Medu Vada

Ingredients

• 250g whole skinless urad dal
• 2.5cm piece ginger, finely chopped
• 2 green chillies, finely chopped
• 1 tsp whole black peppercorns, lightly crushed
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 15 fresh curry leaves, shredded
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
• 1 small onion, finely chopped (optional)
• 1.25 tsp fine salt
• 1 litre sunflower oil, for deep-frying

Before you cook

• Rinse the urad dal in three changes of water, then cover generously with cold water and soak for 2 hours.
• Finely chop the ginger, green chillies, coriander and onion, and shred the curry leaves.
• Crush the peppercorns coarsely in a mortar.

Steps

1. Drain the dal thoroughly in a sieve and shake off as much water as you can. A wet batter is the single biggest cause of flat, greasy vada.
2. Grind the dal in a wet grinder or food processor, adding cold water only a tablespoon at a time, until you have a stiff, fluffy white batter. Use no more than 80ml of water in total.
3. Test the batter by dropping a small blob into a glass of water. It should float to the surface within a few seconds. If it sinks, beat the batter hard with your hand or a spatula for 3 minutes to whip in more air and test again.
4. Fold in the ginger, chillies, crushed pepper, cumin, curry leaves, coriander, onion and salt with a light hand.
5. Pour the oil into a deep, heavy pan to a depth of about 6cm and heat it to 175C. A pinch of batter dropped in should rise and sizzle steadily rather than brown instantly.
6. Wet your palm with cold water and place a golf-ball-sized lump of batter on it.
7. Flatten the lump gently to a 7cm disc and pierce a hole through the middle with a wet thumb.
8. Slide the vada off your palm into the oil, working from the edge of the pan so it does not splash.
9. Fry three or four at a time for about 4 minutes, turning once, until they are a deep even gold and the bubbling has quietened.
10. Lift them out with a slotted spoon and drain on a rack rather than paper, so the undersides stay crisp.
11. Shape and fry the rest of the batter in the same way, letting the oil come back up to temperature between batches.
12. Serve the vada hot, with coconut chutney and a bowl of sambar for dunking.