Keerai Vadai (கீரை வடை)

Name: Keerai Vadai
Prep time: 190 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 210 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: Indian (Tamilnadu)
Ingredients: 1 cup chana dal, soaked 3 hours; ¼ cup toor dal, soaked 3 hours; 1 cup spinach / mulai keerai (amaranth), very finely shredded (OR 1 cup palak spinach, stems removed, finely shredded); 3 dried red chilies; 1.5-inch ginger; 4 garlic cloves; 1 tsp cumin seeds; ½ tsp fennel seeds; ¼ tsp asafoetida (hing); 1 tsp salt; 1 medium onion, very finely diced; 10 curry leaves, finely chopped; 2 green chilies, finely minced; 2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped; Oil — for deep frying; Drain excess moisture from spinach before adding — wet spinach loosens the mixture and prevents proper shaping; Rice flour (1 tbsp) is the emergency fix if the mixture becomes too wet after adding greens

🌱 Vegan📊 Medium

Traditional 77. Keerai Vadai recipe

⏱️190 minPrep

🔥20 minCook

🕒210 minTotal

🍽️12Serves

🧺 Ingredients

👩‍🍳 How to make Keerai Vadai

Wash spinach or keerai leaves thoroughly.
Shake off excess water.
Shred very finely — the shreds should be small (½ cm pieces) so they integrate into the vada without creating large green pockets that might affect texture.
Drain soaked chana and toor dal.
Grind with dried red chilies, ginger, garlic, cumin, fennel, and asafoetida — NO water — to a coarse paste (same as paruppu vadai — visible dal pieces, like coarse cornmeal).
In a large bowl, combine: coarse dal paste, shredded greens, diced onion, curry leaves, green chilies, coriander, and salt.
Mix with hands.
The greens will release slight moisture — if the mixture feels too wet, add 1 tbsp rice flour to compensate.
Wet palms.
Shape portions into round discs 7 cm diameter, 1 cm thick.
Press firmly to compact.
Heat oil to 175°C.
Fry 4–5 vadais at a time on medium heat for 3.5–4 minutes per side until deep golden-brown.
Drain.
Serve immediately with coconut chutney.
The vadais should be golden-brown on the outside with visible green spinach specks throughout.

📖 Cultural notes

Keerai vadai reflects Tamil Nadu's deep tradition of integrating medicinal greens into everyday foods — murungai (moringa), mulai keerai (amaranth), and palak were prescribed by Siddha physicians as daily dietary additions. By embedding the greens in the beloved vadai format, Tamil cooks ensured that even children who might reject plain greens would happily eat keerai vadai. ---

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