APPETIZERS !!…….Who doesn’t love those tiny bits of food eaten before any meal to increase the appetite? They are delicate and interesting tiny morsels, which tantalize our taste buds, increase our appetite and prepare us for the magical ride to the main course. So friends here I present my first recipe for the blog hop theme “Appetizers”– Sweet Corn Oats Masala Vada. This can be addictive as an appetizer, finger food or and evening snack.

A little about corn — Fresh summer corn is one of our favourite seasonal treats, whether grilled plain or with a little chilli powder, salt and lemon or as as a main ingredient in this delicious vada. Its earthy sweetness enhances a diverse range of dishes.

Sweet corn is a great vegetable, loved by most people. It is not only tasty but also extremely healthy. I’m not fussed about using canned sweet corn sometimes, but I would like you to buy some corn on the cob, if available in the market and have a go removing the kernels of corn yourself. Corn is also a nutritional powerhouse, rich in antioxidants and fibre. It is one of the finest source of dietary fibres. Sweet corn is a good source of niacin, vitamin B-6 and vitamin C. Frozen corn retains about the same vitamins as fresh corn after they’re boiled. It is also good for diabetics, when taken in moderate quantities.

The great thing about such recipes is that you can adapt it to suit your likes and dislikes. Hate onions? No problem, just leave them out. Dislike coriander (Am I kidding….this option is a no go for me…I can’t live without this magical herb), leave it out. Don’t like it spicy? Skip the green chillies or ginger. For a fruity twist, add diced mango or for a beautiful colour, add a few pomegranate seeds. Shall I go on? Seriously, vadas or pakodas are the most adaptable recipes. You can never go wrong.

Rain is the most beautiful gift from nature, I think it has a calming effect on you. Now you must be wondering, why I have all of a sudden started talking about rain?…Yes, you guessed right!!…It’s raining outside….what could be better than some spicy hot snacks with a cup of hot coffee (ONLY COFFEE), cuddle in my favourite blanket and watch a feel good movie!!…What would one want more in life?

On a healthy note, I have decided to bake a few Sweet Corn Oats Masala Vada so that I can balance and enjoy them guilt free…..I usually use chickpea flour but today I’m substituting with powdered oats. Let’s quickly move on to the recipe for this delectable Sweet Corn Oats Masala Vada.

Step-By-Step Process in making Sweet Corn Oats Masala Vada:

Today I’m going to show you both –

Deep fry method
Baking method

Initial Preparation for either of the methods:

Finely chop onions,coriander and chives.
Grind oats to a fine powder in an electric blender and set aside.

Grind corn kernels with green chilies (broken), ginger (chopped) and cumin seeds to a coarse paste in an electric blender.
Add few drops of water while grinding only if required.

Note: The consistency should be thick, otherwise the vadas absorb a lot of oil while deep-frying.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl.

To this add powdered oats little by little to get the required consistency and required salt. Do not add all the powdered oats. Mix well and adjust consistency with left powdered oats after adding chopped ingredients.

Now add chopped onions, coriander leaves, chives, salt and mix well. Also be certain to reduce the salt as corn doesn’t need too much of salt.

Note: In case you feel the consistency of the mixture is not tight enough, you can add a tablespoon of rice flour or Chickpea or gram flour (besan).

1. Deep Fry method for Sweet Corn Oats Masala Vada:

Form lemon sized balls with the mixture. Flatten it on your palm to make a patty shape. Prepare patties with the rest of the mixture. If you are not in a hurry, keep it in the refrigerator for 15 minutes so that they dry a bit and become firm before frying. Otherwise you can fry them right away.
Heat oil in a deep frying pan over high heat. Once the oil is hot enough, reduce the heat and slowly slide the patties into the oil and fry them on both sides to a golden brown colour.
As a variation, I also tried to dust the patties with oats powder and fry. But I did not like the look of them. If you observe the platter with vadas, you can differentiate the two varieties. Just wanted to share with you, you stick to one method.

