Ney Vada

Ney Vada is one of those tea-time treasures that’s instantly familiar in shape-but delivers something entirely unexpected in taste. Shaped like a vada, with a thumb-pressed hole in the center, it sits on the shelf beside other Malabar fried sweets, its surface dark golden, edges crisp, and a faint sugar shine giving away its true nature.

It starts with a soft dough-not a batter-made from all-purpose flour and gram flour, gently enriched with curd, egg, ghee, and a pinch of baking soda. Sweetened just enough, the dough is kneaded smooth and shaped by hand into rings. The process is tactile and personal-like shaping unniyappam without the mould or making medu vada with a sweeter heart.

Each vada is deep-fried till it reaches a rich, golden-brown color. But the most important moment comes right after. Still warm and crackling from the oil, the vadas are dropped straight into warm sugar syrup. Not to soak until soft-but just long enough to coat, glaze, and hold that thin layer of syrup that cracks slightly as you bite in.

And that bite-crisp edge, warm middle, gentle sweetness-is why this snack has held its place for generations in Malabar tea stalls. It doesn’t need fillings or toppings. The richness of the dough itself, with egg and curd, gives it a cake-like softness within. The syrup just seals the deal.

You won’t find it served with chutney. Just tea. Always tea. Poured hot into a glass tumbler, with a spoon clinking on the side.

It’s not a flashy snack, and that’s what makes it so good. It reflects Malabar’s quiet mastery in turning pantry ingredients into perfect bites. Shaped by hand, fried with care, sweetened just enough, and always offered with that unspoken hospitality that runs deep in every tea stall here.

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Ney Vada

Author: Ushadevi Cooking Method: Frying Cuisine: Kerala Courses: Snacks, Sweets & Desserts

Difficulty: Intermediate Prep Time 2 hrs Cook Time 25 mins Total Time 2 hrs 25 mins

Cooking Temp: 180  C Servings: 6

Best Season: Suitable throughout the year

Ingredients

Scale

1/2x 1x 2x 3x

• 1 cup All-purpose Flour
• ¹⁄₂ cup Gram flour
• 3 tablespoon Ghee
• 2 tablespoon Curd
• 1 Egg white
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon Cardamom Powder
• 1 cup Sugar (+ 1 tablespoon)
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1 pinch Baking Soda
• 1 ¹⁄₂ Teaspoon Lemon juice
• 1 pinch Salt
• Oil for Frying

Instructions

1. Ney Vada is a popular Malabar tea-time snack, similar in shape and texture to doughnuts. It's sweet, soft inside, slightly crisp outside, and soaked in sugar syrup. Let’s get started!
2. First, mix All-purpose flour, Gram flour, and a pinch of baking soda.
3. Sieve this flour mix 2–3 times to ensure it's well combined and airy.
4. In a separate bowl, take one egg white.
5. Add 1 tablespoon sugar, curd, ghee, cardamom powder, and a pinch of salt. Mix everything well.
6. Now, gradually add the flour mix into the wet ingredients and knead to make a soft dough, similar to chapathi dough.
7. Cover and rest the dough for at least 2 hours.
8. After resting, take small portions of dough and shape them into balls. Do not knead the dough again.
9. Using your thumb, make a small hole in the center of each ball to form the vada shape.
10. Heat enough oil in a pan for deep frying.
11. At the same time, prepare sugar syrup. In a pan, add 1 cup sugar and 3/4 cup water.
12. Boil until the syrup reaches single-string consistency. Just before reaching that point, add a few drops of lemon juice to prevent crystallization.
13. While the syrup is getting ready, deep fry the vadas in hot oil over medium heat until golden brown and cooked through.
14. Dip the warm vadas into the warm syrup and let them soak for at least 10 minutes.
15. Remove from the syrup and allow them to cool slightly.
16. Serve Malabar Ney Vada with hot tea. Enjoy the soft, syrupy delight!