In South India, a Special Breakfast or Lunch does not miss Medu Vada in the menu at both restaurants and home. Vada dates back to centuries BC in Tamil Nadu that is included in the menu to make the meal & occasion special. I have shared all my tips and tricks to get perfect crispy vadas along with tips for shaping the vada.
About Medu Vada
Medu Vada is a soft, heavenly tasty dish made by grinding urad dal to a batter & then frying the dollops of batter shaped as donuts. Medu Vada – Medu means Soft and Vada means fritters so Medu Vada translates to a soft fritter. A perfect Medu Vada is crisp at the outside and soft bread texture in the inside. I wouldn’t say shaping the vadas is easy but sure comes by practice. When I used to start trying vadai it always ended up in irregular shapes with no proper hole in the center but slowly I’ve reached to near perfection hence that justifies the post here. Medu Vada tastes best when relished with sambar and chutney – preferably getti chutney (thick chutney which does not flow like water). Medu Vada is a crispy snack that makes a perfect combo to go with a sweet like kesari and coffee/tea for breakfast / evening snack. Medu Vada is worth the effort & time spent with its taste and beware – it is addictive. Medu Vada with crispy outside and soft inside is a possibility in first few tries with the tips and procedure presented in this recipe. I adapted this Medu Vada Recipe from my mom who carries experience of soul & tummy filling traditional recipes for three generations. We always make this vadai when there is any padayal at home. Other than that, a perfect guest traditional breakfast / meal is incomplete without this vadai.
Medu Vada – Other Names
Vada generally refers to Medu Vada in South India. Since there are lot vada variations like Masal Vada, Sabudana Vada, Batata Vada, Aval Vada, this version of making with Urad Dal batter is called as Medu Vada. Garelu (Telugu), Ulunnu Vada (Malayalam), Urad Dal Vada (Hindi), Uddina Vada (Kannada), Ulundhu Vadai / Medhu Vadai (Tamil) all mean one and the same Medu Vada!
Medu Vada Video
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Occasions Medu Vada is made
Absolutely there is no reason to make Medu Vada when there is a craving. Medu Vada is however commonly made for these occasions.
Functions like Baby Shower, Marriages, Betrothal, Birthdays Festivals like Diwali, Pongal, New Year Religious Days like Amavasya, Pradosham, Shivrathri, etc Special South Indian Breakfast / Lunch
Medu Vada Ingredients
Urad Dal – Urad Dal is the main ingredient – choose light colored, unpolished dal for making Medu Vada. Urad Dal, Ulundhu (Tamil), Ulunnu (Malayalam), Udinna (Kannada), Black Gram (English) all means Urad Dal. Flavor – Hing, ginger and curry leaves adds flavor to Medu Vada. These ingredients are added to the urad dal batter as such and need not be ground. Others – Small Onions & Green Chillies give a balancing taste to Medu Vada – hence do not skip it. Oil – Use refined oil available at stores. For a healthier option, you can use sesame / groundnut oil too.
How to make Medu Vada Step by Step
1.Soaking – Rinse 1 cup urad dal well to remove the starchy coating. Rinse it atleast 2 times then drain water. 2.Add it to a bowl and Soak in water for 2 hours. 3.Keep it undisturbed for 2 hours. 4.Can you see how well it is soaked. 5.After 2 hours rinse it again and drain water completely. 6.Grinding – To a mixer jar – add the drained urad dal. 7.Chill 1 cup water and keep it ready. We may not end up using it fully. Adding chill water for grinding avoids mixer jar from getting heated up. Alternatively you can use icecubes too. You can use regular water itself if you are grinding the batter in grinder. 8.Add 3-4 tablespoon first to it. Start grinding add little by little later while grinding. 9.Batter consistency – Add chill water little by little to grind it to a thick smooth fluffy batter. Make sure to add very little water to grind else you will end up in a runny batter. 10.Now transfer the batter to a big wide mixing bowl so that it is easy to mix. 11.Fluff it well for 2 mins. You can use your hand or a spatula or even whisk. Beat it well for 1-2 mins not more than that. 12.Now add a pinch of batter to a bowl containing water. It should float like butter then the batter is perfect. 13.Adding condiments – Now to the batter add 1/2 cup finely chopped onion, 2 small green chillies finely chopped, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, 1 tablespoon curry leaves, salt to taste and a pinch of hing. 14.Mix it well until evenly distributed. 15.Shaping vadas – Wet your hands by first dipping your fingers and palm in water this is to avoid batter from sticking while shaping the vada. 16.First grease a strainer or perforated laddle with oil. Take a portion of batter add it at the back of the strainer slightly flatten it and make a dent in the middle as shown. Flip and tap it hot oil or you can even dip in preheated oil. 17.I always prefer this method it may look difficult initially with practise you will surely excel it. First take a portion of the batter. 18.Slightly flatten it and make a dent in the middle as shown. Tip : Shape the vadai at the tip of your fingers so that it easily flips inside the oil. 19.Frying the vadas – Heat oil – first add a pinch of batter the batter should come up immediately but oil should not be smoking hot. 20.Now oil is ready – shape and add the vadas. Add in batches, I usually add 3-5 vadas in a batch depends on the size of the kadai you are using. 21.Let it cook for few seconds do not disturb. 22.It starts coming up one by one. 23.Once it comes up and looks golden at the sides, turn over using a laddle or the murukku kambi as we call it. 24.Fry until golden brown on both the sides. 25.Once golden brown and crisp its ready to remove. 26.Remove the crispy vadas. 27.Repeat to finish the batter. 28.See how crispy it looks. You can hear the sound in the video. Enjoy crispy medu vadas!!