2. Baking Method for Sweet Corn Oats Masala Vada:

Alternatively, you can also bake them if you do not like deep fried stuff:

Preheat oven at 200 degrees celsius.
Spread a baking sheet on a baking tray.
The mixture is going to be sticky to work with, so lightly grease your hands with oil and take spoonful of the mixture and gently press on your palm to form a patty.
Lay them on the baking sheet, placing them in rows about an inch apart.
Brush a little oil over the spread dough.
Slide the baking tray into the oven and bake at 200 degrees celsius for 15 to 18 minutes turning sides half way through. Let it brown evenly on both the sides.
For a crisp topping, now turn the oven mode to broil and let cook for another minute or two for crispier vadas.

Serve hot sweet corn oats masala vada with tomato sauce or any chutney of your choice. It tastes great with peanut chutney, onion chutney, coriander mint chutney or sweet and sour tomato chutney.

Print Recipe

Sweet Corn Oats Masala Vada

Sweet Corn Oats Masala Vada is a deep fried appetizer or snack prepared with sweet corn, oats, herbs and some spices to tantalize your taste buds.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: appetiser

Cuisine: Indian

Author: Padma

Ingredients

To Grind:
2 cups Corn Kernels Fresh, frozen or canned
2 green chillies
1 inch Ginger
1 Teaspoon Cumin seeds
To Chop:
1 Large Onion finely chopped
1 cup Coriander finely chopped
½ cup Chives finely chopped
Other Ingredients:
¾ to 1 cup Oats powdered in a blender
Required Salt
1 Tablespoon rice flour or chickpea flour Optional, only if required
Required Oil for deep-frying

Instructions

Grind all the ingredients under the section “To grind” in an electric blender and transfer to a bowl.
To this add all the ingredients under the section “To chop”, powdered oats little by little to get the required consistency and required salt. Also be certain to reduce the salt as corn doesn’t need too much of salt. Mix well and adjust consistency with oats powder. The consistence should be thick, otherwise the vadas absorb a lot of oil while deep-frying.
In case you feel the mixture is not tight enough, you can add a tablespoon of rice flour or Chickpea flour (besan). This is an optional step.
Deep fry method:
Form lemon sized balls with the mixture. Flatten it on your palm to make a patty shape. Prepare patties with the rest of the mixture.
If you are not in a hurry, keep it in the refrigerator for 15 minutes so that they dry a bit before frying. But you can also prepare the patties directly and fry them in oil.
Heat oil for in a deep pan over high heat. Once the oil is hot enough, reduce the heat and slowly slide the patties into the oil and fry them on both sides to a golden brown color.
Baking method:
Preheat oven at 200 degrees celsius.
Spread a baking sheet on a baking tray.
The mixture is going to be sticky to work with, so lightly grease your hands with oil and take spoonful of the mixture and gently press on your palm to form a patty.
Lay them on the baking sheet, placing them in rows about an inch apart.
Brush a little oil over the spread dough.
Slide the baking tray into the oven and bake at 200 degrees celsius for 15 to 18 minutes turning sides half way through. Let it brown evenly on both the sides.
For a crisp topping, now turn the oven mode to broil and let cook for another minute or two for crispier vadas.
Serve hot vadas with tomato sauce or any chutney of your choice.

Notes

1. Adjust spice levels with chillies. Skip chillies to make them kid friendly.
2. Ensure to grind the mixture to a coarse paste and not too smooth.
3. The consistency should be thick, otherwise the vadas absorb a lot of oil while deep-frying.
4. In case you feel the consistency of the mixture is not tight enough, you can add a tablespoon of rice flour or Chickpea or gram flour (besan), which is given as an optional ingredient.
5. You can substitute fennel seeds for cumin seeds, which gives a different flavour to the vadas.
6. You can also include Mint leaves, which adds a great flavour to the vadas.

You might also like other popular appetizers from my blog- To name a few…

Happy Cooking 🙂

Padma