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Sambar Vada

Serves 4
60 mins
360 Kcal
Sambar vada is one South Indian dish that personifies how crispy vadas have to complement the rich goodness of sambar. It is a tasty, flavourful snack or breakfast dish people love for its appetizing contrast between flavours and textures. Sambar vada recipe comprises deep-fried lentil doughnuts drenched in spicy, tangy, peppery, and slightly sweet lentil soup. Sambar vada is prepared after soaking urad dal black gram for some hours and then grounding it with spices like green chillies, ginger, and cumin into a smooth batter. Shape the same into small circular vadas with a hole in the centre and deep fry until golden brown and crispy. Meanwhile, get some sambar by cooking toor dal-split pigeon peas with drumsticks, carrots, and tomatoes, seasoned with a mixed spice powder plus tamarind for its characteristic tang. The recipe of sambar vada is rather pronounced when the crispy vadas are served immersed in the hot, aromatic sambar, garnished with fresh coriander and a sprinkle of spicy chutney. Enjoy it with coconut chutney as its refreshing accomplice. "Sambar vada" is not a dish; it's the feeling of being warmed by generous Indian hospitality and the pleasure of eating something deliciously flavoured. You need to munch on this during breakfast, lunch, or simply as a snack if you are aching for something that tastes like South Indian stuff!

Ingredients required for Sambar Vada

  1. 200 gms urad dal
  2. 100 gms arhar dal
  3. Tamarind
  4. 1 tbsp sambar powder
  5. 1 tsp mustard seeds
  6. Coriander leaves
  7. 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  8. 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  9. 1 onion
  10. Cooking oil
  11. Curry leaves
  12. 1 pinch hing
  13. 1 green chilli
  14. As per taste salt
  15. 2 tomato

Cooking steps for Sambar Vada

  1. 1
    To make a delicious plate of sambar vada, start with soaking 200 gms of urad dal or split black gram in water for 4-5 hours.
  2. 2
    Soaking makes the dal soft and easy to grind into a smooth paste.
  3. 3
    Once it is well soaked, drain out all the water from it and then transfer the dal to a grinder.
  4. 4
    Add a little water and grind to the smoothiest and fluffiest state.
  5. 5
    The consistency should hold its shape when fried. Once the paste is ready, add salt to your taste and mix.
  6. 6
    Then keep the batter aside for some time to allow flavours to come out.
  7. 7
    After that, heat oil in a deep frying pan to prepare vadas.
  8. 8
    The oil needs to be hot enough for deep frying but should not smoke.
  9. 9
    To shape the vadas, wet your hands with water (this prevents the batter from sticking to your hands), take a small portion of the urad dal paste, and shape it into a round disc.
  10. 10
    Then, make a small hole in the centre to give it the signature "vada" shape.
  11. 11
    Put the vadas in the hot oil lightly without overcrowding the pan.
  12. 12
    Fry the vadas till they turn golden brown and crispy on the outside, and flip them in between to ensure that they cook nicely.
  13. 13
    Once the frying is done, remove the vadas from the oil and drain the excess oil on paper towels.
  14. 14
    Do this process for the rest of the batters and keep the fried vadas separately.
  15. 15
    Now, let's get to making the sambar, that flavourful lentil-based curry nice with the vadas.
  16. 16
    Firstly, heat 100 gms of toor dal along with 500 ml of water in a pressure cooker.
  17. 17
    A quarter teaspoon of turmeric powder and an asafoetida should also be added. The dal should come soft and mushy after 3 to 4 whistles. Once the dal is cooked, mash it thoroughly and set it aside.
  18. 18
    Heat oil in another pan; add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and a pinch of asafoetida. After adding all the spices, allow the seeds to splutter in the hot oil; this brings out their nutty aroma.
  19. 19
    Add chopped onion, chopped tomatoes, one chopped green chilli, and curry leaves in a pan.
  20. 20
    Saut the mixture till the onions change to a light pink colour and the tomatoes are mushy, giving a good flavour base to the sambar.
  21. 21
    Once the onions and tomatoes are saut ed, add one tablespoon of sambar powder, 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric powder, and salt to taste.
  22. 22
    Add the spice mix, stir, and roast for 2 to 3 minutes as flavours get infused.
  23. 23
    Add the mashing of toor dal along with 500 ml of water and a small piece of tamarind soaked in water. Let the juice extracted from the pulp remain. Bring it to a boil, then let it simmer for 10-15 minutes.
  24. 24
    That cooks all the flavours into it, and with tamarind, the tanginess hits your taste buds.
  25. 25
    Fry the vadas. Serve it generously in a serving dish with hot sambar poured over them, and garnish with fresh coriander leaves to add freshness.
  26. 26
    Traditionally, it is served with coconut chutney on the side. That is a creamy addition with a good mildly sweet contrast to the sour sambar and crisp vadas.
  27. 27
    Enjoy the flavour combination of the soft, crispy vadas while immersed in warm, rich aromatic sambar for a filling meal.

