Vada can vary in size and shape, but are similar to the Western doughnut; however, the Indian vada is spicy rather than sweet.

Mashed or diced potatoes and/or lentils are seasoned — sometimes sauteed — then shaped, covered in a gram flour batter and deep-fried. Although battered and deep-fried, the finished product should not be too oily if prepared correctly, since steam build-up within the vada pushes all oil away from within the vada.

Other varieties of vada

• Maddur vada, made with onion and without the hole in the middle, is a specialty of Karnataka.
• Uddina Vada, made with Urad dal, a common street food in Karnataka.
• Perugu Vada (పెరుగు వడ - Telugu) / Thayir vadai (தயிர் வடை - Tamil)/ Thairu Vada (തൈരുവട - Malayalam) / Dahi Vada ( दही वडा- Hindi) , made by serving the vada in a mix of yoghurt and spices).
• Vengaaya vadai (Hindi Pyaz vada), made with onion).
• Paruppu vadai, made with toor dal and shaped roughly like a patty - this is also called aamai vadai.
• Masala vada, a softer less crisp vada.
• Rava vada, vada made of semolina.
• Bonda, or Batata vada, made with potatoes, garlic and spices coated with lentil paste and fried; this form is used in vada pav.
• Sabudana vada is another variety of vadai popular in Maharashtra, made from Pearl Sago.
• Aamai vadai (turtle-vadai), prepared using lentils (a mixture of ground and unground lentils), and is flat with no hole in the middle, commonly made in Tamil Nadu.
• Vada pav, A vada served in a bun (known as a pav) with chutney is known as a vada pav, a common street food in Maharashtra.

See also

• Fried dough foods
• Hushpuppy, a similar dish of the American South

External links

• Various varieties of Vadai
• One Page Cookbook - Vada