Deep-fried savoury lentil fritters, either flat and spicy with onion and curry leaf, or doughnut-shaped and soft. Sold as a vadai set in Little India, a defining street snack paired with thosai and prata at Indian-Muslim stalls.
Vadai is a defining Little India street snack, frequently paired with thosai and prata at Singapore Indian-Muslim and Tamil stalls. Deep-fried savoury lentil fritters come in two main forms: masala vadai (flat, spicy, with chopped onion and curry leaf, made from chana dal) and ulundhu vadai (doughnut-shaped, softer, made from urad dal). Sold as a vadai set in Little India, it is a foundational snack of the Singapore South-Indian and Tamil-Muslim food culture.
Crisp-edged, soft-centred, intensely savoury lentil fritters with the bite of onion and the perfume of curry leaf, the doughnut version spongy inside. Eaten hot with coconut chutney, they are crisp, spicy and the Little India snack.
For masala vadai, chana dal (split chickpeas) is soaked, ground coarse (not to a paste) with chilli, onion and curry leaf, formed into flat patties and deep-fried so they stay grainy and crisp. For ulundhu vadai, urad dal is ground to a fluffy paste, shaped into a doughnut, and fried so the inside stays spongy. The coarse grind for masala and the fluffy paste for ulundhu are the two techniques; over-grinding masala makes it heavy.
Variations
A spicier version adds more green chilli. Some add whole peppercorns.
On the Palate
Where Vadai Singapore sits in the Singaporean flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 6How it's made
6 steps · 25 min
- 16 min
Soak 250g chana dal in water 4 hours; drain.
- 26 min
Grind the dal coarse (not smooth) with 2 green chillies, 1 sprig curry leaves, 1 tsp salt and a little water.
Watch outGrind the chana dal coarse, not to a paste — over-grinding makes the vadai heavy and dense instead of grainy and crisp.
- 34 min
Stir in 1 chopped onion and 2 tbsp chopped coriander.
- 48 min
Heat oil to 175C; form flat patties on a wet palm; slide into the oil; fry 4 minutes each side until golden and crisp.
Watch outFry at a steady 175 until golden and crisp through — too cool an oil and they soak up grease and stay soft.
- 53 min
Drain on paper.
- 63 min
Serve hot with coconut chutney.
