Mahanandi

Living in Consciousness ~ Indi(r)a’s Food and Garden Weblog

Black-Eyed Pea Fritters (Alasanda Vada)

Alasanda (black-eyed peas) vada is a Raayalaseema specialty. They are prepared for special occasions and usually served with chicken curry. They are eaten usually dunked in Chicken gravy. I prefer them with vegetable gravy curries like potato kurma or with dal and rice. They taste great just as they are too.

If you already know and make vadas or fritters with other type of dals, like and enjoy the taste of them, then you must try this black-eyed pea version. You will be surprised about how good they taste. The recipe is again one of those passed from generation to generation, and also one of my all time favorites. And I am very happy to share this with you all, my readers.

Soak 2 cups of black-eyed peas (Alasandalu) in water for overnight. They expand in water, so choose a big vessel for soaking. In the morning, drain the water and pat the rehydrated black-eye peas to dry using a cotton cloth.

Blackeye Peas, (alasandalu, bobbarlu) Soaking in Water After soaking in water - Blackeye peas

Ingredients to make vada or fritters:

1 big onion, finely chopped
5 green chillies, chopped
1×1 inch of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
2 cloves
1 teaspoon of salt or to taste,
Peanut oil, about two to three cups to deep fry

Alasandalu, Onion, Ginger, Green Chillies, Cloves

Alasanda BatterGrind the blackeye peas, ginger, cloves, salt and green chillies into coarse batter in a food processor or mixer without adding water. Just before removing the batter add the finely cut onion pieces. Grind few seconds more. The batter must be solid, and if you make a round with it, it must hold the shape without running to the edges. So do not add water while grinding the peas.

Remove the batter to a vessel. You can use your hands or small cotton cloth to make vadas. Using your left hand is very convenient. First wash and dry your hands. Take small amount of batter in a ball shape, put that ball on your left palm and flatten it lightly and make a hole in the middle. Drop gently into hot oil from the side of kadai or pan.

Giving the Alasanda batter 'vada' shape on my hand Alasanda Vadas deep frying in oil

In batches, deep fry them in hot peanut oil, turning them until they are golden-brown on both sides. Takes approximately 5 to 10 minutes, each batch.

Serve them hot with gravy curry for a genuine Raayalaseema experience or with a condiment of your choice.

Alasanda(bobbarla) Vadalu - Blackeye Pea Fritters

Black-eyed pea fritters (Alasanda/Bobbarla vada)

Recipe Source: Amma

Posted by Indira©Copyrighted in Amma & Authentic Andhra,Blackeye Beans (Sunday April 3, 2005 at 8:18 pm- permalink)
Comments (25)

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25 comments for Black-Eyed Pea Fritters (Alasanda Vada) »

  1. hey indira.. i want to try this recipe.. yummy… any suggestion were i can get blackeye pea .. i have seen some frozen in kroger . de we get these in indian stores ??? and cloves or garlic cloves.. i always have this confusion (thats coz i dont read it properly )..

    Indira says…
    Hi Priya, Southern states love their blackeye peas. You can get them in almost all US and Indian grocery shops.
    ha ha.. that is cloves(the spice) for this recipe. I read your peanut chutney comment, at first I thought it was my mistake, then I got it. You were confused and used cloves in addition to garlic cloves, right?. You know, here, garlic means whole garlic and garlic clove means a piece of garlic. I hope this clears the confusion for you. 🙂

    Comment by priya,ar — November 20, 2005 @ 1:05 am

  2. Indira my problem was i was in hurry and dint read it properly i just read the clove part and missed the garlic 🙂 sometimes i can be really dumb. So i can use the frozen ones rite ?

    Indira says,
    Priya, to tell you the truth, I never made vadas with fresh/frozen blackeye peas. I (and family back home) always used the dry ones, soaking them in water first. But I am sure, vadas made with fresh frozen blackeye peas taste even better than my version. If you are going to try, please let me know how they turned out. Thanks!

