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    Home » Snacks / Appetizers » Aval Vadai | Poha Vada | Flattened Rice Fritters

    Aval Vadai | Poha Vada | Flattened Rice Fritters

    Posted on September 21, 2020 · Last Updated on September 20, 2020 · By Srividhya G · 8 Comments

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    aval vadai with chutney in a black plate placed on a white fabric with text overlay for pinterest

    Quick and instant, no-soak, no-grind flattened rice fritters popularly known as aval vadai or poha vada! An easy and delicious deep-fried goodie perfect for any festive thali and perfect tea time snack!

    overhead shot of poha vada with coconut chutney in the center served on the black plate

    Indian festive special lunch menu always has vada/fritters and a kheer. And I try to make different types of vada instead of either paruppu vadai / chana dal fritters or mixed lentil fritters/thavala vadai. And this poha vada is one among them. 

    Actually, for one Vinayaka Chaturthi, I forgot to soak the lentils for vada. And that’s when I tried this poha vada for the first time, and it came out so good, and I even shared on IG. I mentioned I will post the recipe soon, but it took me 2 years to post this. But in these two years, I tried this recipe many times, and here I am sharing it. 

    Even for this Vinayaka Chaturthi, I made this vada. As I fried it after frying the papad, the papad’s residue made the vada less appealing. I wasn’t satisfied with the pictures. So I made it again exclusively for this thali, and I hope I have captured it decently. Recently I stopped sharing these “Behind the cooking” stories but thought of sharing it today. But now, let’s get back to the recipe.

    stacked aval vadai in a white plate

    I have used 2 tbsps of yogurt. The yogurt adds a nice flavor to this vada. I am testing the recipe without yogurt but without compromising on the flavor. I will soon share the vegan version. But for now, let’s stick to this poha vada with yogurt. The rice flour helps to absorb all the moisture in the vada batter and also it makes it crispy.

    As I made it as part of the festive thali, I did not add any onion. But feel free to add onions or veggies of your choice. It’s perfect for tea parties or even for potlucks. You don’t need to soak poha like lentils. A 15 minute soak time is sufficient, and also, there isn’t any grinding involved.  You can clearly see that you don’t need to plan much for this aval vadai and make it for any unplanned occasion. 

    Check out other snack recipes-

    • Adai Batter Vegetable Pakoras
    • Chivda or Namkeen Chiwda aka the Bombay Mix ready and served in a small white bowl with a spoon on the side
      Chivda | Namkeen Chiwda
    • Beetroot Cutlet
    • medhu pakoda placed on banana leaf on a black plate with condiments on the side
      Pattanam Pakoda | Patnam Pakodi | Medhu Pakoda

    How to make poha vada | aval vadai-

    aval vadai steps - soaking and preparing the vada batter
    • Wash the flattened rice thoroughly and drain the water.
    • Now sprinkle ½ cup of water and let it sit for 12 to 15 minutes. 
    • After 12 minutes, mash the poha coarsely with hands. Then add the yogurt and mix it well.
    • Now add the other ingredients – rice flour, salt, carrot, cilantro, green chili. Combine them all and, if required, add ½ tbsp of water and form the vada dough. If the batter has more water content, add the additional rice flour and form a not-so-dry dough.
    shaping and frying the vada
    • Take a small gooseberry size vadai mixture and flatten it into small patties. You can shape as per your preference. As you can see in one of the pictures, I made small round balls/nuggets also. Shape them as per your preference.
    • Heat the oil for frying in a kadai. Drop a small piece of vadai batter into the oil. If the oil is hot, the batter will rise immediately and sizzle. 
    • And slowly drop the poha patties in the oil. Let it fry for 30 to 45 seconds and slowly flip them. Fry until the vada turns crispy and brown. You can take the vada when it turns golden brown like above. But we personally liked the crispy and brown vadas. So for the second batch, I fried the vada till it turned reddish-brown. Drain the fried vadai on a kitchen towel. Depending upon your pan size, you can fry 3 to 4 in one batch. Similarly, fry the remaining vada.
    • Serve them warm with chutney or ketchup.
    overhead shot of poha vada with coconut chutney in the center served on the black plate

    Recipe Notes-

    • Adjust the green chilies and salt according to your taste preference.
    • You can use white poha as well.
    • Do not soak the poha. Wash and sprinkle water. Let it sit for 12 minutes and at the maximum 15 minutes but not more than that.
    • Except for chivda, I always prefer thick poha variety for all the other recipes. So I haven’t tested this recipe with thin poha variety. If using thin poha, be cautious while adding the water.
    • If the vada batter has more moisture, it will absorb more oil so add rice flour. 
    • I did not add any onion as I made it for a festival. But you can add 1 tbsp of finely chopped onion and also other veggies like cabbage, cauliflower. 

