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 Malabar tea time snack. Similar to doughnut. Its easy to make. so let’s start
2. First we will Mix All Purpose Flour, Gram flour, Baking soda, together
3. Sieve it together, at leat 2-3 times , so that it will mix well
4. In a bowl, take one Egg White
5. Add 1 tablespoon Sugar, Curd, Ghee, Cardamom powder, and salt mix well.
6. Now add the flour mix little by little to the mix and kneed well
7. Make a soft dough similar to chapathi . Keep it rest for minimum 2 hours
8. After two hours, take some dough and make a small ball. -Do no kneed again
9. With your thumb make a small hole .
10. Heat enough oil, Same time we have to make Sugar syrup
11. In a pan take 1 cup sugar and 3/4 cup water and make a syrup of single string consistency
12. Add Lemon juice just before it reach required consistency and mix well
13. Same time you have to deep fry those Vadas in oil.
14. We need warm Syrup and warm Vadas.
15. Dip the Vadas at leat 10 minutes. Remove it from syrup
16. Serve with tea when cooled. Hope you love Malabar Ney Vada