    Comment by priya, ar — November 21, 2005 @ 3:58 pm

  3. indira i tried this vada with black beans from indian grocers and it was really tasty, so different from the usual ones.Thanx for the recipe.Can u please post the recipes of authentic andhra pulusu if possible. Thats wud be great.

    Comment by priya,ar — November 23, 2005 @ 2:50 pm

  4. hello Indira,
    I keep looking for some cruncy snack recipes to be made during weekends. I really enjoyed this recipe.

    Comment by vidhya — November 9, 2006 @ 7:22 am

  5. Hello Indira,
    I’m one of the frequent visitors of ur blog (since a couple of months). I tried these vadas today and they turned of gr8. U r doing a very gud job. Thanx a lot and keep up the gud work:)

    Comment by Deepa — November 20, 2006 @ 4:46 pm

  6. hello indira,
    i have made the vadas today for a get to gether tonight at my friends place.beyond words to describe the taste of this vada.Really different and yummy.Cant wait for my freinds to have them and their comments.with the prices of lentis going skyrocket,blackeyed beans in a good substitue.thanks a lot.will come again with my friends comments on ur dish.bye.

    Comment by bvasana — November 23, 2006 @ 1:16 pm

  7. Is the Black-Eyed Pea required to be soaked in water, before grinding them for this wadas?

    Comment by sarika — March 21, 2007 @ 8:55 am

  8. Hi Indira,

    Yesterday, prepared this vada for my guests and the entire people incl. my family loved it.

    Have a couple of doubts-this vada does not come out crunchy like dhal vada? Though the outside texture was little crunchy, inside, was soft. And, why holes in the middle?

    I tried out preparing vada with black channa and never put hole though the result use to be crispy. So, I am curious to know the reason.

    Thanks for yr excellent recipe.

    Comment by Rama — April 1, 2007 @ 1:41 pm

  9. Hi Indira, Success….I tried vadalu and they came out very well. I thought gloves meant garlic cloves instead of the spice. Friends and family enjoyed these a lot! Thank you for the great recipe, your recipes are my inspiration to try new dishes!

    Comment by Niru — April 9, 2007 @ 1:57 pm

  10. Hi Indira, for past few months i have been in and out of ur blog many times…and today i tried ur black eye beans vada…it was awesome!!!!

    thanks for the great recipe’s…. keep up the good work…..

    Comment by Rashmi — June 1, 2007 @ 9:53 pm

  11. Hi
    I have tried this recipe,No doubt about it , it is super super …
    I am going to make it again for a party on Sunday, my question is, can i make this vada previous night,and heat it just before party . or can i fry early morning of sunday.. or should i wait like puri,to fry just before the party. .
    thanks in advance..

    H Neena,
    This is my mother’s recipe and one of my favorites, and I am glad that you tried and liked them too.
    I recommend early morning Sunday or just before the party.
    Have a great party!
    – Indira

    Comment by neena — October 19, 2007 @ 11:15 pm

  12. Hi Indira,

    Its great that i found your website…its simply superb …i have tired a lot of dishes from your blog.. i just love it..This vada with black-eyed beans was really the best. Thanks for your dishes …please keep popsting more new recipes…Thanks Indira!!!

    Comment by subashini — November 1, 2007 @ 2:22 pm

  13. Hi Indira,

    I tried this recipe of yours and it’s really superb, though easy too! I cooked only two vadas, since I live alone and I cannot eat more: but I put the rest of the vadas on a oven paper in the freezer, and when they’re solid I put them in a bag and fry them, frozen as they are, when I need.

    Thank you for this great website, I often read it when I’m India-sick.

    Andrea

    Comment by Andrea — April 3, 2008 @ 11:01 am

  14. Indira, I tried this recipe today and it came out very well. Loved the taste of this vada. Thanks a lot for sharing this recipe with us.

    Comment by Priya — May 9, 2009 @ 10:35 pm

  15. Hi Indira,

    Thanks a lot for this wonderful recipe. I tried it first time and it turned out very well. Your blog is simply superb!

    meera

    Comment by meera — June 22, 2009 @ 1:27 pm

  16. Hi Indiragaru,

    Nice to know about this vada. Want to give a try.

