Vada

Vada are deep-fried urad dal doughnuts with a crisp shell and a fluffy, tangy interior. They are South India's savoury fritter, and the classic ring shape — a hole punched through the middle before frying — is what lets the centre cook through without the outside burning first.

What it really is

Urad dal is soaked, ground into a thick, aerated batter without water added at any point, and beaten by hand until it turns light enough to float. Shaped into a ring with a wet hand or a banana leaf, each vada is slid into hot oil, where it puffs and turns deep gold on the outside while the beaten batter inside stays soft and slightly tangy from the dal itself.

The ring shape earns its keep. A solid ball of the same batter fries dark on the outside long before the centre is cooked through; the hole gives the heat a shorter path to travel.

How it is served

• Alongside idli, often on the same plate.
• With sambar and coconut chutney, the same pairing idli gets.
• Hot and freshly fried; a vada fried ahead and held loses its crisp shell quickly.

How to write it on the menu

• It is naturally vegan and gluten-free as standard.
• Say if it is fried to order, since the shell's crispness drops fast once a vada sits.
• Distinguish it from idli and dosa if all three appear on the same menu; guests unfamiliar with South Indian breakfasts may not know they are three different foods.