Pepper Vada/Milagu Vadai

30 mins

Serves 25 nos.

Author: Rajni Ram

Jump to recipe

Pepper Vada or Milagu Vadai as it is known, is a drier and crisper version of the regular Vada. Simple ingredients and a hack make this a foolproof recipe. Read ahead. This is similar to the Tirupathi style Milagu Vadai.

I tried this recipe the first time during Navarathri this year. It was an instant hit at home as well as my social media pages. A few of you even asked for the recipe and I could not post the recipe immediately as I had not clicked stepwise pictures. So, this time I clicked all the necessary pictures to blog it.

As I always say, some recipes don’t need a huge introduction. The recipe does all the talking. While you are here check out my other savoury recipes like Dhaniya wale Namak Pare, Ratlami Sev, Samosa pie, Masala Wheat flour Papdis, Thattai, Kothimbir Vadi, Moongdal Khastha kachori and more …

Here is the recipe for Pepper Vada/Milagu Vadai

Ingredients

Urad Dal/ Black lentils( with skin) 1 cup soaked for 4 to 5 hours.
Salt as required
Coarse Pepper powder 2 tsp ( add more if you like it spicy)
Rice flour 2 tbsp
Hot oil 2tbsp
Oil for deep frying

Soak the Urad dal( use with skin for this colour and texture) for 4 to 5 hours. Drain water completely after it soaks and grind it to a coarse batter without adding( or by adding minimum) water. I have ground it without any water and later sprinkled a little over the coarse batter for the right consistency.
Now to the coarse batter( check picture for consistency), add salt, coarse pepper powder, and rice flour and, mix well. If you feel the mixture is too dry, sprinkle a little more water. Mix using your fingers to combine well.
Now heat the oil kept for deep frying, and when the oil is sizzling hot with a ladle pour 2 tbsp into the batter and using a spoon or spatula mix the oil into the batter( don’t use your fingers now as the oil is too hot).
Now pinch small portions from the mixture and make balls of it. Slit a zip pouch into two or use a Banana leaf to flatten the balls. Flatten the ball using the back of a cup or you palm. Pat them quite thin to get them crisp. Make a hole in the centre for even cooking. Now gently drop them into hot oil and fry at medium high until all the bubbles in the oil subside. Repeat the process for the entire batter.

Soak the Urad dal (use with skin for this colour and texture) for 4 to 5 hours. Drain water completely after it soaks and grind it to a coarse batter without adding( or by adding minimum) water. I have ground it without any water and later sprinkled a little over the coarse batter for the right consistency. Now to the coarse batter( check picture for consistency), add salt, coarse pepper powder, and rice flour and, mix well. If you feel the mixture is too dry, sprinkle a little more water. Mix using your fingers to combine well. Now heat the oil kept for deep frying, and when the oil is sizzling hot with a ladle pour 2tbsp into the batter and using a spoon or spatula mix the oil into the batter( don’t use your fingers now as the oil is too hot). Now pinch small portions from the mixture and make balls of it. Slit a zip pouch into two or use a Banana leaf to flatten the balls. Flatten the ball using the back of a cup or you palm. Pat them quite thin to get them crisp. Make a hole in the centre for even cooking. Now gently drop them into hot oil and fry at medium high until all the bubbles in the oil subside. Repeat the process for the entire batter. These Vadas stay crisp up to a month when stored in an airtight container. They make for a good dry snack for school lunch of kids or adults as they are protein packed.

Notes:

This Vada can be made with white Urad dal too ( the de skinned one) . The texture and taste remain the same. Just the colour varies.
If using white Urad dal, just 1 hour of soaking will do. The black lentils take time to soak and so need to be soaked longer.
The batter as well as the pepper should be ground coarse for maximum taste.
In this Vada Curry leaves are usually not added to the batter as its for long keeping, and any moisture in the curry leaves can affect its shelf life.

If you tried this recipe and liked it please comment below. I would love to hear from you. If you have a query about the recipe email us and ill respond as soon as I can.

If you would like to receive our recipes in your mail please leave your mail id at the homepage. Every time Rajjo’s Kitchen has a new post we will mail the recipe to you.