Maddur vade - a deep fried crunchy snack

For the longest time ever, I was firm on the fact that I would NEVER make maddur vade. Why? Because I had always thought of it as Madura vada.....which literally translates into sweet vada....and the idea of making a vada that is sweet somehow never appealed to me. All this was before I learned that it is actually Maddur vade, and that Maddur is the name of a place in Karnataka and that it is famous for these vadas. A google search threw up several recipes. I narrowed down on this recipe at Chitra Amma's Kitchen.

What you need:
Rava/sooji/semolina - 1/2 cup
Maida - 1 tbsp
Rice flour - 3 tbsp
Onion - 2, medium sized
Salt - to taste
Green chillies - 2 or 3 (adjust to taste)
Curry leaves - a few
Corriander leaves - a little
Hot oil - 1 tbsp
Oil - for deep frying

Coarsely grind the chillies, curry leaves and corriander in the mixie. Do not grind it too fine. The aim is only to crush these ingredients a little. Alternately, you could chop them really fine.
Transfer this to a large mixing bowl, and add the onions,rava,maida, rice flour and salt. Mix well. Pour hot oil over this and blend with a spoon.
Sprinkle water little by little and knead to a firm, soft dough. Take care to not add too much water.
Heat oil in a kadai. Pinch out small balls of the dough. Flatten slightly between your palms and deep fry until brown on both sides.
I made these slightly smaller and thicker than the pictures in the original recipe indicate. This was done intentionally, as I thought smaller vadas would appeal to the little girl and her friend.
What I think of the dish:
This is a great snack. I just wish I hadn't waited this long to try it out. The quantities given here make 12 vades and these got polished off in almost no time at all. This is something I will be making again.....and again.....and again. The vada tastes wonderful by itself, though it can also be eaten with ketchup or chutney.
Thank you Dibs for sharing this recipe.

This goes to Champa who is hosting Kids' delight - mini bites, an event started by Srivalli.

Do take a look at my fellow marathoners to see what they are up to.