 Medu vadas served with coconut chutney | |
| Alternative names | wada, vade, vadai, bara |
|---|---|
| Course | breakfast,snack |
| Place of origin | India |
| Region or state | India,Sri Lanka,Pakistan,Bangladesh,Singapore,Malaysia,Myanmar,Trinidad and Tobago,Guyana,Suriname,South Africa,[1]Mauritius,Fiji |
| Similar dishes | Burmese fritters |
Vada[a] is a category of savoury friedsnacks native to India. Vadas can be described variously asfritters,cutlets, ordumplings.[2][3] Vadas are sometimes stuffed with vegetables and traditionally served withchutneys andsambar.
InNorth India andPakistan,bhalla is a similar food. It is sold inchaat shops and kiosks; green bean paste is added with spices, which is then deep-fried to make croquettes. They are then garnished withdahi (yogurt),saunthchutney (dried ginger and tamarind sauce) and spices. Bhalla is usually served cold, unlike thealoo tikki.
The various types of vadas are made from different ingredients, ranging fromlegumes (such asmedu vada of South India) topotatoes (such asbatata vada ofMaharashtra). They are often served as a breakfast item or a snack, and also used in other food preparations (such asdahi vada,vada pav, anddoubles).
According toK. T. Achaya, Vadai (Vada) finds mention inSangam literature during 100 BCE – 300 CE.[4] A type of vada is mentioned as "vataka" inManasollasa, a 12th-century Sanskrit encyclopedia compiled bySomeshvara III, who ruled from present-dayKarnataka. In this recipe, mung beans are soaked, de-skinned, and ground to a paste. The paste is shaped into balls and deep-fried.[5] Early literature from the present-day states ofBihar andUttar Pradesh also mentionsbara (vada) andmungaura (a vada made frommung).[6]
Many immigrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar migrated to places such asTrinidad and Tobago,Guyana,Suriname,South Africa,[1]Mauritius, andFiji in the mid-19th century to the early 20th century asindentured laborers. Bara became an important part of the Indian cuisine in these countries. In Trinidad and Tobago, bara became a component of one of their most famous street foods, calleddoubles. Doubles is served with two baras filled with curried channa and topped with variouschutneys or achars.[7][8] Many South Indians also migrated to these countries and brought their version of vada. For example, in Guyana it is known as Madrasi bara or waday to distinguish it from the North Indian bara.
Vada may be made fromlegumes,sago orpotatoes. Commonly used legumes includepigeon pea,chickpea,black gram andgreen gram. Vegetables and other ingredients are added to improve taste andnutritive value.[9]
For legume-based vadas, the legumes (dal) are soaked with water, and then ground to abatter. The batter is thenseasoned with other ingredients, such ascumin seeds,onion,curry leaves (sometimes previouslysauteed), salt,chillies orblack pepper grains. Oftenginger andbaking soda are added to the seasoning in shops to increase the fluffy texture and improve fermentation for large batches. The mixture is then shaped anddeep-fried, resulting in vadas with a crispy skin and fluffy centre. The preparation ofkalmi vadas involves cutting the resulting product into pieces and re-frying them.[9]
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| Nutritional value per 2 pieces (58 gm) | |||||||||||||
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| Energy | 795 kJ (190 kcal) | ||||||||||||
18 | |||||||||||||
| Dietary fiber | 5 g | ||||||||||||
11 g | |||||||||||||
| Saturated | 4 g | ||||||||||||
4 g | |||||||||||||
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Source:[10] | |||||||||||||
| †Percentages estimated usingUS recommendations for adults.[11] | |||||||||||||
The various types of vadas include:
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