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Uzhunnu Vada

Posted by Annita on October 23, 2006

Uzhunnu Vada,a popular South Indian snack is very perfect for this cold and dull weather.Its been long since I’ve prepared this snack and was craving for this .

Uzhunnu Vada
Uzhunnu Vada served with coconut Chutney

Finally I made it and here’s the recipe for you..

Ingredients:-

Urad dal soaked in water for 2 hours – 2 cups
Finely chopped shallots – 10
(I used Onion as I didn’t have shallots)
Green chillies – 3
Chopped Ginger – 1 tsp
Chopped curry leaves – 2 tsp
Crushed pepper – 1 tsp
Baking Soda – 1/4 tsp
Salt – to taste
Oil – to taste

Method:-

Grind urad dal and salt together adding very little water,into a coarse paste.It would be better if you don’t add water at all.But if you think,your grinder won’t coperate,just add necessary water little by little.
Now add shallots,ginger,curry leaves,pepper and baking soda into the ground paste and mix them together.

Uzhunnu Vada Mixture

Pat your hands with water and make a ball with the paste.Flatten it and make a hole in the center like a doughnut.Wet your hands with water,when ever needed.

Making Uzhunnu vada

Drop the vadas into hot oil and deep fry till golden brown in color.Serve with chutney or Sambar.
(If you’ve accidently added more water while grinding,you can always use Urad dal powder to compensate it.I had even tried Uzhunnu vada with urad dal powder itself,and it came out good ,of course not as perfect as with soaked dal,but you could satisfy your taste buds,with much less effort.And its perfect for other bye products of Uzhunnu Vada,like Dahi Vada,Sambar Vada,Vada Koottu curry etc. )

54 Responses to “Uzhunnu Vada”

  1. jana said

    I have tried this item so many times(3:-) and failed miserably. I will take heart and try again using your recipe. Not hoping for much:-)

    Don’t lose heart..u’ll get it right..Try ,try and try..:))..And where did you fail?Is it in getting the shape?

    Annita 

    • shivjivaikom said

      Don’t lose the heart
      Tips for making good vada are

      First divide the soaked urad dal to two parts. remove two spoons of urad dal form one part and add to the other part. then grind the first part in a mixer with enough water (water must stand one inch above the urad dal level) and add the second part little by little to the grinded batter. Then u will get the required dough.
      Wet the hand each time when you make the vada. Then take the batter using a spoon and put it to your wetted left hand. roll it by passing to the wetted right hand and then again put to the left hand. then make a hime and drop to the oil.

      it is better to make the vada immediately after preparing the batter. Dont left it not more than 1/2 an hour.

      thanks

  2. Reshmi Menon said

    Hi Annita,
    How are you?I am nearly drooling seeing your uzunnuvada post.I m in deep love with these wonderful snack and I was craving for this for a loong time but could never make it well,Now i got the recipe!By the way,tried out your boli,just superb!!Annita can you post some good kidz recipes?

    cheers Reshmi.

    I’m doing good,Rashmi.Happy to hear that boli turned out well for you.Try this one too,whenever you get time..I’ll surely post some kidz recipes.Thanks

    Annita 

  3. sarah said

    Annita: My blender won’t grind without water.. I still make uzhunnuvada..by using a spoon and pouring the batter in to the oil.. I get shapeless vada.. no choice..
    How did you do with the uzunnu podi.. did you keep the batter for a few hours before frying or fried right away?

    Usually i don’t keep it for long.But I think if you can keep it for sometime,it’ll be better..

    Annita 

  4. Susan said

    Hi Annita,
    Tried ur recipe. superb….Well all ur recipes are good also the way u present. Blog is one of my favourite

    Thanks Susan..

    Annita 

  5. giniann said

    I was craving for some vada yesterday and made ulli vada. What a disaster it was.
    We weren’t sure what flour to use. I finally made it with kadalmavu, but that didn’t work? Any suggestions. Your uzhunnu vadas look all crisp. Adding crushed black pepper is new to me.

    ooh,I haven’t preapred Ulli Vada yet,But I too thought , we have to use kadalamavu only..Sorry gini,can’t help u with this one..Can anyone help pls?

