【印式炸豆饼】Medu Vada/Vadai (Deep Fried Lentil Dumplings)

小时候每个午后都会有个老人推着脚踏车来到住宅区叫卖。脚踏车后座有个超大的玻璃箱子，里边是一格一格的各式各样的印度零食小吃，有花生，有粗的细的油炸香辣面条。给两毛钱老人会拿一张报纸，卷成火炬状，然后让你选格子里的零嘴往里头装，直到“火炬”装满为止。

这些零嘴都是素的，大部分是豆粉或豆子做成的香口零食，除了脆口的炸面条，老人也卖这个叫Vadai外层松脆，内部软嫩的饼。

以前一直不知道它是什么材料做的，后来问了朋友，查了些食谱才发现这个饼居然是全豆做成的，不必小苏打，也没有面粉，自自然然的全由一个豆子，完成了外脆内嫩的好东西。一想到在没有搅拌器的时代，用石磨慢慢的磨出豆糊，然后在没有小苏打和膨化剂的帮助下，做出好吃爽口的小食，我就觉得非常的感动。

When I was a student, there was this old Indian man who goes around selling deep fried snacks or"muruku" back home. He has a big wooden/glass box attached to the back of his bicycle, where you could find small compartments that filled with different kinds of savory tidbits.

One of them is a little fried bean cake shaped like a mini donut, it is called "vadai", I love that stuff and did not know what it was made off until I moved to stay in India.

I was thrilled to learn that this snack is made of only legume, a snack higher in protein I presume. It goes very well with Coconut Chutney and can easily turn into Dahi Vada later.

材料：
1 杯 去壳的 Urad dal （小黑豆）
1/2 只 中型 洋葱 切碎
4-5 只 青椒 切碎
2 根 咖喱叶 切碎
1/4茶匙阿魏胶（Asafoetida）
1 小勺 孜然 烤香
盐 适量

Ingredients：
1 cup Urad dal (Black lentil shelled)
1/4 cup Onion chopped
4-5 Green chilies
1/4 cup Curry leaves chopped
1/4 tsp Asafoetida (hing)
1 tsp Roasted Cumin Seed
Salt to taste

1. 把去皮小黑豆洗净泡一晚，第二天把泡豆子的水倒掉。豆子洗净淘好。

2. 把豆子用搅拌机磨成糊状（要带点粗粒），磨的时候不可加太多的水，水多了Vada就不成型，口感也不脆了。刚好可以搅拌得动就好了。

3.把搅拌好的豆糊倒到一个盆里加入阿魏胶、盐和孜然调味。后用一个勺子或打蛋器不断的快速搅拌，这个步骤是要把空气拌到豆糊里，这样炸出来的饼就会松脆好吃。大约打到豆糊有点松松的膨胀的感觉，颜色也更白了，就好了。

4. 要看看豆糊是不是足够蓬松，在一盆水里，把一勺的豆糊轻轻放到到水里，如果豆糊能凝聚成块并且浮在水面就表示豆糊够蓬松了。

1. Clean a cup of split Urad dal (black Lentil) and soaked it submerged in water over night.

2. Drain the soaked lentil the next day and grind it into a thick paste with as little water as possible in a grinder.

3.Place the paste in a mixing bowl and use a whisk to vigorously whisk the paste for aeration, when the paste became brighter in color and appears fluffy, drop a small ball of the batter into a bowl of water, if the batter floats and stays in shape, it is in perfect consistency, it the batter sink to the bottom of water, continue to whisk for few more minutes.

5.这个时候可以把辣椒、咖喱叶、洋葱切碎轻轻地拌入豆糊里，加入食盐、孜然和阿魏胶调味。

6.准备一口油锅，烧热大约2-3寸的食油，用手抓一小团豆糊，轻轻用手指推到油锅里，两面炸成金黄色，取出滴干油即可。

咸香脆口的豆饼，可配上番茄酱和椰子沾酱吃。

4. Chop the chili, curry leaves and onion and add it to the lentil paste, season the paste with salt, cumin seeds and asafoetida.

5. Heat a frying pot with about 2 inches of cooking oil in it at medium high, to test if the temperature is right, drop a small ball of batter into the oil, if the batter fries instantly, the oil is ready.

6. Take a small ball of the lentil paste in hand and drop it into the hot oil, fry the ball till it turns golden brown in color. Drain and serve warm. Repeat to fry all vadai until the batter is over.

(The vadai is supposed to shape like a donut with a hole in it, but I wasn't able to make the hole and shape it into donuts, i will have to try again some other time then.)

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中文版 -- 炸豆饼（Vadai)