I still remember my first stop in Maddur along the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway. It was my mother who insisted on this pit-stop to savour a snack that rekindled memories of her childhood in Bengaluru. It's also the first time I heard the tale of a snack that was invented almost by accident. We might have got accustomed to seeing contestants on shows like Master Chef asked to weave culinary magic with a set of surprise ingredients. But this is a challenge that many women in our families who straddle demanding jobs and kitchen duties handle with elan even before these shows captured our imagination. Dishes like the bread upma were all probably products of this 'quick thinking' that was required when you had unexpected guests who needed to be fed.
The story of the 'accidental' Maddur Vade dates back to 1917. Maddur was an important railhead on the Bengaluru-Mysuru route, Ramachandra Budhya used to manage the station's Vegetarian Tiffin Room back then. His pakoras were very popular with passengers. On one of the rare days the train arrived early, he wasn't quite ready with the pakoras. He chose a shortcut, opting to roll the dough flat and fry it like a vada; this innovative dish won the immediate approval of his customers.
(Also Read: Indian Cooking Tips: How To Make Masala Vada, Restaurant-Style At Home)
In 2017, the same year when the Maddur Vade celebrated its 100th birthday, the vegetarian tiffin room in the Maddur station that had become synonymous with the Vade actually shut down. But by that time the dish was no longer a Maddur railway station phenomenon. Budhya's family can take all the credit for that. They still manage Maddur Tiffany's a restaurant that has become a customary stop for many travellers on the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway. And almost every diner always orders a Maddur Vade that has also found its way into menus across Karnataka.
(Also Read: Medu Vada: What Makes it Such a Popular Breakfast Treat)
It's quite a contrast from the classic Karnataka vade (or vada). This crispy vade is crafted with rice flour, maida and rava with a generous sprinkling of onions and groundnuts or cashews. I tend to lean more towards the version with groundnuts (over cashew). Just like a pakora, the Maddur vade has a long shelf life and doesn't need to be consumed hot. That's how most of the vades fried in Maddur are usually consumed in Bengaluru or beyond. Most visitors to Maddur pack Maddur Vades to share with co-workers in the office or family members. While I look forward to the drive to Mysuru to dig into this delectable snack, I only have to go as far as my aunt's house in Bengaluru for my fill of Maddur Vade. You can try her recipe at home:
(Also Read: Tea-Time Snack Recipe: This Kalmi Vada Is Made With 4 Types Of Dal)
Maddur Vade Recipe
Recipe courtesy - Ms. Vasumathy Krishnaswamy
Ingredients:
- Rice flour: 1 cup
- Maida: ½ cup
- Rava: ½ cup
- Grated dried coconut: 4 tbsp
- Cooking oil (warm): ¼ cup
- Peanuts: 4 tbsp
- small onion (finely chopped) 1
- Curry leaves: a few sprigs
- Coriander a few sprigs
- Green chilies (finely chopped) 2 - 3
- Ginger (finely chopped) a small piece
- Water: 2 to 2 ½ cups
- Asafoetida a pinch
- Salt to taste
Method
- Add hot oil to the rava, maida and rice flour and mix till it turns crumbly
- Add the other ingredients, then add water slowly and knead to a stiff dough.
- Make ¼ inch flat discs with the dough and make dimples in the centre
- Fry in hot oil
You can store the Maddur vade in an air-tight jar and consume even after a few days. The Maddur Vade tastes best with coconut chutney; just like a pakora you can also eat it without any accompaniment. The kneading of the dough is the key step in this snack.
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