Aval Vadai | Poha Vada
Aval Vadai or Poha Vada is an instant crunchy vada made using flattened rice or poha, rice flour, onions and some basic pantry ingredients
Ingredients
- 2½ cups Aval or Poha (Flattened Rice) medium thin variant
- ¼ cup Rice Flour
- 2 tbsp Curd
- 2 tbsp Gram Flour or Besan
- 1 Onion roughly chopped
- 3-4 tbsp Coconut Pieces finely chopped
- 2 Green Chillies finely chopped
- 1 inch Ginger grated
- 3-4 sprig Curry Leaves finely chopped
- 4-5 tbsp Coriander Leaves finely chopped
- ¼ tsp Asafoetida
- 1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
- Salt to taste
- Oil for deep frying
Instructions
- Rinse and wash poha or aval in a colander twice or thrice. Let the poha rest in the colander for 2 to 3 minutes till it fluffs up.
- The poha should be soft and fluffy now. You should be able to easily mash it between your fingers. Make sure that there is no excess water.
- Transfer the soaked poha to a mixing bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients except oil.
- Knead the ingredients by applying mild pressure to bind everything together to a dough. Try not to add water and just sprinkle few drops if required. Let the poha retain it's structure and do not make it too mushy.
- The dough is ready when you are able to roll balls out of it.
- To shape the vadai, with clean hands take a small portion and roll into a ball first.
- Then flatten it between your palms
- Continue shaping all the vadai with the remaining dough.
- Heat oil in a kadai. Lower the flame and drop the vadai in hot oil one by one. Make sure to cook the vadai in medium heat.
- Once the vadai changes colour, flip them and continue to cook on medium flame.
- Drain the vadai on to a paper towel once the vadai turns golden brown.
- Continue cooking the remaining vadai. Serve hot with chutney of your choice.
Video
Notes
- I have used medium thin poha or aval which is used for making 'Poha' or 'Aval Upma'. This requires minimal time for soaking. If you are using thick variant, soak a bit longer till it becomes soft.
- Soak the poha in a colander, so that there is no excess water. If the poha has excess water, the dough will become mushy and sticky and not shape well.
- Addition of rice flour makes the vadai crunchy. However do not add in excess of the ratio given above, as the vada could turn brittle and hard.
- This vadai tastes best with onions added, however if you do not consume onion, you can replace it with cabbage.
- Make sure to chop the onions slightly big as they tend to turn brown in this vadai.
- Cook the vadai on a constant medium flame to get crunchy vadai.
- This vadai stays crisp and crunchy for longer than Paruppu or Masala Vadai
- You can also add some garlic and fennel seeds to the vada to make it like Masala Vadai.