Medu Vada ( South Indian Recipe) with step by step photos
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Like Medu Vada, ( Vddina vada, Vada recipe, Medhu vadai, Ulundu vadai ) then see our collection of vada recipes. Vada is to South India what Samosa is to the North! Vada is a crispy deep-fried snack made with a dal-based batter. For hardcore vada lovers, not a day passes without having it with breakfast or lunch, or as an evening snack. A sumptuous breakfast platter generally combines Idli, Dosa or Ven Pongal with a ‘single vada’, which is how a single piece of hot and crisp Urad Vada ( Medu Vada ) is fondly called. See some popular vada recipes.
Recipe Notes for perfect medu vada-
Don’t grind the batter for too long at once as it will make the batter more like a paste and heat up the grinder resulting into hard vadas. Grind it for few seconds, stop and then grind it again for few seconds. Follow this method to grind the batter.
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Preferably, use cold water while grinding the medu vada batter.
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If you have authentic grinding stone or wet grinder then you can churn the batter in the traditional fashion.
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Once the batter is ground, prepare the vada immediately and do not leave it to ferment.
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If you are preparing vada after some time then do not add salt to the batter. Salt makes batter watery if you keep for long time. So, add salt just before preparing the medu vada.
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After grinding, beat the medu vada batter using your hand for 8-10 minutes in one direction. This process incorporates air which makes the vada light and fluffy. To check if the batter is fluffy enough or no, drop a portion of batter in a bowl filled with water and if it floats on the surface it means that batter is perfectly fluffy. Also, if you invert the bowl, the batter won’t fall. This shows it has been well made.
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If batter is too watery and not holding shape then add few tablespoons of rice flour or semolina. It will make the batter thick and the vada will also turn crispy.
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If you are a beginner and find it difficult to shape vadas on your palm, you can use a greased plastic sheet or a banana leaf to shape the vadas. Place a portion of the vada on it, give a round shape and make a hole in the center of vada. Take the vada gently from plastic sheet into the wet palm, add it to the oil and deep fry it.
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Method For Medu Vada-
For making the medu vada batter, clean and wash the urad dal 2-3 times in water. Soak it in enough water for atleast 2 hours. If you soak for less time, then the medu vada will turn out hard. 2-3 hours of soaking is ideal for urad dal. More than that or overnight soaking is not required and causes dal to soak more water unnecessarily. Cover with a lid and keep aside.
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Drain the urad dal. The urad dal will almost double in volume and become soft.
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Transfer the soaked urad dal to a mixer jar.
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Add the green chillies.
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Add the peppercorns.
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Add the curry leaves.
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Add the ginger.
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Adding approx. ½ cup water.
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Blend in the mixer to a smooth batter, Don’t add too much water while grinding else the batter will turn watery and it will be difficult to shape the medhu vadai.
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Once done, remove the batter in a bowl. The medu vada batter should have a thick consistency and will look like this.
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Add the onions, this is optional but better to add as it taste great.
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Add the salt Mix well using a spoon.
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Divide the ulundu vadai mixture into 14 equal portions. Keep aside.
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Wet your hand. Dipping your hands in water helps in shaping the medu vada nicely.
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Take a portion of the medu vada mixture in your hand.
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Press it gently and make thick round shaped vada. Make a hole in the centre with your thumb.
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For frying the South-Indian medu vada, heat the oil in a kadhai. Upturn your hand and drop the ulundu vadai in oil very carefully.
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Deep fry 3-4 medu wada at a time.
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Flip and cook the urad dal vada till both sides turn golden brown in colour on a medium flame. Do not fry on high flame they will give you the golden colour but they will be raw from inside. And do not fry on low heat they will absorb a lot of oil. Drain the garelu vada on an absorbent paper.
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Repeat with the remaining batter to make more medu wadas.
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Serve the hotel style medu vadas hot with fried coconut chutney and sambhar.
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Our website has many more traditional vada recipe which can be enjoyed as evening snacks or breakfast.