Homemade Ulli vada/ Onion pakoda / Onion Bajji

 'Ulli vada' as the name says is made from onion. Its an all time favorite snack among kids as well as the elderly. You can make it at home very easily with limited ingredients. But when we are away from Kerala, we miss it as its not easily available outside Kerala. The recipe is so simple.

Ingredients

·         Onion - 2 Finely sliced

·         All purpose flour/ Maida - 2 cups 
·         Green chilly - as per your spice level (finely chopped) 
·         Ginger - medium sized piece (Finely chopped)

·         Curry leaves - 2 sprigs 
·         Curd -2 tbsp (not so sour)
·         Baking soda - 1/2 tsp 

·         Salt- as required 

Preparation:

1. Combine maida with baking soda and salt. Mix well.
2. Add sliced onions, chopped ginger, green chillies and curry leaves. Combine well using hands.
3. Keep it in a warm place in your kitchen preferably somewhere near the stove.
4. Add curd and water to this to make a medium thick batter. It should not be very loose because we have to shape vada sing our hands.
5. Let the batter rest for 1 hour.
6. Heat oil in a pan.
7. Dip both hands in water so that batter won't stick to your hands.
8. Take small balls of batter, flatten it in palms and make a hole in the center using the finger.
9. Slide the vada carefully in to the hot oil.
10. Flip and cook both sides till it become golden color.
11. Remove and let it cool a bit.
12. Enjoy the warm vada.  

Notes:

1.  Take care to finely slice the onions so that it will get easily cooked.
2. Once it has cooled down transfer it into air tight containers to preserve the crispiness. gradually become vinegar.