Expert Tips
Soaking – Always soak urad dal for atleast 1.5 – 2 hrs for getting perfect fluffy batter. Grinding – While grinding, add water little by little, If the batter becomes runny the vadas will drink more oil. For perfect crispy and soft vadas the batter should in correct consistency. You can use regular water itself if you are grinding the batter in grinder. If grinding in mixie then use chill water to avoid mixer from getting heated. Batter consistency : Batter should be thick and fluffy to get crispy perfect vadas. Once the batter is grinded fluff the batter using your finger tips or using a whisk / laddle. Incase your batter becomes runny add little rice flour say 1-2 tablespoon not more than that. Adding spices – Add onion only at the time of mixing and frying else it will let out water is added previously. Shaping vada – Wet ur hands now and then in water to avoid the batter from sticking. You can even use banana leaf or zip lock cover to shape the batter. If you do not get the shape you can just pinch and add the batter and fry as bonda – the taste will still be the same. Frying – Make sure oil is preheated first pinch batter and add it to check if it rises up immediately without smoking then oil is perfect. You can shape the vadas and add it.
Variations
You can add 2 tablespoon raw rice while soaking urad dal. You can add cumin seeds, pepper corns if you like add 1 teaspoon each. You can grind ginger along with urad dal if you do not prefer the bits to come while eating. Add finely chopped greens / spinach /drumstick leaves to the mixture for a healthy & tasty version. Add finely chopped carrot, cabbage for kids / healthier version.
Calories in Medu Vada
Medu Vada add about 100 calories – 400 calories depending on the size – so consume with moderation if you are on diet mode.
Serving & Storing Suggestions
Medu Vada is crispy & soft when hot, though it is tasty when it cools down as well. Medu Vada is best enjoyed with sambar & coconut chutney along with a sweet, tea / coffee or a tiffin. In South India, they are savored along with Payasam too! Medu Vada can be re-fried for later use. If you are making the batter the previous day then just grind the batter and store in fridge add onion and other spices the next day when you plan to fry it. If you add onions and store the batter – onions may leave water and make the batter runny.
1.What should I do if the mixture becomes watery?
Add 1-2 tablespoon rice flour to the batter if the mixture becomes runny. You can also add 1-2 teaspoon of fine sooji.
2.Why is my vada breaking / splitting up in oil?
If the batter is too runny then it may start to split while dropping in oil so make sure to the batter is thick and fluffy as shown.
3.Why my vada is hard?
If the batter is too thick and not fluffy then medu vadai turns harder. You can sprinkle little water mix well then shape and fry it to get perfect crispy vadas.
4.Why my vadai is drinking too much oil?
If the Medu Vada batter is too runny then the vadas may drink too much oil. In that case add few tablespoon rice flour to make the consistency right then shape and fry it.
5.How is Medu Vada different from Bonda?
Medu Vada and Bonda closely resembles each other in taste & texture, however, slightly different in ingredients and shape. Medu Vada is slightly flat and has a hole in the centre which makes it to have more crispy portions and soft & rightly cooked inside. Bonda on the other hand is deep fried just as dollops and does not need a preparatory stage of shaping the batter in a sheet / leaf and putting a hole at the center. If you have any more questions about this Medu Vada Recipe do mail me at [email protected]. In addition, follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest ,Youtube and Twitter . Tried this Medu Vada Recipe? Do let me know how you liked it. Also tag us on Instagram @sharmispassions and hash tag it on #sharmispassions.
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