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!

Labels:

Comments

  1. SwathiJanuary 23, 2018 at 12:49 PM

    Shrimp vada with chai will be hit.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Vidya ChandrahasJanuary 24, 2018 at 4:49 AM

    Looks yummy, very nice

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ruxana GafoorJanuary 24, 2018 at 5:13 AM

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

    ReplyDelete
  4. Rafeeda ARJanuary 24, 2018 at 10:22 PM

    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. Suja ManojJanuary 25, 2018 at 10:51 AM

      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 Quick and Easy Kerala Snacks/ Tea time snacks

Do you often look for snack ideas? I like to try new snack recipes. Freshly homemade, tea time snacks appeals to all ages. There are comfort and joy in munching a delicious sweet or savory deep-fried snack with hot piping tea. Some recipes make you nostalgic, and we keep coming back to it time and again. Kerala has an exhaustive list of traditional tea-time snacks. You never get tired of eating them! So here is a list of family favorites. Today I am sharing a collection of 10 easy to make snacks that you can make under 20 minutes . Do you have any favorite snack that is simple and easy to make? Please share your ideas, leave me a comment below Want to try more Kerala snacks, check my post 12 Best Traditional Kerala Snacks - Tea Time Snacks  Pazham Pori- Crispy Fried Sweet Plantain Pazham pori is a quick and easy tea time snack. It is made with ripe sweet plantains dipped in a batter and then deep-fried in coconut oil to crispy golden. Ingredients Ripe plantains - 3 medium Maida-...
2 comments
Read more

Pineapple Halwa- Kerala Sweet

Pineapple Halwa   Today's recipe is a rustic confectionery, a chewy dessert treat that everyone loves. But this halwa is unique. There is something very appealing and delightful about fruit halwa. I am not talking about dry fruit halwa, but the ones made with fruit purees, like pineapple, tender coconut, jack fruit, plantain, passion fruit, etc. They are decadent and delicious and are perfect for any occasion. This pineapple halwa recipe was adapted, from the Kozhikodan style fruit halwa recipe. I love traveling and exploring local food habits and regional variations. The SM street in Kozhikode, also known as Mittayi Theruvu, is a treasure trove for all foodies, with a sweet tooth. You can find innumerable varieties of halwa in various hues and flavors. If you love the pleasant smell of pineapples, here is a mouthwatering dessert. It is so tasty and addictive, buttery with a chewy gel-like texture that you can never stop eating. You can use pureed pineapple or pineapple juice...
39 comments
Read more

Mathanga/Pumpkin Thoran

Mathanga/Pumpkin Thoran Pumpkin stir fried with a spicy coconut mixture  is a delicious side dish for rice. Pumpkin is a very versatile vegetable. It has a special place in Kerala cooking  and we have lots of recipes with it. Every part is used,the flesh,outer skin,leaves and flowers .Thoran with mathanga/pumpkin is very quick and the only thing that you should be careful is that it should be soft but not overcooked. It is a comfort food and you will love it. Ingredients Pumpkin chopped into small cubes-3 cups Grated coconut- 3/4 cup Pearl onions- 5-6 Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp Garlic pods- 2 Chilly flakes- 3/4 tsp Turmeric powder- a pinch Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp Urad Dal- 1 tsp Curry leaves- a few Coconut oil- 1 tbs salt to taste Cut pumpkin into small size cubes and keep aside. Blend coconut, a pinch of turmeric,cumin and garlic into a course mixture. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and when they splutter add a pinch of cumin seeds,urad dal and saute t...
42 comments
Read more