Make these delicious corn vada for a tea-time or any time snack. The can also be air fried or baked in the oven instead of deep frying.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 90 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 110 minutes
  • Yield: 3
  • Category: Breakfast / snack
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • ½ cup chana dal ((or bengal gram))
  • 1½ cups corn kernels ((fresh or frozen))
  • 1 tbsp ginger paste
  • 2 tbsp pudina (or mint leaves)
  • 2 tbsp coriander leaves ((optional), chopped)
  • 1 green chilli (chopped)
  • 1 sprig curry leaves ((optional))
  • salt (as needed)
  • 1 small onion
  • 2 to 3 tbsps besan (or chickpea flour or rice flour)
  • oil (as needed for deep frying)
  • 1 inch cinnamon ((or dalchini))
  • 1 red chili ((deseeded))
  • ¾ tsp cumin ((or jeera))
  • ¾ tsp saunf ((or fennel seeds))
  • 12 to 15 red chilies ((less spicy, byadgi or Kashmiri))
  • 3 to 4 garlic cloves
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • ½ tsp lemon juice
  • salt as needed
  • water as needed
  • ½ tsp roasted cumin or jeera

Method

  1. Wash dal and soak it for 1 ½ to 2 hours. Drain the water.
  2. Add cinnamon, red chili, cumin and saunf to a blender. Make a slightly coarse powder.
  3. Add half of the chana dal to the blender jar. Add corn as well.
  4. Make a coarse mixture.
  5. To a mixing bowl, add the other half of the soaked dal, blended mixture, salt, mint, curry leaves, coriander leaves, ginger paste and green chilies.
  6. Mix everything well.
  7. If the mixture is too soggy then add 3 tbsps of besan or rice flour. Give a good mix.
  8. Heat oil in a deep pan for frying.
  9. Make 10 equal sized balls.
  10. Place them on a clean cloth or greased foil, grease proof paper.
  11. Flatten them gently.
  12. Check if the oil is hot by dropping a small bit of the mixture. If it rises without browning too quickly then the oil is ready to use for frying.
  13. Gently remove one vada on to your fingers and drop it gently into the hot oil
  14. Fry them for 1 to 2 minutes without disturbing. Flip them and fry until golden and crisp.
  15. Serve corn vada with hot chutney.

Making hot chili chutney

  1. Soak the red chilies in water for 30 mins.
  2. Blend them with the rest of the ingredients adding water as needed.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.