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!
- 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
- 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.
Masala 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….
The Vadai sounds good… but I am REALLY loving the sound of that chutney! I must try it!
nice combo vaishali!love those and vadas and tofu chutney too…creative idea
yummmm 🙂
am big on avocado, hv posted soup & buttermilk using it 😉 ur chutney sounds so good!
Fun 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 🙂
vaishali…. 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
Hi vaishali,Wow avo chutmey, sounds great.The masala vada looks absolutely watering.
I love your space always unique!!!!!!!11
i love masala vadai..Ur tofu chutney is a new creation
Vaishali …like the vadai but chutney’s combo is gr8
I can’t resist fried foods, either. With all those curry leaves, Vaishali, your kitchen must be a fragrant paradise. Sigh.
I guess we all are same, i cant resisit too deep fried food.
Vadas looks delicious
masala vadai looks great love the chutney, will surely try this and let you know. Thanks for sharing.
I 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.
yes, masala vada is so divine. Yours look simply delicious. Love the idea of avocado-tofu chutney.
the chutney sounds lovely Vaishali! hope you had a lovely new year beginning:)
masala vadai is sooooooo delicious..love the color..i want a bite of it:)
Mouth watering dear,feels like to grab one:-)……..
vaishuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu,…. 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 😀
Nice 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.
Cham, 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.
What an adorable new blog layout!
Where do you get curry leaves? Its been weeks since I had ’em 🙁
Chocolatecovered, 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.
Thanx 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
Hi 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.