Perugu vada - a popular South Indian dish made from lentil fritters soaked in creamy seasoned yogurt.
It is also termed perugu garelu, thayir vadai, dahi vada, mosaru vade, curd vada. Perfect as a filling snack and to serve guests on special occasions.
Perugu vada makes a fabulous addition to summer meals. Although vadas are deep fried, the chilled yogurt and the soft vadas are comforting and soothing on scorching hot days.
First, the seasoned yogurt is prepared and then the fried medu vadas are dipped in yogurt and chilled in the fridge until ready to serve. Unlike plain medu vada, herbs and spices are not added to vada batter. The batter is mixed with just salt and vadas are prepared.
Jump to:
Ingredients
For Vada
- Urad dal, water, salt and oil to deep fry.
For Seasoned Yogurt
- Plain full fat yogurt, water, oil, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dried red chillies, green chillies, asafoetida/hing, fresh ginger, salt and turmeric powder.
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to make curd vadas?
Wash the urad dal thoroughly and soak it in water for about 4-6 hours.
Drain the soaked dal and put it in a mixer jar.
Grind it into a thick and fluffy batter with very little water. While grinding, add 2 tablespoons of water at a time.
Add salt and mix batter well, and whip it with your hands for two to three minutes in the same direction to incorporate air.
Now place yogurt in a bowl, add water and whisk until it is smooth and lumpfree.
In a small pan, heat the oil over medium heat.
Once oil is hot, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Stir well and let them crackle.
Now add red chillies followed by grated ginger, chopped green chillies and asafoetida.
Cook it for a minute and then add turmeric powder.
Switch the heat off and add the seasoning to the whisked yogurt.
Add the salt and finely chopped coriander leaves now, and stir everything together thoroughly until the yogurt is well combined with seasoning.
Set it aside to use later.
In a deep pan or kadai, heat the oil over medium heat.
Wet your hand with water placed in a bowl.
Take a small portion of the batter and place it on your fingers.
Using your thumb, flatten it slightly to form a round disc, then make a hole in the center (similar to donut).
Carefully slide the vada from your fingers into the hot oil.
Repeat the process of shaping vadas and slide them in oil.
Fry them in batches and avoid overcrowding the pan.
Fry until both sides are golden brown. To ensure that both sides brown evenly, carefully flip them a couple of times with a slotted spoon.
When the vadas are crisp and golden brown, take them out of the pan and set them aside on a plate.
After removing a batch of deep-fried vadas, put them in a bowl of lukewarm water.
Soak vadas in water for only a minute and gently squeeze the water out of each vada either with a tong or between your palms.
Now, gently put them in a seasoned yogurt sauce bowl using a tong.
Ensure to handle gently and not break the vadas.
Before serving, arrange perugu vadalu on a serving plate and top them with grated carrot and chopped coriander leaves.
Storage
Fridge: Curd vadas are best consumed the day they are prepared. However, you can store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container. Use it up in 2 days.
Batter: The vada batter can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Make sure to use it up within 3 days as it turns sour later.
Tips and Tricks
Grinding Batter: To make a thick and fluffy batter, grind the soaked urad dal using very little water. If you add too much water, the batter gets runny and becomes difficult to shape into vadas. Add water gradually and 1 or 2 tablespoons at a time while grinding the batter.
Consistency of Batter: The batter for medu vadas should be airy, light, and smooth. To test the consistency, drop a small amount of batter into a bowl of water and it should float.
Aeration of Batter: Before shaping the vadas, whip the batter for a few minutes to incorporate air, which is required to make the vadas fluffy. Ensure to whip in the same direction.
Shaping Vadas: before shaping each vada wet your hands by dipping in a bowl of water . Wetting your hands with water prevents the batter from sticking to your hands and helps shape medu vada smooth and round.
Oil Temperature: Maintain a consistent oil temperature. The oil should be hot but not smoking. If the oil is too hot, the vadas may turn brown on the outside but stay uncooked on the inside. If the oil is not hot enough, the vadas tend to absorb excessive amounts of oil.
Deep Frying: Gently slide the shaped vadas into the hot oil. Do not overcrowd the pan, as it will be difficult to flip vadas. Fry them in batches.
Yogurt: Use full-fat yogurt. You can use either fresh homemade or store-bought yogurt, just make sure it is well within its expiry date and not too sour.
Chilling: Before serving, let the assembled curd vadas sit in the fridge for at least an hour. The flavours are enhanced and the vadas are better able to absorb the yogurt mixture when they are chilled.