    I want to buy a food processor which will be helpful to make vada, bobbatlu etc.,

    I searched in the net but there are so many models. I don’t know what is exactly suitable for my need.

    Can I know the food processor which you are using with a model no.?

    Thanks & Regards.

    Comment by Sailaja prakash — October 23, 2009 @ 12:59 pm

  17. […] Re: PULSES and SPROUTS custard, do you have any idea about black eyed peas beans? Eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day is thought to bring prosperity. Black Eyed Peas are beans which belong to Legume family, also known as Cow peas, white kidney beans or cow gram. When pressure cooked and seasoned makes a good healthy evening snack. Vellai Karamani ~ Tamil Lobhiya ~ Hindi Bobbarlu,alsandhalu ~ Telugu Alasandee ~ Kannada Vella Payaru ~ Malayalam it has lot of fiber, low in sodium, High in iron, High in magnesium, High in phosphorus, Very high in thiamin, High in zinc. note: it can be made in the same way as chole recipe. making vadas using these beans are also very tasty. if we want add other dals like chana dal and moong dal too. i am giving you the recipe link for making vadas: Mahanandi Black-Eyed Pea Fritters (Alasanda Vada) add mint it gives different taste. […]

    Pingback by PULSES and SPROUTS - Page 5 - IndusLadies — January 7, 2010 @ 10:58 pm

  18. hi Indira,

    Thanks for posting, It’s one of the most common recipes back home,as I am from Rayala seema..

    I am thinking to make it here,and I found your blog..

    Great job..

    Comment by Mady — March 23, 2010 @ 11:36 am

  19. Hi Indira,
    I tried this out, and this turned out very well. I have also been trying out various other recipes and they have all turned out very well.
    Thanks for sharing such healthy recipes.

    I am happy to read that you tried and liked this recipe, Debyani. Thanks for the feedback.
    -Indira

    Comment by debyani — May 15, 2010 @ 9:23 pm

  20. Indira, I can’t wait to make this for friends for New Years luck… but I am allergic to all the oily nuts and seeds. I know the peanut oil gives a great flavor, but alas, I can’t use it.
    What oil would you recommend instead?
    Thanks,
    Taylor

    Taylor, you could avoid oil frying and instead bake/broil the vadas. The result would be similar to baked style falafel.
    -Indira

    Comment by Taylor — December 31, 2010 @ 9:49 am

  21. Tried out your vadas. They came out awesome except that I made slight variations to the ingredients instead of cloves. I put Ginger garlic and coriander.thnx for sharing indira.

    Comment by Madhuri — August 14, 2011 @ 8:50 pm

  22. Thank you for Posting this recipe,Indira.
    Actually,I heard this procedure from my mother but for the confirmation sake I browsed and came across the exactly similar one in your website.

    And the only change is the addition of turmeric, which brings a good look to the vadas.

    Managing this site with numerous recipes is Really a great job.

    Comment by DevikaRani — August 5, 2012 @ 7:25 am

  23. Ma amma chese vatillo na favorite edi…. was looking for it and this site proves to be the best for rayalaseema dishes.

    Comment by arvind — April 26, 2014 @ 11:46 am

  24. Hi I was wondering what the English term for Sukakku is . It is also a kind of green leaf and used in Telugu dishes a lot.
    Thanks
    Ramaa

    Comment by ramaa — May 21, 2015 @ 8:41 am

  25. […] En Inde du Sud on trouve dans l’etat de Andra Pradesh des accras yeux noirs qui s’appellent la bas alasanda vada. Dans l’assaisonnement il y a toujours le piment mais aussi du gingembre et l’aspect est un peu différent puisqu’ils ressemblent à un doughnut avec un trou au milieu. Une autre différence, là on ne retire pas la peau des haricots. […]

    Pingback by credo in unum deum, Accra omnipotentem – INVESTIGATIONS MÉMORIELLES EN ARRIERE-PAYS WOLFOKIEN — May 15, 2017 @ 1:39 pm

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