Chicken Vada

Recipe No: 198

Many a days during my childhood I woke up to this ‘tuk… tuk’ sound from the kitchen, which is my Mother chopping Meat on her wooden cutting board for making Irachi/ Meat Vada. Within seconds I will come to the realization that my maternal Grandfather is visiting that day… yes… it was one of his favorite dishes…
This is the Chicken version of the delicious Irachi Vada, which has all the flavors of a traditional Vada yet very easy to make.

Ingredients                                                 Makes 12

• Skinless, boneless Chicken……..300 grams
• Shallots chopped fine…………….1/4 Cup
• Ginger chopped fine………………1 Tablespoon
• Indian Green Chilly chopped….1 Tablespoon
• Salt……………………………………..2/3 Teaspoon
• Curry leaves chopped fine……..4-5 leaves
• Crushed Black Pepper…………...1/4 Teaspoon (optional)
• Cooked Rice………………………….1/2 Cup (mashed really good)
• All Purpose Flour (Maida) or Corn Flour for dusting the patties
• Oil for deep frying

Method of Preparation

1. Chop the Chicken on a cutting board  finely. (I didn’t use a food processor for chopping as it will make the Chicken pasty.)
2. Mix all the other ingredients except the Oil and Flour with the chopped Chicken  really well.
3. Make 15 equal portions out of the Chicken mixture. This may be a bit on the sticky side. So wet your hands lightly with Water to avoid sticking.
4. Make each portion into a ball; press slightly to flatten it and dust lightly with All Purpose/ Maida or Corn Flour.
5. Heat at least an inch of Oil in a pan and deep fry the Vadas for about 2-3 minutes on each side or until cooked through.
6. Serve hot with Ketchup.

Notes:

•  Cooked Rice is the binding agent here. Don't use Egg instead, as it makes the mixture watery or mashed Potato as it  changes the taste of the dish.
• As we wet our hands to avoid the chicken sticking, it is essential to dust the Vadas slightly with Flour, otherwise it will splatter in hot Oil.
• Here I used Chicken breast meat, but Chicken thigh meat is better when it comes to taste (at least for me). If you are using Thigh meat please do give it a minute more to cook.
• There is a chance for the Chicken Vada to shrink and become more round in shape while frying, so flattening it before frying is essential.

 



Make it, enjoy the deliciousness and 
serve it to your family with love…