Vadai Stall @ Ampang

I don't each much Indian snacks other than Bombay mix or muruku campuran (a lovely medley of spiced, dried nuts, peas, lentils, chickpeas, flour crisps, curry leaves, etc.), murukku and pakora.

And I know very little about Indian food (except for their various roti and banana leaf rice).....and even less about Indian snacks but what I do know is that I absolutely love vadai! ;)

I only recently found out what they're called actually.  They're Medhu Vadai and Vadai Kacang Dhal.  I call the former vadai with a hole (much like a doughnut lah) and the latter vadai without a hole! LOL

I found out their names when I found this Vadai Stall @ Ampang on ShopeeFood.  Medhu vadai also have a lot of alternative names (it's astonishing just how many, you can Google it).  Medhu (wiki says) is the Tamil word for "soft", so medhu vadai literally means soft fritter....and indeed it is.

The medhu vadai from here tastes really good, tasting of being fried in fresh oil, not too greasy and always arrives piping hot (since I'm only about 10 minutes away).  Before this, my favourite were the ones from Kanna Curry House but that's just too far away for me to be able to enjoy them when I want.

All I know is that they're made from dhal (some mention whole urad dal or split black lentils but don't ask me why they're called black lentils when they look white while some say it's made with white lentils...very confusing!).  Never mind, I just need to eat them...not make them.  They're then grounded together with a mix of onions, green chillies and curry leaves (these I tasted) and some spices.

I also detected a perfume-y fragrance, almost anise-like flavour, I think they were fennel seeds (they could also be cumin seeds since they look almost the same).  The medhu vadai was fragrant with a nice crispy exterior and soft on the inside.  It was a very tasty vadai unlike some that went a bit overboard with the spices that it became overpowering.

The vadai kacang dal on the other hand has a much coarser texture compared to the medhu vadai.  The dal is grounded but some are kept whole to give a nice chunky texture to the vadai for a denser bite but just as good. ^.^

 

But, between the two, I like the medhu vadai a lot more.  So good.....I can even eat five of these in one go...and would like to indulge more regularly if I could! ^o^

The delicious-looking photo of the kacang hijau (green lentils) on their menu tempted me to get one to try. The fritter tasted full-on with 100% kacang hijau in the mix.  The one in the photo had a bit more batter around it while this one was very soft and mushy.  I guess you have to fully love green lentils if you're to love this.....I guess I didn't love it enough! ;)

Finally, I also got a karipap (curry puff) to try...and it wasn't anywhere near good (quite obvious from the photo, isn't it?), so you can safely skip this.  I should have known better that Indian vendors (I'm assuming it is lah) wouldn't be very good at making curry puffs which I feel the Malay vendors are better at.

Everything shown here is priced at RM1 a piece (via ShopeeFood) and they also offer cekodok pisang (banana fritters), cucur bawang (onion fritters), kuih ubi kayu (cassava/tapioca kuih) and putu mayam (idiyappam/string hoppers) though those are usually unavailable...not that I'd want to try anyway after the failure of the karipap since all of them (other than the putu mayam) are what I'd usually associate being made by Malay vendors.

My Personal Opinion

The medhu vadai is the real scene-stealer here.  I'm overwhelmingly happy that I've found a stall (I believe it's just a roadside stall) that churns out a good vadai just a short distance away from where I live.  I can now allow myself to enjoy the pleasure of eating this beloved snack when I want to.

Perhaps I shouldn't be so enthusiastic after all as it isn't the healthiest thing to chow down but I can't help it coz it's so addictively good.  Eat first. Think later.....I say! :D

Vadai Stall

Jalan Wawasan 2/10

Bandar Baru Ampang

68000 Ampang

Selangor