Indian Savoury Doughnuts

These South Indian snacks, known as medu vada, are commonly eaten at breakfast. They are made mainly from the white urid dal, which are black lentils that have been split and skinned. Soaking for a few hours is required, but then they are straightforward to make. The shaping and transferring into the pan of hot oil does take patience and practice, but once you have got a handle on them, they are great fun to make and eat. Typically, I serve these as a snack with some chutney when friends co