    Annita 

  6. shaheen said

    Annita, I want those vadas!!!!The best help of your post is the last para.. I always end up making it a little too wet to shape it nicely.Good idea to use urad flour.

    Yeah..Urad dal flour always helps me too..:)

    Annita 

  7. wow… nice pictures Annita…I am craving for it already..hey btw, instead of using your hands to place the vada’s, I place in zip lock covers and drop it in the oil:) instead of hand I use the covers and it works….

    I haven’t used a cover for it..Will do it in your way next time..Thanks for the info ,Priya.

    Annita

  8. Archana said

    Picture perfect vadas !!!

    Thanks dear..

    Annita 

  9. RP said

    Looks great! I haven’t had these vadas for a long time with coconut chutney. I always make it as dahi vada! I still remember the taste of uzhunnuvada with chutney from hotels. I will try it with your chutney recipe.

    Try it out and let me know whether u liked my chutney ..:)

    Annita 

  10. RP said

    Annita, I grind uzhunnu in a food processor and I don’t have to add any water at all. Do you grind it in a wet grinder? or in a mixie?

    i don’t have a food processer,Rp..So i’m using a mixie only.

    Annita 

  11. Rajalekshmy said

    Annita,
    After unsuccessfully trying to make a “hole” in uzhunnu vada, I finally mastered it. The trick is to have less water in the batter and to use a wet hand each time you shape the vadas. BTW, another question… what do you do with the left-over oil after deep-frying? I don’t want to be stuck with making more deep-fried items to make use of the leftover oil. How do you safely discard the oil that you think you can’t reuse it anymore? Any suggestions from you or the visitors are appreciated.

    Thanks for those tips,rajalekshmy.And with the left-over oil,I usually transfer it into a bottle and use it in my other  curries,so that it will be used only once after that deep fry.I also don’t prefer it to use in more deep frying items. 

    Anyone got any other suggestions ?.

    Annita 

  12. Ann said

    Hi Annita,

    Thanks for the yummy recipes,
    looks very genuine! Couple
    of days back I hv tried ur cream
    cake recipe & it was wonderful.
    Keep going…
    Ann

  13. Daagh said

    Hey Annita
    Wonderful and simple recipe. We will give it a try this weekend and let you know how it turned out :-)

    Thanks Daagh

    Annita

  14. Sreedevi said

    Hi Annita,
    Really thanks 4 ur vada recipe. We never got the figur of vada until we saw ur recipe. And ur other recipes r simple as well as easy methods.
    Regards
    Sreedevi from Bahrain

    Thanks a lot,Sreedevi
    Annita

  15. Priti said

    Hi,
    I was looking to replace my mixie with a food processor, so i could grind daal like you. Can you tell me which food processor u have.

    — priti :)

    Sorry priti..I don’t have a food processor,i’m using Indian type of mixie only..
    Annita

  16. Priti said

    Thanks Annita,
    I guess it was RP’s post saying he/she uses food processor. If you don’t mind which mixie are you using.

    Yeah,RP has a food processor I think.And I use Preeti mixer (yeah..its ur name too..:)) )..I bought it from Internet only..if you are really interested I’ll find out the website for u…
    Annita

  17. Priti said

    thanks annita,
    there is an attachment that goes with my stand mixer, i am going to give that a try :) and try ur vada’s this break.

    Try it out and let me know how it turned out for u,Priti
    Happy X’mas
    Annita

  18. Priti said

    Hey Annita,
    I made these today and they were simply delicious, Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe. :)

    Thanks for letting me know about it,Priti
    Annita

  19. safia said

    hello annita.

    i know i have already told u this before,but its true here also,i have been really looking for this recpie.
    finally got it!
    i make this vada,in my own way,and now that i have finally got the exact recpies,cant wait till i try it..
    and you rightly said,its great during the cold weather…-)

    I’m so delighted to hear these words,Safia.>Do visit me often ..
    Annita

  20. Shubha said

    I have always wanted to try making uzhunnu vada but never could gather the courage to. Tried it after reading your blog and it came out really good for a first timer.Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
    I have a question though…..in my vadas the onions turned darker than the vada itself and spoiled the look a little…any clue how to avoid this.
    Thanks.

