Vada

Ingredients :

Urad Dal 2 cups (makes 18 to 20 vadas)
Chopped Onion 1/4 cup
Green chillies 3 or 4
Curry leaves 1 sprig
Ginger 1 inch piece(optional)
Salt to taste
Baking Soda 1 pinch
Oil to fry

Preparation :

1.Take urad dal in a vessel and add water to just cover the dal and keep aside to soak.After about 30 mins. the water level would have gone down. Now add more water to cover the dal again. After 30 more minutes the dal will be well soaked and ready to be ground.
2.Making the Batter: In a wet grinder, grind the dal in small portions without adding water. If the grinder is unable to grind well, sprinkle some water and grind again till you get a smooth, thick and fluffy paste.
3.To this dal batter, add chopped ginger, green chillies, onion, curry leaves, a pinch of baking soda (to make the vadas soft) and salt and mix well. If you like the vadas to have a crispy exterior and soft interior, add 2 tbsp rice flour to the batter.
4.Heat oil in a kadai or deep skillet. Let the oil get really hot,Make donut shapes with the batter either using the palm of your hand or using a vada maker.
5. Now with your thumb push down the lever/knob and the hole at the bottom of the vada maker opens to let the batter out.
6.Fry the vadas till golden brown and lay them out on a tray lined with kitchen tissue to absorb excess oil.
Serve hot with chutney and/or samber.