Thayir vadai recipe | South Indian curd vada

Thayir vadai recipe, a south Indian way of making snack with creamy, fresh curd. Topped with crispy boondi, this is best way to recycle leftover vada too.

This is very simple and basic recipe, yet special dish. I often make it when I get guests at home. It makes anyday special when you make it.

But I have never thought to post it and it’s long time due to post South Indian thayir vadai. I wanted to garnish with kara boondi, so it too so long for me to both make this south Indian curd vada and have the kara boondi in stock.

I avoid ordering curd vadai at restaurants as once I had bad experience eating sourest curd vadai. So after that never thought of eating at restaurants, but many times made it at home.

Once my uncle got this when he came home last year when we went to chennai. It was very delicious when I tasted one. It was not sour and the curd was smooth and rich.

Don’t know from where he got. After that I am making only now and today had one heartily. I have posted north Indian version Dahi vada, I love that too, but both are different in taste, but I like both versions.

💭 Top tip

For making perfect thayir vadai, here are few important things to note:

• Use fresh curd, not sour or old stock.
• Milk or cream cuts the sourness as well as gives rich, smooth results.
• Vadai should neither be too soft or hard for perfect results.
• Do not let the vadai lose it’s shape. Especially, if the vadai is soft, it gets broken easily while squeezing off the excess water. Also the water should not be boiling hot in this case.
• If the vadai is firm or hard, you can use hot water as it has to get soft.

👪 Serving suggestion

I like mine chilled, so cling wrap and keep it refrigerated until serving. Top it with crisp Kara boondi for a crisp, contrast texture over soft thayir vadai.

📝Storing

It can be refrigerated for couple of days easily. More than that, not recommended.

📖 Variations

You can add some ground coconut in the curd mixture. It’s a great alternate for milk/ cream to cut down sourness. Make sure to grind smoothly.

Fresh ulundhu vadai or left over can also be used. Especially on festival days, we will have leftover medhu vada, so you can make curd vada using it, for dinner or snack.

Let me know your feedback if you have tried this recipe in comments section below!

💬 You may also like

• Medhu vada
• Dahi Puri
• How to make curd at home

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Thayir vadai recipe

Thayir vadai recipe, a south Indian way of making with creamy, fresh curd. Topped with crispy boondi, this is best way to recycle leftover vada too.

Course Snack

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Soak time 3 hours

Servings 8

1x2x3x

Equipments (Amazon Affiliate links)

• Blender or mixie

Cup measurements

Ingredients

• ½ cup Urad dal white/ whole
• 2 green chilli
• ⅛ teaspoon Asafoetida
• 1 teaspoon Ginger
• 1 tablespoon Coriander leaves chopped
• Salt – As needed

For curd mixture

• 1 & ½ cups Curd Plain yogurt
• ½ cup Milk
• Salt – As needed

To temper

• 1 teaspoon Oil
• ½ teaspoon Mustard
• ⅛ teaspoon Asafoetida – A pinch
• 1 Sprig Curry leaves

For garnish

• ½ teaspoon Red chilli powder – ½ teaspoon
• ¼ cup Kara boondi
• 2 tablespoon Chopped coriander leaves

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Instructions

Make vadai

• Soak urad dal for 2 hours. Then keep it refrigerated for an hour. This helps in giving fluffy stiff batter while we grind in mixie.
• Drain water and grind it with ginger, green chillies adding ice cold water little.
• The batter will loosen when we add salt later, so add water very carefully and less. Batter should be smooth and thick.
• Add coriander, curry leaves and salt and mix well. Keep refrigerated until use. Keeping refrigerated also keeps the batter stiff and thick helping to shape the vadai perfect.
• Heat oil for deep frying.
• Wet your hands and make shape of vada in your hands or in your convenient way of making vada shape and drop in oil carefully.
• Fry 3-4 vadais at a time depending on your kadai and oil size.
• Cook both sides in medium flame until golden.
• Drain in paper towels.
• Soak vadai in hot water. Make sure water is just hot, not boiling water.
• Adding hot vadai in hot boiling water makes it loose it shape and not looks good. It may become too soft. So drain and cool the vadais, then add in hot water.
• Let it soak for atleast 15 mins.
• Meanwhile prepare curd – beat curd and milk with salt until smooth.
• Temper with the items given under ‘to temper’ table and mix.
• Drain water from the soaked vadai and slightly squeeze without changing the shape.
• Place it in a serving tray.
• Pour the curd mixture on top of it and let it get soaked.

Notes

• You can use left over vadais for this.If your vadai is soft and airy, then your curd vadai also will absorb everything well, but it should not be too soft too, otherwise, it wont look good.
• Slightly stiff vadai works best.
• Refer my medhu vadai post for more tips and tricks for making vadai.
• Use boiled room temperature milk if its not homogenized pasteurized milk. Otherwise can use as such.
• When you add curd to soaked vadai, make sure its not too hot.

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📸 Step by step

1. Soak urad dal for 2 hours. Then keep it refrigerated for an hour. This helps in giving fluffy stiff batter while we grind in mixie. Drain water and grind it with ginger, green chillies adding ice cold water little. The batter will loosen when we add salt later, so add water so very carefully less.

2. The batter should be smooth and thick. Add coriander, curry leaves and salt and mix well. Keep refrigerated until use. Keeping refrigerated also keeps the batter stiff and thick helping to shape the vadai perfect.

3. Heat oil for deep frying. Wet your hands and make shape of vada in your hands or in your convenient way of making vada shape and drop in oil carefully. Fry 3-4 vadais at a time depending on your kadai and oil size. Cook both sides in medium flame until golden.

4. Drain in paper towels. Soak vadai in hot water. Make sure water is just hot, not boiling water. Adding hot vadai in hot boiling water makes it loose it shape and not looks good. It may become too soft. So drain and cool the vadais, then add in hot water. Let it soak for atleast 15 mins.

5. Meanwhile prepare curd – beat curd and milk with salt until smooth.

6. Temper with the items given under ‘to temper’ table and mix.

7. Drain water from the soaked vadai and slightly squeeze without changing the shape. Pour the curd mixture on top of it and let it get soaked.

At the time of serving, garnish with coriander leaves, red chilli powder and kara boondi. You can add grated carrots as well.