Skip to main content

Sri Lankan Prawns Vada



Sri Lankan Prawn Vada/Isso Wade

Deep-fried lentil fitters are addictive snacks. It has a taste all to its own- crunchy, delicious, and mildly spicy. It is a perfect accompaniment with piping hot tea. The Sri Lankan Prawn Vada/Isso Wade is very similar to the parippu vada served in tea stalls in South India. Adding shrimp takes this snack to a new level. Sri Lanka has an extensive collection of Short Eats or snacks that are eaten anytime at bakeries, restaurants, and tea stalls. 


 The book Sri Lankan Cooking: 64 Recipes from the Chefs and Kitchens of Sri Lanka by Douglas Bullis, Wendy Hutton was my first introduction to Sri Lankan cooking. It has several unique recipes, and this vada was one among them. There are some similarities with South Indian food. The close physical proximity between Sri Lanka and Southern India explains similarities in culinary practices. But the island nation has its unique touch.


 Isso Wade is a distant cousin of parippu vada, and with shrimp sticking out, it adds a beautiful touch to the snack. Seafood lovers will love this vada. Here the shrimp are stuffed inside the lentil paste and deep-fried. You can also make patties and stick shrimp on top, and fry till crispy and golden. Serve these mouth-watering vada with sliced onion and lemon juice. Try this homemade version of this delicious street food. Kids will love this finger food, and it is fun to make. Go ahead then and give it a try. You don’t want to miss out on this tasty street food experience!




Sri Lankan Prawns Vada Recipe

Ingredients
Thuvar dal or Channa Dal- 1 1/2 cup
Prawns- 12 large size
Green chilly-3-4
Red dry chilly-3
Shallot- 2 chopped
Ginger- 1inch thick
Cumin seeds- a pinch
Fennel seeds -a pinch
Coriander leaves- 1 tbs chopped
Curry leaves
salt to taste
Oil for deep frying
Thinly sliced onion- 1/2
Lemon juice-1/2 lemon

Soak  channa dal for 4 hours and drain into a colander and set aside.
Grind the dal along with dry red chilly and 2-3 shrimp into a course mixture. Grind it without adding water. Adding shrimp to make the paste at this stage is optional,but it enhances the flavor of the vada.
Add green chilly , shallots, ginger, curry leaves, cumin seeds and fennel and pulse a few times to make a course mixture. Mix salt and chopped coriander leaves.
Heat oil in a fry pan or a heavy bottom pan. Take lemon sizes balls of the mixture and flatten it in between your palm to form small thin patties. Place the shrimp in the center and roll or just press  one on top of the patties.Carefully slide into hot oil and fry till both sides become evenly browned up. Remove from oil to a paper napkin. Serve with ketchup, sliced onion an lemon wedges.


If you like this recipe, check these snack too..

Chemmeen/ Prawns Vada
Parippu Vada/Dal Fitters
Uzhunnu Vada/Urad Dal Vada
Vietnamese Fish Cakes
Potato Bonda


Try it,
Hope you will all enjoy!

Comments

  1. Shrimp vada with chai will be hit.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Such tempting vadas...Prawns are our family favorite and making it into vadas makes it a perfect tea time snack :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I must check out that book! I am also doing three Sri Lankan recipes this week, do check out... :) The vada sounds very interesting, especially with that tail hanging out... :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rafeeda,It is a nice book with interesting recipes. Are you a fan of Sri Lankan cooking too? Will check your space for more recipes :)

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

10 Delicious Kerala Sadhya Payasam/ Pradhaman Recipes- Vishu and Onam Sadhya

10 Delicious Kerala Sadhya Payasam/ Pradhaman- Vishu and Onam Sadhya Tomorrow Malayalees around the world will be celebrating Vishu/ Kerala New year. So this is the perfect time to share some Sadhya recipes. Sadhya is a hearty meal, a vegetarian feast made on festive occasions. It is served, on a banana leaf with rice, pickles, chips, and curries ranging from mild yogurt and lentil curries to more spicy vegetable curries. But this post is dedicated entirely to the delightful treat/ dessert. Payasams are festive puddings served at the end of the Sadhya/ feast. Pradhaman/ payasam is made on all festive occasions like Vishu, Onam , Diwali, etc. If you love desserts here, are ten Kerala-style puddings for you to try. Payasam and pradhaman are both desserts or puddings, but when it comes to making pradhaman, there is a time-honored cooking technique. Payasam is easier to make but, pradhaman is time-consuming. It is cooked and reduced, and then cooked again- sort of double cooking which add...

Mushroom Kung Pao- Oyster Mushroom recipe

Mushroom Kung Pao Kung Pao chicken is one of my favorite takeout recipes, and this vegetarian version with mushrooms tastes just delicious. Mushroom Kung Pao is my best healthy weeknight dinner. I finally hit my stride! This homemade version is easy to put together and better than takeout. Kung Pao is a popular Chinese dish from the Szechuan region. It is irresistibly appetizing and is savory, salty, and spicy. I like cooking it for dinner. Lunches are sometimes leftovers. Mushroom Kung Pao is a much-loved dish at home, so I always make a big batch. The mushrooms can be stir-fried quickly or batter-fried in hot oil for a crisp texture. Mushroom Kung Pao is an impressive dish, great for meal prep, and perfect for entertaining. Black oyster mushrooms add an interesting savory, umami taste, and it is best fried or sautéed. They are soft, slightly chewy, with a meaty texture. It is a delicious alternative to meat or poultry. Oyster mushrooms are a good source of dietary fiber, protein, ...

Kerala Black Halwa/ Karutha Halwa/ Rice Flour Halwa

Kerala Black Halwa/ Karutha Halwa/ Rice Flour Halwa December has finally arrived and it means it is almost Christmas time! How many of you look forward to the Season of Joy! My birthday also comes in December, so it is a double celebration for me :) How is the Christmas planning coming along for everyone? It is exactly three weeks for Christmas and I am planning to share a few recipes for the holidays this year. This is the first one I wanted to share with all of you -Kerala style sweet delicacy- a real nostalgia, the Black Halwa. Halwas has always amazed me with its simplicity, unique texture and taste. It is a gel-like sweet candy that you can never stop eating. When making halwa there is a time-honored cooking technique and halwa making is time-consuming. So people simply prefer to buy it from the shop. But making your own is a rewarding experience. Now many of the traditional sweets are forgotten or get overlooked for fancier ones in bakeries. But that is not the case w...