Vada (food) Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Vada
Medu vadas served with coconut chutney
Alternative names	wada, vade, vadai, bara
Course	breakfast, snack
Place of origin	India
Region or state	India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, South Africa, Mauritius, Fiji
Similar dishes	Burmese fritters

Vada is a yummy, savory fried snack that comes from South India. You can think of vadas as a type of fritter, cutlet, doughnut, or even a dumpling. People also call them vadai, vade, or bara. Sometimes, vadas have vegetables inside. They are usually served with tasty chutneys and a soup-like dish called sambar.

In North India and Pakistan, there's a similar food called Bhalla. It's sold at street food stalls. Bhalla is made from green bean paste mixed with spices, then deep-fried. People often top it with yogurt (called dahi), a sweet and sour sauce made from dried ginger and tamarind (called Saunth chutney), and other spices. Bhalla is usually served cold, which is different from another popular snack called Aloo Tikki.

Vadas can be made from many different things. Some are made from beans and lentils, like the famous medu vada from South India. Others are made from potatoes, like the batata vada from West India. Vadas are often eaten for breakfast or as a quick snack. They are also used in other dishes, such as dahi vada (vadas in yogurt) and vada pav (a vada in a bread bun).

What is the History of Vada?
How is Vada Prepared?
How to Enjoy Vada
Different Kinds of Vada
Images for kids
See also

What is the History of Vada?

Vada has a long history! People in ancient Tamil lands enjoyed a type of vada called "vataka" between 100 BCE and 300 CE. This means vadas are over 2,000 years old!

A book from the 12th century, called Manasollasa, also talks about "vataka." This book was written by King Someshvara III from what is now Karnataka, India. The recipe in the book describes soaking and grinding green beans into a paste. Then, the paste is shaped into balls and deep-fried. Old writings from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh also mention "bara" (vada) and "mungaura," which is a vada made from mung beans.

In the 1800s and early 1900s, many people from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar moved to countries like Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, South Africa, Mauritius, and Fiji. They brought their food traditions with them, and "bara" became a big part of Indian food in these new places. In Trinidad and Tobago, bara is a key part of a very popular street food called doubles. Doubles are two baras filled with curried chickpeas and topped with different chutneys.

How is Vada Prepared?

Medu vada being deep-fried in oil

Vadas can be made from different main ingredients like legumes (beans and lentils), sago, or potatoes. Some common legumes used are pigeon peas, chickpeas, black gram, and green gram. Chefs often add vegetables and other ingredients to make vadas taste even better and be more nutritious.

For vadas made from legumes, the beans or lentils (called dal) are first soaked in water. Then, they are ground into a thick paste, or batter. This batter is then mixed with other tasty ingredients. These can include cumin seeds, onion, curry leaves, salt, chillies, or black pepper grains. Sometimes, ginger and baking soda are added to make the vadas fluffy and help them cook well, especially when making large amounts.

After mixing, the batter is shaped into small pieces and then deep-fried in hot oil. This cooking method gives vadas a crispy outside and a soft, fluffy inside. Some vadas, like kalmi vadas, are even cut into pieces and fried again to make them extra crispy!

How to Enjoy Vada

Vadas are often eaten as a snack on their own or as a side dish with a bigger meal. In restaurants, you can order them as an extra item, but they are usually not the main course. Vadas taste best when they are freshly fried, still hot, and crunchy.

They are served with different kinds of dips. These can include sambar (a lentil and vegetable stew), watery or thick chutneys, and yogurt (often called "curd" in Indian English).

Medu vadas are a popular choice to eat with main dishes like dosa (a thin pancake), idli (steamed rice cakes), or pongal (a rice dish). Sambar and coconut chutney are the usual dips that come with medu vadas.

Different Kinds of Vada

There are many delicious types of vadas, each with its own special ingredients and shape:

Medu vada: This is a very common vada made from urad dal (black gram flour). It's shaped like a doughnut with a hole in the middle. You'll find it all over South India, and it's one of the most recognized vadas. It's also known as ulundhu vadai or uddina vade.
Paruppu vada: This vada is a special food from Tamil Nadu. It's made with yellow split peas, green chillies, red chillies, onions, and salt. It tastes very different from other vadas.
Masala vada: Made with toor dal (whole lentils), this vada is shaped like a flat disk. In Tamil, it's sometimes called aamai vadai because it looks a bit like a tortoise.
Maddur vade: This is a unique onion vada from Karnataka. It's very popular in the town of Maddur. It's usually larger than other vadas, flat, and very crispy, without a hole. It became famous as a snack at the Maddur railway station.
Ambode: This vada is made from "split chickpeas without their skin."
Mosaru Vade: This is a regular vada that is then served in a mix of yogurt and spices.
Eerulli bajji (or uli vada): This vada is made with onion. It's usually round and might or might not have a hole.
Rava vada: This type of vada is made from semolina.
Bonda: Made with potatoes, garlic, and spices, then covered in a lentil paste and fried. Some people see bonda as a separate snack, not a type of vada.
Sabudana vada: A popular vada in Maharashtra, made from pearl sago.
Thavala vada: This vada is made using different types of lentils.
Keerai vada: Also known as spinach vada, it's made with spinach or other leaf vegetables mixed with lentils.
Batata vada (potato vada): This is often served in a dish called vada pav, which is a vada inside a bread bun (called a pav) with chutney. It's a very common street food in Maharashtra, especially in Mumbai.
Keema vada: This vada is made from minced meat. It's usually smaller and crispier than other vadas and doesn't have a hole.
Vada curry or vada sambhar: These are gravy dishes where prepared vadas are mixed with vegetables in a curry or gravy.
Bhajani cha vada: This vada is made from a special flour mix that includes bajri, jawar, wheat, rice, channa dal, cumin, and coriander seeds. It's a specialty from Maharashtra and is very nutritious.
Doubles: A snack from Trinidad and Tobago made with two baras filled with curried chickpeas (curry channa) and various chutneys.