    PS: Follow me on Instagram or join my Facebook Group for more gardening and recipe updates. If you try this aval vadai recipe, please don’t forget to comment and rate this recipe. If you have any questions, please leave a comment, and I will get to it asap.  Make sure to follow me on my Pinterest for more healthy and delicious ideas!

    📖 Recipe

    aval vadai or fritters placed on a black plate with chutney
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    5 from 3 votes

    Aval Vadai | Poha Vada | Flattened Rice Fritters

    Quick and instant, no-soak, no-grind flattened rice fritters popularly known as aval vadai or poha vada! A perfect tea-time snack!
    Prep Time15 minutes mins
    Cook Time20 minutes mins
    Total Time35 minutes mins
    Course: Appetizer
    Cuisine: Indian
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 263kcal
    Author: Srividhya G

    Equipment

    • Mixing bowl
    • Saucepan or kadai

    Ingredients

    Measurement Details: 1 cup=240ml; 1tbsp=15ml; 1tsp=5ml;

    • 1 cup aval/poha
    • ½ cup + ½ tbsp water
    • 2 tbsp yogurt
    • 1 tsp rice flour more 1 tsp more if needed
    • ¾ tsp salt or to taste
    • 1.5 tbsp carrot grated
    • 2 tsps cilantro chopped
    • 5 curry leaves
    • 2 green chili finely chopped, or to taste
    • 1 cup oil or required for frying

    Instructions

    • Wash the flattened rice thoroughly and drain the water.
    • Now sprinkle ½ cup of water and let it sit for 12 to 15 minutes.
    • After 12 minutes, nicely mash the poha coarsely with hands. Then add the yogurt and mix it well.
    • Now add the other ingredients – rice flour, salt, carrot, cilantro, green chili. Combine them all and, if required, add ½ tbsp of water and form the vada dough. If the batter has more water content, add the additional rice flour and form a not-so-dry dough.
    • Take a small gooseberry size vadai mixture and flatten it into small patties. You can shape as per your preference. As you can see in one of the pictures, I made small round balls/nuggets also. Shape them as per your preference.
    • Heat the oil for frying in a kadai. Drop a small piece of vadai batter into the oil. If the oil is hot, the batter will rise immediately and sizzle.
    • And slowly drop the poha patties in the oil. Let it fry for 30 to 45 seconds and slowly flip them. Fry until the vada turns golden brown. By this time, the sizzling sound will reduce as well. Drain the fried vadai on a kitchen towel. Depending upon your pan size, you can fry 3 to 4 in one batch. Similarly, fry the remaining vada.
    • Serve them warm with chutney or ketchup.

    Notes

    • Adjust the green chilies and salt according to your taste preference. You can use white poha as well.
    • Do not soak the poha. Wash and sprinkle water. Let it sit for 12 minutes and at the maximum 15 minutes but not more than that.
    • Except for chivda, I always prefer thick poha variety for all the other recipes. So I haven’t tested this recipe with thin poha variety. If using thin poha, be cautious while adding the water.
    • If the vada batter has more moisture, it will absorb more oil so add rice flour.
    • I did not add any onion as I made it for a festival. But you can add 1 tbsp of finely chopped onion and also other veggies like cabbage, cauliflower.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 263kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 261mg | Potassium: 17mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 470IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 1mg

    I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.

    Tried this recipe?Mention @vidhyasvegetariankitchen or tag #vidhyasvegkitchen
    For Video RecipesCheck out My YouTube Channel

    Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#116

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    Filed Under: Snacks / Appetizers Tagged With: Blogging Marathon

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. NARMADHA says

      November 27, 2020 at 10:08 am

      5 stars
      Vada looks so crispy and crunchy. Always love these simple and instant dishes which can be made quickly when we have some guests or for evening snacks.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        November 27, 2020 at 8:43 pm

        Thanks so much.

        Reply
    2. Renu says

      October 22, 2020 at 9:03 am

      5 stars
      Yummy and delicious tea time snack, looks easy to make too. would try this for some weekend for sure.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        October 22, 2020 at 2:29 pm

        I am sure you will love it. Thanks

        Reply
    3. Srivalli Jetti says

      September 21, 2020 at 7:38 pm

      Poha vadas are so good and makes an easy to make. Making it in different shapes and arranging it looks fantastic..

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        September 22, 2020 at 10:41 am

        Thanks a lot Valli.

        Reply
    4. Harini Rupanagudi says

      September 21, 2020 at 2:50 pm

      5 stars
      I would love these vadas with a cup of tea anyday. I make it a little differently adding besan too. But they definitely come out crispy and tasty.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        September 22, 2020 at 10:41 am

        Oh awesome. I will try that way as well.

        Reply
    5 from 3 votes

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