Savoury Quark and Wheat Flour Vadas

Quarkbällchen is a popular German snack that combines quark, wheat flour, eggs and sugar. This sweet delicacy is super delicious and perfect to carry for picnics and serve at parties. Similarly, Mysore Bonda is a popular snack from southern India. It is made with curd, wheat flour and savoury ingredients like onions, ginger, cumin, etc.

Today’s recipe, Savoury Quark and Wheat Flour Vadas takes inspiration from both these delectable delights. This crispy, crunchy snack is perfect for cold rainy days when you feel like digging into something savoury, something that pairs with a hot cup of chai, and something that uplifts you immediately. I made these vadas recently and paired them with coconut chutney and they tastes delicious.

So, let’s start with the recipe for Savoury Quark and Wheat Flour Vadas.

Equipment Needed:

Read my article: Setting Up My Indian Kitchen in Germany, to learn about all the kitchen equipment I use.

Ingredients for Savoury Quark and Wheat Flour Vadas:

250 gm Refined Flour
250 gm Quark
230 ml Water
¾ tsp Salt
2 Medium-Sized Onions; Finely Chopped
3-4 Green Chillies; Finely Chopped
10-15 Fresh Curry Leaves; Finely Chopped
1 tbsp Finely Chopped Ginger
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
Finely chopped Coriander leaves (optional)
1 Pinch Baking Soda
Oil for frying

Method to make Savoury Quark and Wheat Flour Vadas:

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, quark, onion, green chillies, cumin seeds, curry leaves, ginger, coriander, water and salt.
Mix well to make a smooth batter.
Cover and rest for 10 minutes.
Heat oil in a pan (for deep frying).
When the oil becomes medium-hot, add baking soda to the batter.
Give it a thorough mix and drop small portions of the batter into the oil.
Fry them on medium heat till they turn golden brown.
Serve with ketchup or chutney.

Some Note about Ingredient sourcing in Germany:

Refined Flour: It is called Weizenmehl 405. Read more about flour varieties in German Supermarkets here.
Quark: Quark is available in supermarkets’ refrigerator sections. I used the low-fat version, but you can use any of your choice.
Salt: Salt is called Salz in German. Read my article about salt varieties in German Supermarkets here.
Onions and Ginger: These are called Zwiebeln and Ingwer, respectively. They are available in the veggies section of supermarkets
Green chillies, coriander, curry, and cumin seeds are best sourced from Indian shops.
Baking Soda is called Natron in German. It is available in supermarkets in sachets.
Oil: Use frying oil, which is called Frittieröl or Bratöl in German. Read more about oil varieties in German supermarkets here.

Some Tips about the recipe:

Add about 2 tablespoons of rice flour to the batter to make the vadas even more crispy.
Other ingredients that can be added to this batter are finely chopped veggies like carrots, capsicum, etc. But add them in small quantities so they don’t overpower the nutty taste of wheat flour.
You can replace quark with yoghurt. If you add yoghurt, adjust the quantity of water to get the right consistency of the batter.
Be careful with the amount of baking soda. If you add more, the vadas will soak up a lof od oil during frying and become greasy.
Make small vadas, so that when they become brown from the outside, they are fully cooked from the inside too.
Fry the vadas in medium hot oil.

Here is the recipe in printable format: