Easy Urad Vada Bites – Make these tiny Medu Vada style fritters with Watermelon Rind…. Really?
Yes! It’s a great way to use watermelon rind… you know, that white fleshy part that you might be tossing away when you cut up your watermelon! Yeah, I know it’s kind of bland… and until fairly recently, I used to throw it away too!
But then I came to know that it’s actually just as nutritious as the deliciously sweet and juicy red part of the fruit. In fact, it has significantly more fiber – almost 10 times as much as the red part! Also… it doesn’t really taste sweet, so it obviously has less sugar than the sweet red flesh that we all love so much.
The extra fiber in the rind helps slow down sugar absorption in the gut, which means…. NO sugar spikes! But, of course, that’s not all… the rind also packs a whole lot of other micronutrients that support your well-being.
That said, most people don’t really want to simply munch on this stuff… it is crunchy, for sure… but it is rather tasteless, and even somewhat dense, after all!
But wait… Who said you had to just munch on it?! Why not make some tasty stuff with it? Think about it…. If you could get all its health benefits by devouring these cute and delicious little Urad Vada Bites, how could you possibly complain?
What to do with watermelon rind?
So…. What else can one do with watermelon rind to make it more palatable? Lots of things, it turns out… smoothies, salads, pickles, candies,… even stir-fries, pancakes, soups and stews…. Hmmm….
I browsed online for interesting recipe ideas, and then I was ready to roll on my own… to give free rein to my creative juices, and see what I could come up with.
I’m so delighted I did that…. I now have a bunch of ‘new’ recipes…. and some that are still brewing in my head! Needless to say, I’m never tossing that ‘bland and tasteless’ watermelon rind again! After all, why waste all the amazingly good stuff that nature has so generously given us?
Urad Vada Bites: A new recipe with watermelon rind
One of my ‘new’ recipes is the one I’m sharing here – Urad Vada Bites. Since I first tried out this idea a few months ago, I’ve made it several times. Every time, I find it hard to stop eating these delicious little Medu Vada look-alikes!
When I shared these bite-sized beauties with some friends, of course they polished them off in no time. I finally had a chance to tell them what I’d put in them… They just looked at me, stupefied, and said, “You did what?!”
So… I figured it was time to share how to make this delightful little snack! Yeah, it’s fried, and so it’s a bit fat-rich…. And maybe has a tad more sodium than I’d like…. And…. I will most likely end up eating more than I should…. But Hey, You also have to live a little, you know?!
Besides, it’s certainly way healthier than a whole host of other snacks you might mindlessly devour… maybe like that bag of potato chips on your counter!
Watermelon rind has blood pressure-lowering L-citrulline
Do you need more reasons to eat watermelon rind in some form or shape? Let me share some more facts then….
Watermelon rind has a significant amount of the amino acid called L-citrulline. Interestingly, while It’s there in the red flesh too, the rind has much more of it, especially in the part close to the tough green skin.
This amino acid has been shown to reduce blood pressure – both systolic as well as diastolic! It is also known to improve exercise recovery and decrease muscle soreness after high intensity exercise.
How to make Urad Vada bites with watermelon rind?
So… How to make Urad Vada bites with watermelon rind?
Mix Urad flour (skinless black lentil flour) and Idli Rava (cream of rice) with cooked and pureed watermelon rind, then set aside for about an hour to hydrate. Meanwhile, prep all the remaining ingredients… chop onions, green chillies, fresh coriander (cilantro), etc. Then add the seasonings, shape the mixture into little bite-sized Vadas and fry…
Golden and crisp on the outside, they’re soft and spongy on the inside! And… the ‘beans and rice’ combination even gives you a complete protein – with all the 9 essential amino acids your body needs! And…. Just look at the whopping fiber content: 6 g per serving! How many other snacks can do that?
The best part? It’s super easy to make with pre-made watermelon rind puree. So I’ve started making this puree whenever I buy watermelon and stashing in my refrigerator/freezer.
How to peel watermelon rind?
It sounds so very simple… Just peel away the tough green skin from the rind slices after cutting away the red flesh. However, I quickly discovered that it was actually rather tedious and quite time-consuming… and kind of annoying!
So I experimented a bit…. and sure enough, I found another way to do this that I liked better! Turns out, it’s much easier (at least for me!) to remove the tough outer skin of the watermelon when I have a full slice of watermelon to ‘hold on’ to!
I lay the slice on the side, and chip away at the green peel with my knife – check out my detailed pics in the recipe directions. Once I remove the peel, I go at the rind the same way. And… almost as a bonus… the rind pieces end up being about the perfect size for cooking!
Only then do I cut up the rest of the sweet and juicy red flesh to enjoy after I’m done with all my prepping! The whole process is still a bit time-consuming, but it doesn’t make me frustrated and cranky!
Make watermelon rind puree
To make the puree, I like to first gently cook the peeled rind pieces to soften them a little before pureeing. Just add a little water and cook it for a few min. You can do this either in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stove-top.
After it cools, puree it in a blender along with the cooking juices. If I have a lot, I divide it up into 1/2 cup portions and stash it in my freezer!
So then…. whenever the craving hits…. I simply pull out my secret stash! A quick thaw in the microwave… and I’m ready to go!
More Teatime Snacks
Are you always looking for tasty and nutritious teatime snacks? Me too….
So, here are a few you might want to check out… Some are quick & easy, some a bit more time-consuming, but all are simply Yum!
Savory Snacks:
- Thin Poha Chivda – widely popular Maharashtrian snack, perfect for pairing with tea/coffee
- Hummus – the classic …but with a touch of heat! Protein-rich and filling, it’s super easy and tasty
- Baba Ghanouj – creamy roasted eggplant – perfect for scooping up with crackers or pita wedges
- Street-Style Peanuts – roasted, lightly salted and super-addicting, they’re ready in a jiffy!
- Black-eyed pea fritters – irresistible… crunchy little nuggets of protein and fiber,
- Mini Egg Rolls – a delightful way to use up leftovers – this makeover will be gone in a flash!
Sweet Snacks:
- Banana muffins with chocolate chips and orange peel… a crowd-pleaser, for sure!
- Sweet Pumpkin Thalipeeth – tasty, filling and nutritious, you can even make a meal of it!
- Rava Laadoo – Oh, to bite into this soft, sweet, coco-nutty treat…. close your eyes & savor the flavor
- Danyaachey Laadoo – roasted and crushed peanuts, bound with Ghee and jaggery… so addicting!
Make them…. Share them with friends and family….
Please do leave a review and star rating… Thanks!
Special Diets
These delightful little Urad Vada bites are vegetarian, gluten-free, soy-free and nut-free. They also don’t have any added garlic.
If you prefer to also avoid onions, you could use finely chopped Zucchini (peeled) or Dudhi (bottle gourd, peeled) instead. Naturally, the flavor will be different, but the Vadas will still look and taste amazing.
So… The next time you pick up a big juicy watermelon, don’t throw away all that white rind! Collect it… puree it and stash it away! That way, you’ll be ready… on short notice…. to whip up this mighty delicious snack!
Make it, share it with friends and family… Do write a review and give a star rating…. Many thanks!
Enjoy!
Easy Urad Vada Bites – Make with Watermelon Rind
Equipment
- Electric blender / food processor to puree watermelon rind
- 1 Small-medium wok (1 quart/L) for frying Vada; if not available, use a deep frying pan or small saucepan (1 – 1 1/2 quart/L)
- 1 Sturdy Slotted spoon metal or wood: for mixing and whipping aerating the thick batter
- 1 Small Mesh strainer to sift baking powder
Ingredients
Mix and set aside for 1 hour – to hydrate
- 2/3 cup Watermelon rind – cooked and pureed about 1 1/4 cup raw (175 g); Make Puree in advance, or allow extra 15-20 prep time.
- 3 tbsp Idli Rava (30 g) Cream of rice – not too coarse; if not available, see Recipe Notes for using rice.
- 1/2 cup Urad flour (50 g) fine textured from skinless Urad dal; if not available, see Recipe Notes for using Urad Dal
Mix into the prepared mixture
- 1/2 cup Onion – chopped any kind – red, yellow, white
- 2 tbsp Fresh Coriander leaves – (Cilantro) chopped OK to use tender stems too
- 1/2 tsp Fresh Ginger – grated if not available, use 1/4 tsp dried ginger powder
- 1/2 tsp Green Chilli – spicy variety – chopped about 1/2 Serrano – adjust for preferred spiciness
- 6-8 leaves Curry leaves – finely chopped if fresh leaves not available, use dried leaves – crumble between fingertips before adding
- 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1/4 tsp Salt taste-test and add an extra pinch if you prefer
- 1/4 tsp Black pepper – coarsely crushed freshly crushed preferred
Add just before frying Vadas
- 1/2 tsp Baking powder sift through a small strainer to catch any globs/lumps – gently smash them and strain before adding to the vada batter
Oil for frying
- 6 tbsp Oil I like to use peanut oil for frying – any other high smoke-point oil is fine too
Instructions
Make Watermelon Rind Puree: OK to make in advance. If making when needed, allow for extra 30-40 min prep time to make puree.
- Cut a 1/2 inch thick slice of watermelon and lay it on its side. Pare the thick green peel away from the rinds and red flesh
- Now cut away the white rind and collect it in a bowl.
- Briefly cook the watermelon rind pieces by on of these two methods.On the Stove-top: See pic on the side Place the watermelon rind in a saucepan and add 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook on Hi for 3-4 min. Turn heat off and allow to cool to room temperature before blending into puree. In the microwave: (no pic)Place the watermelon rind in a microwave safe bowl and add 2 tbsp water. Cover and cook on Hi for 30 seconds, then on 30% power for 3-4 min. Allow to cool to room temperature before blending into puree.
- Cooked watermelon rind – it turns a bit translucent as it cooks.
- Transfer the cooked watermelon rind, along with the cooking water to a blender jar and puree until smooth.
- Pureed rind.
- Measure out 3/4 cup of the puree and save the rest for another use (see Recipe Notes for ideas). Freeze the puree if you don't plan to use it soon – it's good for at least a couple of months, maybe longer.
Make the Vada Batter
- Measure out 3 tbsp of Idli Rava and 1/2 cup fine Urad flour into a medium mixing bowl (1- 1 1/2 quart/L). Mix well with a sturdy slotted spoon, breaking up any lumps (push the lumps against the side of the bowl with the back of the spoon.
- Add the measured (1/2 cup) watermelon rind puree.
- Mix well with the slotted spoon – do NOT add any extra water! Whip the thick mixture with the slotted spoon to aerate it a little – 1-2 min.Cover and set aside for about 1 hour. This rest time allows the Idli Rava and Urad flour to hydrate properly as they absorb the moisture from the pureed rind.
While the mixture rests, prepare the remaining ingredients
- Chop the onion.
- Wash and grate the fresh ginger.
- Wash and chop the spicy green chillies.
- Wash and chop the fresh coriander leaves and tender stems.
- Wash and finely chop the curry leaves.
- After the Vada batter has rested for about an hour, add all these ingredients, along with cumin seeds, freshly crushed black pepper and salt. Do NOT mix until ready to fry! Why? Mixing the salt to early makes the batter become runny and difficult to shape for frying.
