Isso Vade
Great Curry Recipes recipe - Sri Lanka
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 15 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
- 2 cup split chana (gram) lentils, soaked for 5 hours or overnight
- 5 clove garlic
- 1 tsp dried red chilli flakes (optional)
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder (more or less to taste)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 medium red onions, finely chopped
- 3 green bird’s eye chillies
- 10 fresh or frozen curry leaves
- 300 g fresh raw prawns
- TO SERVE
- Tamarind sauce
- cabage, thinly sliced
- carrot, grated
- spring onions
- tomato
Instructions
- 1
Soak the lentils in water for at least six hours or overnight. After soaking the dried lentils will be so soft you can smash them between your fingers. Strain the lentils and place them in a food processor with the remaining vade ingredients up to and including the curry leaves. Do not add any water. Just blend the lentils and other ingredients to a paste.
- 2
Wet your hands with water and take a small handful of the paste out and form it into a ball. Then flatten slightly and place a prawn in the centre, pressing down firmly so that it doesn’t escape and go swimming when you place the vade in the oil. Repeat with the remaining paste and prawns.
- 3
Begin heating about 5cm (2 inches) of oil in a wok or similar. It needs to be about 200c/400f. If you don’t have an oil thermometer, place a wooded chopstick or spatula in the oil. If sizzling bubbles from around the wood instantaneously, your oil is ready for frying.
- 4
Fry the vade in small batches so that you don’t lower the temperature of the oil and fry, carefully splashing oil over the vade with a spoon until it is lightly browned and the prawn is cooked through. Repeat with the remaining vade.
- 5
To serves, top with tamarind sauce or anything sauce you like really. I top my isso vade with hot sauce when I don’t have any tamarind sauce on hand. I always have hot sauce in the cupboard. Then serve topped with salad vegetable to your liking