Medu vada recipe
Learn how to make medu Vada recipe with step by steps. Easy to make crisp medu vada recipe like restaurants style.
Medu vada dipped in sambar and coconut chutney are always a favourite breakfast food that you can enjoy in all sessions.
Medu vada is a South Indian breakfast fritter made with urad dal, spices and curry leaves. These are deep fried till crisp golden and having a doughnut like shape.
Medu vada are served with sambar and coconut chutney. These vada are also made during festival seasons without onions, ginger, pepper and chillies based on family customs.
Using a wet grinder you can easily make the Batter for medu vada and you don't need further to beat it. However using a mixer grinder ( blender) to make the batter you need to follow some tips...
- Start with very little ice cold water
- Scrape off the sides and grind
- Add water after every 2 - 3 spins and keep wiping the sides of the grinder.
- Keep the ground dal batter in a bowl and beat with your hand or spatula in one direction to make fluffy.
Step by steps to make the recipe
Preparation
Making medu vada batter
Soak 2 cup urad dal ( split black gram) for 3 - 4 hours or overnight.
Drain the water and grind into a smooth batter adding 2 to 3 teaspoon water. Make sure not to make the batter very thin. It should be fluffy and thick. Transfer the batter into a bowl and beat clock wise direction for few seconds. This will help the batter more fluffy.
You can check the right consistency of medu vada batter by dropping a small drop of the batter in a bowl of water.
If the batter drop float and don't get dissolved then it is the right consistency for medu vada batter.
And if the consistency is very thin then the batter won't float. You can add some semolina or urad dal flour for instant relief. You can even add rice flour and beat the batter and correct its thickness.
Now add the chopped curry leaves, cumin seeds, crushed black peppercorns, chopped green chillies, chopped coconut pieces and salt into the batter and mix nicely.
Medu vada batter is ready to go and it does not require to fermentate.
Making the shape of the vada
Take a bowl with water and dip your right hand with water. Then take a small portion of the batter with wet hand and give round shape by shaking the hand.
With thumb slightly flatten the ball and make a whole in the centre.
Otherwise you can use both of your hands to shape it. Just make sure it looks like a doughnut shape.
However you can use a plastic sheet and grease it with oil. Then with wet hand place some batter on the plastic piece and make a round shape. With thumb make a whole in the centre. Before frying carefully lift the vada and drop in hot oil.
Now a days you can buy a vada maker to make medu wada with perfect doughnut shape without any hassle.
You just need to put the wada batter inside the wada maker container and press the knob while holding it over hot oil.
The batter fall with the whole in the centre like perfectly shaped wada.
Frying the wada
Heat oil in a kadai or in a deep pan over medium heat flame. Once the oil become hot lower the flame to low.
Now face the palm of the hand with the vada towards the oil. And gently shake to drop the vada into the hot oil. The vada will rise without browning a lot. Similarly add more vada into the oil and fry.
Once the vada are slightly golden then flip to another side and continue frying till crisp golden.
Tips to make Crispy medu vada at home
- Soak the urad dal for at least 3 - 4 hours to make them soft for easy grinding.
- While making the batter use minimum amount of water as required 3 - 4 drops.
- Make sure the batter is thick enough to hold as thin batter will absorb oil while frying.
- You can add small amount of rice flour into the batter to make them more crisp.
- You should beat the batter in one direction ( either clockwise or anti clockwise) for 40 to 50 seconds to push sone air to make more fluffy. If using wet grinder then don't need to do this.
- Fry the vada in medium heat flame hot oil. High heat flame oil will cook them from outside not from inside. The resulting vada will not become crisp.
Medu vada is served with hot sambar and cold fresh coconut chutney. These two are inseparable side dish with medu vada.
Medu vada sambar is a lentil and vegetable based stew that you can easily be made at home like restaurant.
You can use toor dal or a combination of masoor dal, toor dal and moong dal for making it like restaurant style sambar.
Preferred vegetables are drumsticks, red pumpkin and eggplant. And for tempering (tadka) a sprig curry leave, mustard seeds, methi seeds and 1 or 2 broken dried red chillies.
Other ingredients are sambar masala powder, tamarind, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, hing powder, jaggery and salt.
First pressure cooked the the dal and then mash them nicely. Boil the vegetables and soak tamarind and jaggery in light warm water.
When the vegetables are almost cooked add the spice powder and tamarind water. Then pour the mashed dal mixture and cook for some time.
Now make the tempering by frying mustard seeds, methi seeds, curry leaves and red chilli in ghee or oil and pour over the sambar.
Medu vada chutney is made from fresh coconut. Peel and grate the coconut. And add in a blender jar. Add roasted chana dal, green chillies, salt, cumin seeds and ginger. Blend using some water to a smooth chutney. You can even add some fresh coriander leaves as well. Remove in a bowl and tempered with mustard seeds and curry leaves.
Some more popular breakfast you can make along with these vada are
- Aloo paratha recipe
- Paneer paratha recipe
Medu vada recipe video
Medu vada
Medu wada is a popular breakfast served with sambar and coconut chutney. These vada are crispy from outside and soft from inside and having doughnut like shape. You can easily make them at home using mixer grinder.
Prep time cooking time serving
4 hr 15 min 15 min. 15
Author Mobasir hassan
Ingredients
- 2 cups urad dal ( split black gram)
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns ( crushed)
- 1 sprig curry leaves (chopped)
- 2 green chillies ( chopped)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh coconut pieces
- 1 medium onion chopped ( optional)
- Salt as per taste
- Oil for deep frying
Instructions
Making the medu wada batter
- Soak the urad dal for 3 - 4 hours or overnight. Grind them to a smooth batter. If required add little ice cold water.
- Add cumin seeds, crushed black peppercorns, curry leaves, green chillies, coconut pieces and salt. Give everything a good mix.
Making medu vada
- Heat oil in a kadai or deep vessel pan in medium flame heat. Once the oil become hot lower the flame to low.
- Take a bowl of water and apply some water on one hand from the bowl. Take some batter with the wet hand and roll to give a round shape. With the thumb make a whole in the centre and give the wada its shape like a doughnut.
- Add or slip the wada into the hot oi carefully. Once the vada become slightly golden then turn over and fry further. Similarly a fry the remaining vada.
- When they become crisp golden from all sides remove on a kitchen tissue to remove any excess oil.
- Serve them hot with sambar and coconut chutney.
Nutritional value
( Serving size 1 piece)
Calories : 170
Fats : 6 g
Protein : 4 g
Carbohydrate : 24 g
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