Frying the Vadas
- Place about 6 tbsp oil in a small wok or saucepan (1quart/L). Heat on low-medium for 4-5 min. You might need to add a little more oil (up to 2 tbsp more) if using a small saucepan (you need about 1 1/2 – 2 inches of oil depth)Meanwhile, sift 1/2 tsp baking powder through a small mesh strainer into a small bowl: smash any lumps that remain in the strainer and push them through the strainer- if you use lumpy baking powder, it does not mix well into the batter and can leave a bitter after-taste in those portions. Add the strained baking powder to the Vada batter and mix all the seasonings thoroughly with a slotted spoon. The baking powder helps make the Vadas extra light and fluffy.Note: If making a large batch of these Vadas, divide up the batter before adding any seasonings; add the seasonings to each portion separately, just before you're ready to fry the Vadas with that portion.
- Add about 1/2 cup of cool water to a bowl and keep it handy. Wet your fingers in the bowl of water, pick up a tiny bit of the batter (about 1/4 tsp or less) and drop it into the oil to check if the oil is hot enough to fry the Vadas: if the little bit of batter sinks and then quickly rises to the top, the oil is hot enough and ready. Wet your fingers again and scoop up about 2 tsp of the prepared batter – it should be quick thick – not runny!Gently shape it into a thick round disc with your wet thumb (and the fingers under the batter).
- Use your wet thumb to make a small hole in the center of the disc.
- Slide the Vada (with a gentle push) into the hot oil.
- Repeat, wetting your fingers as needed, adding about 5-6 Vadas into the hot oil for each batch.
- Carefully flip them with a DRY spoon – when they turn golden brown on the bottom
- After they are evenly browned on both sides, remove the golden, crispy Vadas from the oil with a slotted spoon, and hold the spoon against the side of the wok for 4-5 seconds, to allow some of the oil to drain. Transfer the Vadas to an absorbent paper-towel lined plate. Repeat with the remaining batter: should be done in about 2-3 more batches.Yields about 15-18 bite-sized Vadas.
- Serve immediately with a chutney of your choice: coconut chutney is simply perfect, but not essential… plain old ketchup is fine too!Enjoy!
- Move the wok with the hot oil away from the hot burner. When cooled, transfer to a glass or stainless steel container and store in the refrigerator – NOT on the counter!Since the oil will not have been heated for too long (less than 10 min or so), you can use it up over the next 2-3 days – do NOT re-use the oil for frying!However, if you're planning to make a larger batch of these Vadas, and he oil gets heated for 15 min or longer, I recommend disposing of it after you're done frying. Ideally, oil that has been heated for a long time should be discarded – it is not good to use it for cooking anything afterwards. Yes, it seems wasteful to throw it away, but isn't your good health is more important?!
Notes
Watermelon Rind Alternatives
You can use puree made from any of the following squash varieties:- Ash Gourd (Winter melon) – remove tough skin before cooking – discard tough seeds
- Zucchini : peel the green skin before cooking
- Yellow Summer squash : peel the yellow skin before cooking
- Dudhi (Ghiya, Bottle gourd, Calabash) – remove the tough green skin before cooking – discard any tough seeds
Idli Rava not available?
Grind 2 1/2 tbsp rice (about 30 g) – any variety – to a coarse powder in a coffee/spice grinder: sift it and grind the coarser bits again if needed.Urad Flour not available?
Measure out (3 tbsp+ 1 tsp) Urad Dal into a bowl (this is about 50 g). Grind to to a powder in a coffee/spice grinder. Sift it and grind the coarser bits again: it will yield about 1/3 cup slightly coarse powder. Even though it is not as fine- textured as the store-bought urad flour, it will still give you excellent Vadas.Storing Leftovers
Store any leftover Vadas in the refrigerator.- Use within 2 -3 days
- Re-heat to crisp up in a toaster oven or air fryer:
- I do NOT recommend reheating in the microwave : they will become soft, rather than crispy!
- Re-heat to crisp up in a toaster oven or air fryer:
How ingenious! I always wondered what to do with the rind.
I love trying to figure out interesting ways to use things that we might otherwise toss!
I actually make lots of things with the rind…. you could also chop/dice it and use it in a mixed salad… kind of like cucumber!
I’m so glad you like the idea! 🙂