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You are here: Home / Diwali Recipes / Paal Vadai Recipe, Unique Diwali Sweet Recipe

Paal Vadai Recipe, Unique Diwali Sweet Recipe

November 1, 2022 19 Comments

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Paal vadai, pal vadai or milk vadai is a unique and different Diwali sweet recipe. Although Amma insists it was often made at home, especially during Diwali, I don’t recall this sweet being part of the celebrations at all. Read on for how the recipe of paal vadai unfolded.

paal vadai recipe

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Table of Contents

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  • Paal Vadai Recipe
    • Ingredients  
    • Instructions 

I was lamenting to Amma on the phone on Sunday saying how I had wanted to make some sweets for Diwali but nothing really happened. Then she goes “have you posted paal vadai yet?”Me: “Paal vadai? Have I eaten that before?”

Amma: “What are you saying? I used to make it all the time when you kids were smaller!”

Me: “I… don’t.. remember..”

Amma: “OK, it’s very easy. Here’s how you make it”

And so I made it!

Once made, it looks a bit like gulab jamun but don’t get misled by the looks. This sweet is remarkable in its sheer simplicity. Also check out quick and easy Diwali sweet recipes.

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Paal Vadai Recipe

nags
Paal vadai is a unique sweet made during Diwali that is urad dal vadai soaked in a jaggery syrup.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 2 hours hrs
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Total Time 2 hours hrs 20 minutes mins
Servings 3 -4

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup of skinned whole urad dal / ulutham paruppu
  • A pinch of salt
  • 2-3 cups of milk more or less

For jaggery syrup:

  • 5 tbsp of grated jaggery or brown sugar
  • 10-12 tbsp of water
  • 1 pod of cardamom

Instructions
 

  • Soak the urad dal in enough water to cover it by 3 inches for about 1 to 2 hours.
  • Grind the soaked dal with enough added milk to make a thick, custard-like batter. It should have the consistency of the batter you would grind for medhu vada. Add salt and mix well.
  • Heat oil to almost smoking point and add small quantities of batter into it. No need to shape them, just make them into small lime-sized balls.
  • Fry until golden brown and drain on kitchen towels.
  • For jaggery syrup, mix the jaggery and water and bring to boil. Peel and add the cardamom pod, including the skin.
  • Remove the syrup from fire and dunk the fried urad balls in. Keep covered and let it soak well.
  • That's it! Serve warm or at room temperature.

Step by Step Paal Vadai Recipe:

1. Soak the urad dal in enough water to cover it by 3 inches for about 1 to 2 hours.

Paal Vadai Recipe, Unique Diwali Sweet RecipePin

2. Grind the soaked dal with enough added milk to make a thick, custard-like batter. It should have the consistency of the batter you would grind for medhu vadai. Add salt and mix well.

Paal Vadai Recipe, Unique Diwali Sweet RecipePin

Paal Vadai | Diwali Sweets RecipePin

3. Heat oil to almost smoking point and add small quantities of batter into it. No need to shape them, just make them into small lime-sized balls.

Paal Vadai | Diwali Sweets RecipePin

4. Fry until golden brown and drain on kitchen towels.

Paal Vadai | Diwali Sweets RecipePin

5. For jaggery syrup, mix the jaggery and water and bring to boil. Peel and add the cardamom pod, including the skin.

Paal Vadai | Diwali Sweets RecipePin

6. Remove the syrup from fire and dunk the fried urad balls in. Keep covered and let it soak well.

Paal Vadai | Diwali Sweets RecipePin

That’s it! Serve warm or at room temperature. The flavour is predominantly that of urad dal so it’s quite unique and delicious.

You can also make these in white sugar syrup, just omit the cardamom pod in that case, it may overpower the flavour.

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By nags Filed Under: Diwali Recipes, Festival Recipes, Sweets Puddings Desserts

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Poornima Nair

    October 25, 2011 at 10:56 pm

    This is an interesting recipe!!The wadas look incredible!!

    Reply
  2. divya

    October 25, 2011 at 6:31 pm

    looks absolutely great dear..Happy Diwali to u n ur family 🙂

    Reply
  3. Mitha

    October 25, 2011 at 6:04 am

    this one looks like south indian version of gulab jammoon Nags !!

    Reply
  4. Kadhyaa

    October 25, 2011 at 4:06 am

    Totally new recipe for me..and looks great

    Reply
  5. Krithi's Kitchen

    October 24, 2011 at 9:03 pm

    This is new to me… Looks so good!
    the looks deceive.. close cousin of gulab jamun i guess…
    Krithi's Kitchen
    Event: Serve It – Festival Potluck

    Reply
  6. Bong Mom

    October 24, 2011 at 6:50 pm

    My Mom makes them too, I think same dal, calls it "rosho bora" aka "ras vada". Yours look plump, juicy and very Diwali-ish.

    Happy Diwali Nags

    Reply
  7. Divya Vikram

    October 25, 2011 at 12:49 am

    Very interesting recipe Nags 🙂

    Reply
  8. Calogero

    October 24, 2011 at 10:33 am

    Very difficult to cook for me. I miss an ingredient…

    Reply
  9. Priya

    October 24, 2011 at 10:20 am

    SUper delicious paal vadai,quite new for me.

    Reply
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Hello!

I am Nags, the face behind Edible Garden, a food and recipes website for the busy (and sometimes lazy!) cook since 2007. My recipes are meant to be quick yet healthy and delicious - Nothing fancy, nothing too difficult. Follow Me On Instagram for real-time food and life updates.

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