Shop Ingredients

Curry Leaves
42
1
40
1
Tomato (2)
39
1
47
1
Sambar Powder (1 Tbsp)
80
1
136
1
92
1
53
1
137
1
136
1
29
1
76
1
38
1
72
1
Mustard Seeds (1 Tsp)
22
1
33
1
26
1
32
1
35
1
19
1
25
1
25
1
50
1
41
1
Arhar Dal (100 gms)
273
1
144
1
113
1
209
1
235
1
112
1
182
1
433
1
230
1
199
1
Salt (as per taste)
27
1
21
1
22
1
50
1
107
1
56
1
99
1
47
1
76
1
75
1
Onion (1)
48
1
37
1
91
1
130
1
60
1
Hing (1 pinch)
57
1
96
1
182
1
92
1
118
1
71
1
91
1
110
1
126
1
55
1
Cumin Seeds (1/2 Tsp)
60
1
241
1
105
1
150
1
90
1
175
1
84
1
226
1
100
1
140
1
Turmeric Powder (1/2 Tsp)
65
1
113
1
220
1
Tamarind
128
1
186
1
152
1
80
1
95
1
140
1
136
1
240
1
248
1
281
1
Cooking Oil
175
1
172
1
161
1
137
1
148
1
150
1
291
1
141
1
730
1
241
1
Urad Dal (200 gms)
159
1
98
1
110
1
230
1
149
1
88
1
114
1
177
1
107
1
86
1

FAQs

How can I get vadas crispy on the outside and soft in the centre?

Soft but crispy vadas all lie in the consistency of the batter. Grind soaked urad dal to a thick, smooth batter without adding too much water. The batter should be fluffy and light. This will puff up while frying in oil. Even a pinch of baking soda can help. Wet your hands before shaping the vadas so that they do not stick. Fry them in medium-hot oil. If it's too hot, the vadas will get brown on the outside too quickly and remain undercooked in the interior. Deep-fry until golden and crispy.

Are there easier/healthier ways to make Sambar Vada?

Yes, you can. You can air-fry or bake them instead of deep-frying, so you cut the quantity of oil. Add chopped vegetables like grated carrots, spinach, and chopped curry leaves to the batter for nutritional value. Not forgetting, sambar contains the protein and fibre from the lentils and vegetables, so this is a very healthy dish. In other words, you retain the flavour of the dish but reduce its fat and calorie content by dipping the baked vadas in sambar.

How is Sambar Vada served traditionally?

The traditional way of serving Sambar Vada is to drown it with crispy hot vadas in hot, freshly prepared sambar. The sambar flavours get well absorbed by the soft and spongy hot vadas. They are said to be placed in bowls or plates, leaving room for the vada to sit in a pool of sambar. Some people like it crisper, and the vadas may be served on the side with sambar poured over them when the dish is about to be consumed. Coconut chutney is usually served along with it as a complement that adds creaminess to the fiery, spicy, and tangy sambar. It can be taken as a snack, as breakfast, or even as a light meal.