Maddur Vada

Maddur Vada also called as Maddur Vade is a savory fritter (snack) from Karnataka, a South Indian State.

Tasty and delicious deep fried patties made with rice flour, semolina, all purpose flour, onion, curry leaves and spices. 

Crispy from outside and soft from inside, these maddur vadas can be enjoyed with a cup of tea or coffee. Its vegan too!

The name for this vada is derived from a city called Maddur, which is located between Bengaluru- Mysore. It is said that these vadas were developed by accident by a person named Budhya in the Maddur railway station. He was running late in frying the pakodas for his hungry travelers, so he flattened the dough and fried them. This vada instantly became very popular and was named after the town where it was made initially.

If you ever travel in train or bus from Bangalore to Mysore, you will come across vendors selling these crispy vade stacked in woven bamboo baskets. The first time I tasted this vada was when I was travelling by train and I just loved the taste.

I wonder why these vade are not made as often as we would make masala vada or medu vada.  They are so easy to put together and require no presoaking or grinding.

Its about time this hidden gem from the cuisine of Karnataka shows up more often in our menus.

The first time I made these, I adapted swayam paaka maddur vade recipe. But over the years I have adjusted the ingredients according to our taste.

This maddur vada

• is crispy, tasty and delicious snack

• can be made in 30 minutes

• requires no soaking or grinding

• stays fresh for 3 -4 days when stored in an air tight container.

We will be using three different flours in this recipe. Rice flour, all purpose flour (maida) and suji (semolina). The proportions of each flour used in the recipe seems to vary from person to person.

But just keep in mind that if you use more all purpose flour, you get slightly soft vada. More rice flour/suji is used to get crispy vade. The ratio I have used gave me a perfect blend of vada which is crispy from outside and soft from inside.

If you are planning to make the vada a day in advance, pat them thin and fry till crisp. This will ensure they stay crispy for the next few days.

How to make Karnataka Maddur Vade ( recipe with step by step pics)

Step 1 – In a bowl add the rice flour, all purpose flour and semolina and combine. Heat 2 tbsps of oil and add the hot oil to the flour. Carefully mix the hot oil into the flour mixture.

Step 2- Add the onion, green chili, curry leaves, coriander leaves, salt and asafoetida to the flour mixture.

Step 3- Mix it well so that the onion releases some water. Set a side for 10 minutes.

Step 4- After 10 minutes, mix it and add just enough water to form a slightly firm dough.

Step 5- Grease your hand with oil and take a portion of the dough and form a ball. Place the ball on a greased banana leaf or parchment paper and gently flatten it.

Step 6 – Heat oil in a kadai and adjust the knob to medium flame. To check if the oil is at the right temperature, drop tiny amount of dough in to the hot oil. If the dough comes up slowly, the oil is ready to be fried.

Slowly drop the flattened dough into the hot oil and fry on both sides in medium flame till golden brown. Do not rush, frying in medium flame helps in getting crispy vada.

Enjoy these hot crispy vadas for snack or serve them as a part of a meal.

If you are planning to do a Karnataka menu serve these vada with coriander coconut chutney, bisibele bath, kosambari and kesari bath.

How to make crispy maddur vada?

Reduce all purpose flour and add more suji.

Want to make soft vada?

Add more all purpose flour ( maida).

What can I serve the maddur vada with ?

Serve them with coconut chutney.

How long can I store the vade?

Stays fresh for 3-4 days, if making for later use make thin crispy vada if not the vada will get soggy.

Can I bake the maddur vada?

Flatten the dough slightly thinner and place them on a greased tray. Spray some oil and bake the vada at 350 F or 180 C for 15- 25 minutes. Flip the vada half way and check them periodically to ensure you do not over cook.

Can I make these vada instantly?

Yes, these can be made in less than 30 minutes from start to finish without the need of leavening the dough.

Can I add coconut?

Yes, you can add few tea spoons of fresh coconut.

Few more Snack recipes –

Bengaluru Sandwich

Instant Poha Vada

Sweet Corn Vada

Congress Kadlekai

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