Wash and soak urad dhal for 6 hours. Grind into a fine paste
2.
Add salt, asafoetida, curry leaves, cumin seeds and crushed peppercorns to the batter. Mix well.
3.
Heat oil in a Kadhai. Wet your palms and take 2 tbsps of batter into the palms. Shape into a ball and make a hole with the thumb in the center like a doughnut. This is now called a vada.
4.
Heat oil till very hot. Reduce heat
5.
Deep fry the vadas in medium hot oil until golden brown and crisp. Serve hot with sambhar and coconut chutney
Special equipment:
Kadhai - also known as karai both pronounced the same "ka-rai", is a type of thick, circular, deep vessel (similar to a wok) used in Indian and Pakistani cooking.
Thai Pongal
