Vada (food)

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Vada
Medu Vadas.JPG
Medu vadas served with coconut chutney
Alternative nameswada, vade, vadai, bara
Course breakfast, snack
Place of origin India
Region or state India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar, Trinidad and Tobago, [1] Guyana, [2] Suriname, [3] South Africa, [4] Mauritius, [5] Fiji [6]
Similar dishes Burmese fritters

Vada, vadai, wada, bara, or bora is a category of savoury fried snacks native to India. Vadas can be described variously as fritters, cutlets, or dumplings. [7] [8] Vadas are sometimes stuffed with vegetables and traditionally served with chutneys and sambar.

Contents

In North India and Pakistan, Bhalla is a similar food. It is sold in chaat shops and kiosks; Green bean paste is added with spices, which is then deep fried to make croquets. They are then garnished with dahi (yogurt), Saunth chutney (dried ginger and tamarind sauce) and spices. Bhalla is usually served cold, unlike the Aloo Tikki.

The various types of vadas are made from different ingredients, ranging from legumes (such as medu vada of South India) to potatoes (such as batata vada of Maharashtra). They are often served as a breakfast item or a snack, and also used in other food preparations (such as dahi vada, vada pav, and doubles).

History

According to K. T. Achaya, Vadai (Vada) finds mention in Sangam literature during 100 BCE – 300 CE. [9] A type of vada is mentioned as "vataka" in Manasollasa , a 12th-century Sanskrit encyclopedia compiled by Someshvara III, who ruled from present-day Karnataka. In this recipe, mung beans are soaked, de-skinned, and ground to a paste. The paste is shaped into balls and deep-fried. Early literature from the present-day states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh also mentions bara (vada) and mungaura (a vada made from mung). [10]

Many immigrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar migrated to places such as Trinidad and Tobago, [1] Guyana, [2] Suriname, [3] South Africa, [4] Mauritius, [5] and Fiji [6] in the mid-19th century to the early 20th century as indentured laborers. Bara became an important part of the Indian cuisine in these countries. In Trinidad and Tobago, bara became a component of one of their most famous street foods called doubles. Doubles is served with two baras filled with curried channa and topped with various chutneys or achars. [11] [12] Many South Indians also migrated to these countries and brought their version of vada. For example, in Guyana it is known as Madrasi bara or waday to distinguish it from the North Indian bara.

Preparation

Medu vada being deep-fried in oil Vada food 2.jpg
Medu vada being deep-fried in oil

Vada may be made from legumes, sago or potatoes. Commonly used legumes include pigeon pea, chickpea, black gram and green gram. Vegetables and other ingredients are added to improve taste and nutritive value. [13]

For legume-based vadas, the legumes (dal) are soaked with water, and then ground to a batter. The batter is then seasoned with other ingredients, such as cumin seeds, onion, curry leaves (sometimes previously sauteed), salt, chillies or black pepper grains. Often ginger and baking soda are added to the seasoning in shops to increase the fluffy texture and improve fermentation for large batches. The mixture is then shaped and deep-fried, resulting in vadas with a crispy skin and fluffy centre. The preparation of kalmi vadas involves cutting the resulting product into pieces and re-frying them. [13]

Serving

Vadas are often eaten as snacks or as an accompaniment to another dish. In restaurants, they can be ordered as an à la carte item, but are not the main course. They are preferably eaten freshly fried, while still hot and crunchy. They are served with a variety of dips including sambar, watery or dry chutneys and dahi (yogurt, often called "curd" in Indian English).

Medu vadas are typically served along with a main course such as dosa, idli, or pongal. Sambar and coconut chutneys are the standard accompaniments for medu vadas.

Varieties

Medu Vada
Nutritional value per 2 pieces (58 gm)
Energy 795 kJ (190 kcal)
18
Dietary fiber 5 g
Fat
11 g
Saturated 4 g
4 g
Vitamins and minerals
Minerals Quantity
%DV†
Sodium
13%
306 mg
Source: [14]
†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults, [15] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies. [16]

The various types of vadas include:

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medu vada</span> Deep-fried Indian food item

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dahibara aludam</span> Local snack in Odisha.

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References

  1. 1 2 "Doubles (As Trini as You Can Get)". 25 September 2009.
  2. 1 2 "Guyanese Style Bara Recipe – Vegan Indian Fritter". Caribbean Style Recipes. 20 April 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  3. 1 2 "Bara" . Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  4. 1 2 Mesthrie, Rajend (14 September 2018). Language in Indenture: A Sociolinguistic History of Bhojpuri-Hindi in South Africa. Routledge. ISBN   9780429785788 . Retrieved 3 October 2019– via Google Books.
  5. 1 2 "Mauritius: Bhajas". 196 flavors. 6 January 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  6. 1 2 "Fiji Indian Hot & Spicy Bara Recipe". 9 December 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  7. ↑ Andrea Nguyen (2011). Asian Dumplings. Ten Speed Press. p. 3. ISBN   9781607740926.
  8. ↑ V. K. Joshi, ed. (2016). Indigenous Fermented Foods of South Asia. CRC Press. p. 401. ISBN   9781439887905.
  9. ↑ "The Hindu : Sci Tech / Speaking Of Science : Changes in the Indian menu over the ages". hinduonnet.com. Archived from the original on 14 October 2007. Retrieved 26 July 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  10. ↑ K.T. Achaya (2003). The Story of Our Food. Universities Press. pp. 84–85. ISBN   978-81-7371-293-7.
  11. ↑ post. "History of doubles". M.facebook.com. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  12. 1 2 Mohan, Neki (28 June 2015). "Street food of Trinidad, Tobago gains popularity worldwide". WPLG. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  13. 1 2 Usha Raina; et al., eds. (2001). Basic Food Preparation (3rd ed.). Orient Blackswan. pp. 294–295. ISBN   9788125023005.
  14. ↑ "Calories in Saravana Bhavan Vada and Nutrition Facts". fatsecret.co.in. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  15. ↑ United States Food and Drug Administration (2024). "Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels". FDA. Archived from the original on 27 March 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  16. ↑ National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Health and Medicine Division; Food and Nutrition Board; Committee to Review the Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium (2019). Oria, Maria; Harrison, Meghan; Stallings, Virginia A. (eds.). Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium. The National Academies Collection: Reports funded by National Institutes of Health. Washington, DC: National Academies Press (US). ISBN   978-0-309-48834-1. PMID   30844154. Archived from the original on 9 May 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
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