Isso Wade

Ingredients

The lentils

• 300 gsplit yellow lentils
• chana dal, or toor dal
• soaked 4 hours
• or 250 g chana dal and 50 g urad dal

The seasoning

• 1onion, very finely chopped
• 3green chillies, finely chopped
• or to taste
• a few curry leaves, shredded
• 1 teaspooncumin seeds
• or 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• half a teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoonchilli powder
• 1 teaspoonsalt
• or to taste
• a thumb of ginger, grated
• optional
• a handful of coriander, chopped

The prawns

• 16whole raw prawns
• medium size
• heads and shells left on
• or peeled, if you prefer
• a pinch of salt and pepper

For frying

• 1 litrecoconut oil
• or vegetable oil
• or enough for 6 cm depth

To serve

• hot, on their own
• with a chilli sauce
• lime wedges
• sliced onion with chilli

Directions

1. Rinse the lentils several times. Cover them with plenty of cold water. Soak them for about four hours. Soak them in the refrigerator in warm weather. Drain them very thoroughly. Wet lentils make a wet batter. Shake the colander to remove the last water. Put most of the drained lentils in a processor. Grind them coarsely, not smoothly. A smooth paste gives a dense heavy fritter.
2. Keep a handful of whole soaked lentils aside. Stir them into the ground mixture. Add no water at all if you can help it. The soaked lentils hold enough. Add a teaspoon only if the machine stalls. Put the ground lentils in a bowl. Add the very finely chopped onion. Chop it very fine indeed.
3. Squeeze the chopped onion if it seems wet. Add the chopped chillies. Add the shredded curry leaves. Add the cumin or fennel seeds whole. Add the turmeric, chilli powder and salt. Add the ginger and coriander. Mix it thoroughly with your hands. Season this boldly. Sri Lankan snacks are genuinely hot.
4. Taste a small pinch of the mixture. It should taste too strong raw. Rinse them and pat them dry. Season them lightly with salt and pepper. Devein larger ones if there is a visible thread. Take a golf ball of mixture. Flatten it into a disc on your palm. Make it about a centimetre thick. Thick fritters stay raw in the middle.
5. Press it in firmly so it holds. It should sit proud of the surface. Press it in hard and it usually holds. If it does come off, fry it separately and set it on top. Use a deep heavy pot. Fill it no more than one third full. Never leave hot oil unattended.
6. Keep a well fitting lid within reach. If it catches fire, turn off the heat and cover it. Heat the oil to one hundred and seventy degrees. That is moderate rather than very hot. Fry them for about four minutes. Turn them once, carefully. Fry them three minutes more. They should be deep golden and crisp.
7. Break it open and look at the centre. It should be cooked through and not pasty. Lift them out with a slotted spoon. Drain them on a rack over kitchen paper. A rack keeps them crisper than paper alone.
8. Let the oil recover between batches. Serve them hot, within minutes. Serve a chilli sauce alongside. Serve lime wedges. Serve sliced raw onion with chilli. They are eaten with a cold drink. Fry them from frozen at a lower temperature.

Technique

• Grind the lentils coarsely, pulsing rather than running the machine. A smooth paste gives a dense heavy fritter; a rough gritty one gives the crisp open texture that a wade should have. Stirring a handful of whole soaked lentils back in gives more bite still.
• Add no water when grinding if you can help it. The soaked lentils hold enough, and a wet mixture falls apart in the oil.
• Drain the soaked lentils thoroughly and let them sit ten minutes, shaking off the last water. Wet lentils make a wet batter.
• Chop the onion very finely and squeeze it if it seems wet. Coarse onion breaks the fritter apart and releases water into the mixture.
• Keep them about a centimetre thick. Thicker and the middle stays raw; break the first one open and check before frying the rest.
• Fry at 170 degrees, moderate rather than hot. These are thick and need time inside while the outside is already colouring.
• Press the prawn in hard so it holds. If it comes off in the oil, fry it separately and set it back on top — that is a practical fix rather than a failure.
• Season boldly. Lentils are bland alone, Sri Lankan snacks are genuinely hot, and the raw mixture should taste too strong, since frying mellows it.
• Curry leaves are a fresh aromatic leaf and nothing to do with curry powder. Fresh or frozen from a South Asian grocer both work; dried ones have almost no flavour.
• Deep-frying rules apply: fill the pot no more than a third, never leave it unattended, keep a lid within reach, and if the oil catches fire turn off the heat and smother it. Never throw water on burning oil.
• Drain on a rack rather than paper alone, which lets them sit in absorbed oil.
• Small head-on prawns crisp shell and all in the oil and are eaten whole; larger ones are better peeled.
• This contains shellfish, a common allergen that can cause anaphylaxis. Say so plainly.

Substitutions

• Toor dal replaces chana dal, giving a slightly softer fritter.
• A little urad dal added to the mix helps it bind.
• Coconut oil replaces vegetable oil and is what is used in Sri Lanka.
• Fennel seeds replace cumin and are used in some versions.
• Peeled prawns replace head-on ones for easier eating.
• Leaving the prawn off makes parippu wade or masala wade, which are dishes in their own right.

Variations

• Parippu wade, the plain lentil fritter, is the same batter without the prawn.
• Ulundu wade is the ring-shaped urad dal fritter, softer and lighter.
• Masala wade adds more spice and is sold at the same stands.
• Medu vada in south India is the closest mainland relative.
• A version topped with a small crab or a piece of cuttlefish is sold in some places.
• Gotu kola sambola and other sambols are served at the same table.

Frequently asked questions

What is Isso Wade?

Isso Wade is a street food from Sri Lanka: crisp lentil fritter topped with whole prawns, sold along the Galle Face seafront.

How long does Isso Wade take to make?

Isso Wade takes 30 minutes plus soaking of preparation and 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes makes about 16. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Isso Wade?

Yes, within limits. Toor dal replaces chana dal, giving a slightly softer fritter. A little urad dal added to the mix helps it bind. Coconut oil replaces vegetable oil and is what is used in Sri Lanka. Fennel seeds replace cumin and are used in some versions. Peeled prawns replace head-on ones for easier eating. Leaving the prawn off makes parippu wade or masala wade, which are dishes in their own right.

What is the most important thing to get right in Isso Wade?

Press it in firmly so it holds. It should sit proud of the surface. Press it in hard and it usually holds. If it does come off, fry it separately and set it on top. Use a deep heavy pot. Fill it no more than one third full. Never leave hot oil unattended.