  21. rashmi said

    Hi Annita,

    I had tried reaady made mix …but they didnt turn out well…and today i made this….it turned out awesome ..thanks for recipe….

    Cheers
    Rashmi

    Ooh..is it.??I ‘m so happy to hear that,Rashmi..you’re so sweet…:))
    Annita

  22. dhanya said

    just perfect!!!!!tried …turned out very well…thank u very much for this mouthwatering recipe…

    thank you Dhanya
    Annita

  23. Priya said

    Hi Annita:
    I love your blog! I am very new to Indian cooking and I tried this recipe last week…my husband just loved them! In fact, they were such a hit and I’m making it for a party tonight. :) The only thing was, I used a blender and had to use a little too much water..so, I couldn’t get the doughnut shape of the vadas; next time, I’ll use some urad daal flour as you suggested. Thank you so much for your recipes!
    Oh, by the way, I also tried your coconut chutney recipe and added a few curry leaves…it was absolutely perfect!

    Thanks for letting me know about it Priya…
    Annita

  24. Indu said

    Dear Annitta,
    I tried the Uzhunnu vada described here..i dint add water to my uzhunnu but still the mix became a little loose..i could not take it from my hand and put in the oil..I did so much circus to dip the vada from my hand to oil :( what should be the problem? i soaked the uzhunnu for 10 hours..will that be the problem..But the vada tasted well though the shape was alittle wierd :)
    In BTW your way of detailing the recipes with step by step instructions and pictures really impress us..Very nice work Annitta.. :) happy blogging..

    I cannot figure out,what might’ve happened to ur vada,Indu.Usually it wont be watery,if you dont add water to it..As you said,it might be bcoz of the long soaking time..Next time try it out by soaking for just 1 hr…
    Sorry for the late reply
    Annita

  25. kesar hamid said

    Vellayappam…..i always wanted to make this dish but didnt know the recipe . thanks to you now i can make vellayappam paste at home. otherwise i use to buy the mix from the kerala store in hyderabad ,andhrapradesh.

  26. lis said

    hi Annita

    I like your blog and I am a frequent visitor.i tried ur uzhunnuvada recipe and it came out really well.

    Do u’ve any idea how ‘ulli vada’ prepares…..i miss my college canteen…hmmmmmmmmmmm

  27. Thanks for the recipe! It looks amazing. In my Tamil language class we talk about vadai all the time: ‘enakku vadaiyooda sambar romba pidikkum!’ And so after class I’m always hungry for these, but I’ve never made them myself. Looking forward to trying this!

  28. Jubi Thomas said

    Hi Annita…
    How are you? how was ur Onam celebrations?

    As usual i have been trying your receipes.. This time it was Uzhunnu Vada… I could not manage it well… I remember my mom making perfect and tasty ones.. so tried it with your receipes help… Not successful.. I could not make the hole into the vada and just made small balls dropped it into the oil.. however there was a lot of oil in the vada… Why was it? do you know about it?
    Thanks,
    Jubi

    I think you might’ve added the vada to the oil before it gets hot…If you dropped vada into the oil which is not piping hot,it’ll absorb lot of oil..
    And for shaping the vada,use very little water for grinding(infact no water should be added)..the batter has to be thick…Don’t lose heart..practice,practice and practice until u get it right.,..
    Annita

  29. bobby said

    can u make the vada by baking it instead of frying in oil?

    I haven’t think of or even heard of baking uzhunnu vada..But it might work too.,the hard thing will be to maintain the shape.I think it ‘ll spread in the pan..
    Annita

  30. Anila said

    Hi Annita,
    I visited your site first time now… and browsed through your bfast recipes for a start… then moved on to read the comments. Saw a few friends who had to struggle with the vada making. A few of the tips I follow might be useful :
    (1) If the batter is a bit loose, add 1 tbsp roasted rice flour or mashed potato powder. The taste does not change + your vadas stay crisp for longer.
    (2) If the vada batter has turned really loose, then add cooked and well dried normal rice .. you can put the cooked rice in a chopper (yes, chopper) and grind… if needed add a spoonful of the vada batter itself to assist the grinding. The taste will alter a bit and also the vadas may catch a wee bit oil more than the normal ones. But this way you can save the batter from wasting.
    Alternatively, you can pour the loose batter into unniappam chatti and fry out as ‘vada snacks’ (hehe) — my kids enjoyed this with tomato ketchup.

