Garelu (Vada)

Garelu or vada is a deep fried lentil based Doughnut or a regular deep fried  dal mixture.This is  basically a typical south Indian breakfast.Whenever I make these at home we consume them just like that ,cause of  their crispyness .You can serve them with any chutney of your choice.The best part of Vadas is there is no need of fermenting so we can prepare them the same day........except for the oil used to fry them.....:(

Ingredients:

Urad dal                   1 cup
Water                        To soak
Onion                        1small   finely chopped
Curry leaves              1 sprig  roughly chopped
Coriander Leaves      few finely chopped
Green chillies             2 -3  finely chopped(optional)


Method:

Soak Urad dal in enough water for 3 to 4 hours or over night.Grind the dal with salt as per  taste into a fine paste by adding very little water at a time.The paste should not be very watery.

Heat oil in a kadai.As the oil gets hot on medium heat,at this point you can use the paste as itself or add finely chopped onions,curry leaves,coriander leaves  and green chillies(optinal)  and mix well .Now take a small ball of the paste in the palm of  your hands and flatten it evenly and make a hole in the centre  with your finger and drop it slowly into oil and  fry it  on medium heat.

Initially the vadas reach the bottom of the pan but rise up to the surface in few minutes.Fry Until the vadas turn out Golden brown and crisp.Remove from the oil and place them on a paper towel to remove excess oil.Serve them as it is or with any chutney of your choice or Tomato Ketchup.

Note:

• When you mix the paste with onions,curry leaves and coriander it is better to use a fork and mix well for airation in the paste,so that the vadas turn out crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.
• The oil should be perfectly hot and ready.We can check this by adding a small ball of the paste into the oil and see that it rises to the surface.
• Do not use lot of water  to make the paste as the vada will not be able to regain its shape when dropped in the oil.
• You can also add finely chopped Ginger in the paste .I generally don't prefer for my kids sake....:)