Soak Vada in Water: Soak vadas for just a minute in lukewarm water. Carefully remove each vada from the water and squeeze gently either with a tong or between your palms to remove excess water. Make sure to press gently so you don't break it.
FAQ
Of course, you can use low-fat yogurt as long as it doesn't have a sour taste.
Indeed, soaking in water makes vada softer and better able to absorb seasoned yogurt.
Related
Looking for other south Indian recipes? Try these:
More South Indian Dishes
KEEP IN TOUCH
Do let me know if you try this delicious perugu vada recipe. If you like this recipe kindly consider rating it using stars in the comment section or on the recipe card to help more people find this recipe online. You can stay up to date by following me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram or subscribing to my Youtube channel. Or why not subscribe to my blog and get simple recipes straight to your inbox?
Digital
Meal Planner
Your key to stress-free and nutritious meal planning! Efficiently organise and plan your meals, manage your grocery list and maintain a balanced and healthy diet for your whole family with this meal planner.
📖 Recipe Card
Perugu Vada (Curd Vada)
Equipment
- 1 Heavy Bottom Steel Pan
- 1 Slotted Spoon
- 1 Mixing Bowl
- 1 Mixer Grinder
- 1 Small frying pan
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Big Bowl
- 1 Blender/Whisk
Ingredients
1 Cup = 250ml ; 1 Tablespoon = 15ml ; 1 Teaspoon = 5ml
To make vadas
- 1.5 Cups Urad Dal
- 5-6 Tablespoons Water
- Oil to deep fry
- Salt as required
For seasoned yogurt
- 1 Teaspoon Oil
- ½ Teaspoon Mustard Seeds
- ½ Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- a pinch Asafoetida
- 3 small Dried Red Chillies
- ½ inch Fresh Ginger washed, peeled and grated
- 1 Green Chilli washed and finely chopped
- a pinch Turmeric
- Salt as required
- 10- 12 sprigs (or) half bunch Fresh Coriander Leaves washed and finely chopped
- 2 Cups Full fat plain yogurt
- ¾ Cup Water adjust to get desired consistency
Instructions
- Wash the urad dal thoroughly and soak it in water for about 4-6 hours.1.5 Cups Urad Dal
- Drain the soaked dal and put it in a mixer jar. Grind it into a thick and fluffy batter with very little water. While grinding, add 2 tablespoons of water at a time.5-6 Tablespoons Water
- Add salt and mix batter well, and whip it with your hands for two to three minutes in the same direction to incorporate air.Salt
- Now place yogurt in a bowl, add water and whisk until it is smooth and lumpfree.2 Cups Full fat plain yogurt, ¾ Cup Water
- In a small pan, heat the oil over medium heat.1 Teaspoon Oil
- Once oil is hot, add mustard and cumin. Stir well and let them crackle.½ Teaspoon Mustard Seeds, ½ Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- Now add red chillies followed by grated ginger, chopped green chillies and asafoetida.3 small Dried Red Chillies, ½ inch Fresh Ginger, 1 Green Chilli, a pinch Asafoetida
- Cook it for a minute and then add turmeric powder.a pinch Turmeric
- Switch the heat off and add the seasoning to the whisked yogurt.
- Add the salt and coriander leaves now, and stir everything together thoroughly until the yogurt is well combined with seasoning.Salt, 10- 12 sprigs (or) half bunch Fresh Coriander Leaves
- Set it aside to use later.
- In a deep pan or kadai, heat the oil over medium heat.Oil
- Wet your hand with water placed in a bowl.
- Take a small portion of the batter and place it on your fingers. Using your thumb, flatten it slightly to form a round disc, then make a hole in the centre (similar to donut).
- Carefully slide the vada from your fingers into the hot oil.
- Repeat the process of shaping vadas and slide them in oil. Fry them in batches and avoid overcrowding the pan.
- Fry until both sides are golden brown. To ensure that both sides brown evenly, carefully flip them a couple of times with a slotted spoon.
- When the vadas are crisp and golden brown, take them out of the pan and set aside in a plate.
- Shape and fry the vadas in batches using the same method.
- After removing a batch of vadas, put them in a bowl of luke warm water.
- Soak vadas in water for only a minute and gently transfer them from the water bowl to the seasoned yogurt bowl using a tong. Ensure to handle gently and not break the vadas.
Notes
Nutrition
Welcome to Flavours Treat. I share vegetarian recipes made with wholesome, mostly fresh ingredients. Every recipe has easy-to-follow instructions with process shots (detailed step-wise pictures), a short video and lots of tips to help your cooking journey. Read more
Leave a Reply