, Mansi, Ranji, Annu: Thanks my dear ladies.
Shubha: I’m so very happy you tried this and liked it. You made my day! Feel free to post it on your blog. And you’re absolutely right- I agree it would make a great dip.
Sarada, Welcome! Your daughter sounds lovely, and I do hope you have a chance to make the chutney for her.
ChocolateCoveredVegan says
April 18, 2008 atWhat an adorable new blog layout!
Suganya says
April 20, 2008 atWhere do you get curry leaves? Its been weeks since I had ’em 🙁
Vaishali says
April 21, 2008 atChocolatecovered, Thanks! Am still experimenting with the layout, but I promise I’ll include the kids on each one I try. They do seem to touch a chord!
Suganya, I always get them at my local Indian grocery store- I cannot imagine cooking without them! I am not sure where you’re based, but just in case you happen to live in the DC area, drop me a line at vaishalihonawar@gmail.com. Cheers.
SHUBHA says
April 22, 2008 atThanx a lot vaishali… the post is coming soon will notify u and will also link it back to ur amazing post..blog…thanx again for letting me post this amazing finger licking chutney… i can just eat it as it is…. vadai or no vadai hehehe:P
Medhaa says
July 14, 2008 atHi Vaishali, I has made them quiet some time back and loved them. They were just like I was used to having though mine were lighter in color. Blogged about it.
http://medhaa.blogspot.com/2008/07/vaishalis-masala-vadai.html
Thank you so much for this recipe.