Rava Vada Recipe (Instant Suji Vada)

Rava Vada are delicious, crisp & fluffy fritters made with semolina, onions, spices & herbs. These Instant Vada are also known as Sajjige Vade in Kannada and are not so common on the Hotel or restaurant menus. But can be found in some Udupi restaurants served as Rava Vade. They are made in numerous ways and every restaurant has a different way of making them.

You will find versions anywhere ranging from thin to thick and fluffy. Some restaurants make them similar to Maddur Vada and are very crisp with very little soft centre.

The Rava Vada recipe I shared here can be used to make both – thin or thick to your choice. They turn out crisp and good either way. The thicker vada are crisp on the outside and fluffy from inside.

Rava Vada are best served hot with Coconut Chutney, Garlic chutney, Pudina Chutney or Curry Leaves Chutney.

This recipe is very simple and it is an instant kind meaning there is no soaking, grinding or fermenting process involved. With the traditional Medu Vada or Masala Vada, lentils are soaked and then ground to a batter or dough which is later shaped and fried.

These Instant vada are super quick since we use pre-ground wheat aka semolina or rava.

Yogurt is the key ingredient that helps us to bypass the steps of soaking and grinding. It not only imparts a delicious flavor but also helps the batter turn fluffy by reacting with the baking soda.

The prepared batter is mixed with onions & aromatics like ginger, chilies, cumin, curry leaves and coriander leaves. Later shaped and deep fried.

Photo Guide

How to Make Rava Vada (Stepwise Photos)

1. For this recipe you can use unroasted rava but roasted also works. Make sure you use fine semolina (Bombay rava) and not coarse one.

2. Add 1 cup rava/ suji and half cup yogurt to a mixing bowl.

3. Add 2 tbsp water. Do not add more.

4. Mix it well. The mixture must not be soggy. The dough must be moist, if it is dry sprinkle some water. Allow to soak for 10 to 15 mins. While the suji rests, chop 1 small onion (¼ cup chopped), 2 chopped green chilies, 1 sprig chopped curry & 2 sprigs chopped coriander leaves.

5. Add ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, ¾ to 1 teaspoon grated ginger, ½ cumin seeds and a pinch of hing (optional).

6. Add onions, green chilies and curry leaves.

7. Mix up everything. Then beat the dough very well with your hand for 30 seconds to 1 minute. This aerates the dough. The dough must be thick, sticky and well binded at this stage otherwise it will not hold shape. It should have enough moisture else they will turn hard.

8. Add oil to a hot pan and begin to heat it for deep frying on a medium flame.

Shape Rava Vada

9. Grease a foil or cling wrap. You can also use damp cloth or banana leaf. Divide the dough into 10 to 12 parts and place them on the foil. Grease your fingers and flatten them. Make a whole in the center. Do not make them too thick.

10. When the oil turns hot enough (medium), transfer the vada to your greased fingers.

11. Drop the vada by shaking off your fingers gently. Repeat dropping one after the other to the hot oil. Do not disturb them for 2 mins.

12. Then later keep stirring and fry well on a medium high flame until golden & crisp. Do not fry them on low heat, they will turn hard. A very high flame will also not cook them well.

Serve crispy rava vada hot or warm with a chutney.

Pro Tips

1. Do not skip soda & yogurt in the recipe. As both these ingredients react with each other and aerates the dough.
2. The key to making these rava vadas crisp and not hard lies in making the batter correctly. The batter has to be thick and should be able to spread easily. It means it must have enough moisture in it.
3. Do not make them too thick they have to be thin enough to prevent turning hard.
4. Beating the rava vada dough for some time will make the dough light & will prevent the vadas from turning hard.

For more vada recipes, you can check
Sabudana vada
Medu vada
Masala vada
Cabbage vada
Dal vada

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