    [the main point to remember is while soaking urud dal… it should be soaked maximum for 1 1/2 hour to 2 hours… otherwise the batter turns loose when grinding].

    Try try and one day you all will have super vadas like those in Annita’s pic. [i am one such failure-turned-success character].

    Regards……

    Thanks again for the tips dear…
    Anila

  31. Sumitha said

    Hi Anita,
    Saw ur recipe.it has been very nicely written.My hubby is very finicky abt having too much oil.Anita can u pls tell me some tip which will help reduce drinking too much of oil in the vadas…?pls help.

  32. Ammu said

    hello Annita,

    im a regular, but silent reader of ur site….i usually try ur recipes and it comes out great for me…yest i tried ur uzhunnu vada recipe….nd it was so good…thankyou so much….if possible can u post kalathappam recipe? its my favourite…nd cant find it anywhere on net….
    thnks once more for ur delicious recipes

    Ammu

  33. sheela said

    hi anita
    my kids lide to eat uzhunnuvada very much
    but it is so sad i couldn’t make it in a propere shape
    whenever i make this the dough is little loose . i make paste with the help of mixie ,i can’t make it properely, i added flour with that , that was little hard
    please advise me some tips to make it nicely

    sheela

  34. Anu said

    hai Annita
    I am a frequent visitor of ur blogs.I tried ur butter chicken,uzhunnu vada and so many other recipes from ur site and all of them turned out to be successful.Thank u so much Annita.keep posting ur blogs .I am really waiting for new ones.

  35. sini said

    hai Annita
    I like ur blog and i tried ur many recepies and came out well.I made uzhunnu vada today. But i add 1 teaspoon rice flour to the batter.came out well.Thanks 4 ur delicious recipies..
    I will try ur chtuney recipies also…
    Thanks a lot

  36. Rajani said

    have passed by your blog before, love your recipes! just how did you manage such perfectly shaped uzhunu wadas? Mine nevercome out well. the batter’s usually runny as hell. will try once more , with your recipe!

  37. Divya said

    Hi Annita
    I was searching for uzhunnu vada recipe and came across your blog . Your blog is really nice with a lot of recipes . I will try one by one and let you know. And in the mean time today i am going to try uzhunnu vada , but i dont have baking powder . Is it possible to make it without baking powder ?

    Thanks for keeping such a wonderful blog !!
    Divya

  38. rekha said

    I tried ur recipe .it turned out great. getting the correct shape was a real problem. Your blog is really nice. eveything looks soooooo yummy n appetizing. keep it up.Thanx alot.

  39. karen said

    I have tried the u.vadas. They turned out just great! Thanks
    As for the sambar, I will try your receipe and let you know

  40. Rekha said

    Hi,
    Very interesting recipe. But I have one question..why do you need to add baking soda?

    Great work!!

    Thanks,
    Rekha

  41. Alloka said

    Hi Annitha

    I made uzhunnu vada for the first time using your recipe..what can i say..it was perfect…my husband and my brother loved it..my husband told me to make it every week..Thank your amazing recipe…

  42. Alloka said

    Thank you for your amazing recipe…

  43. Binu said

    Tried this, and it turned out really well…Good work!!!

  44. Anu said

    Superb superb superb!!!

    I tried this out with your recipe. It came out really good. Nowadays, I often prepare this.

    Thanks.

  45. we use a national panasonic food processor and this seems to be a bang for the buck-*:

  46. ethra vada kittum approximately, ee 2 cup urad dal kondu ?

  47. helen said

    Anita, as u said, i tried uzhunnuvada twice,it’s shape,taste was good. Only problem is vada was hard. I soaked the dal for 2 hrs.pls help me for this-Helen

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  49. Vi said

    what makes the vada rise. Is it the baking soda? Also do you add asofetida?

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