You are here: Home >  Cuisine  >  Indian Veg Recipes  >  South Indian  >  South Indian Breakfast  >  Medu Vada ( South Indian Recipe)

medu vada | south indian medu vada | urad dal vada | garelu vada | uzhunnu vada |

medu vada | south indian medu vada | urad dal vada | garelu vada | uzhunnu vada | with 20 amazing images.



To make medu vada, urad dal is soaked, drained and then spices added and blended to make a smooth batter. Then small portions of urad dal vada is then deep fried.

Most South Indians consider breakfast incomplete without Medu Vada. Whether they have Idli, dosa, pongal or upma, they like to add a crispy, tasty and protein-rich urad dal vada to the platter.

In fact, when you have breakfast in a South Indian restaurant, even in the remote villages, you will be fascinated to see the waiter reel out the list of breakfast combos, almost all of them featuring vada!

Serving them fresh with Sambhar and coconut chutney however is doubly delightful.

Enjoy how to make medu vada | south indian medu vada | urad dal vada | garelu vada | uzhunnu vada recipe with detailed step by step photos and video below.

Medu Vada ( South Indian Recipe)

This recipe has been viewed 1332697 times
5/5 stars  100% LIKED IT   
35 REVIEWS ALL GOOD



Medu Vada ( South Indian Recipe) recipe - How to make Medu Vada ( South Indian Recipe)

Soaking Time:  2 hours   Preparation Time:    Cooking Time:    Total Time:     14Makes 14 medu vadas.
Show me for medu vadas.

Ingredients


For Medu Vada
1 cup urad dal (split black lentils)
1 tbsp roughly chopped green chillies
3 to 4 peppercorns (kalimirch)
8 to 10 curry leaves (kadi patta)
1 tsp chopped ginger (adrak)
salt to taste
1/4 cup finely chopped onions
oil for deep-frying

For Serving With Medu Vada
 sambhar
coconut chutney

Method
For medu vada
    For medu vada
  1. To make medu vada, clean, wash and soak the urad dal in enough water for atleast 2 hours.
  2. Drain, add the green chillies, pepper, curry leaves and ginger and blend in a mixer to a smooth batter, adding approx. ½ cup water.
  3. Immerse both your hands in a bowlful of water and wet your hands well.
  4. Add the onions and salt and mix well and divide the mixture into 14 equal portions. Keep aside.
  5. Take a portion of the batter and place it in a palm and lightly flatten it.
  6. Using your index finger of the other hand make a hole in the centre of the vada.
  7. Transfer the vada on the fingers of the other hand and carefully slide it in hot oil.
  8. Deep-fry on a medium flame till it turns golden brown in colour from both the sides. You can deep-fry 2 to 3 medu vadas at a time.
  9. Repeat with the remaining batter to make more medu vadas. Drain on an absorbent paper.
  10. Serve the medu vada immediately with sambhar and coconut chutney.
Nutrient values (Abbrv) per medu vada
Energy97 cal
Protein3.6 g
Carbohydrates8.9 g
Fiber1.8 g
Fat5.2 g
Cholesterol0 mg
Sodium6 mg
Medu Vada Video by Tarla Dalal
Medu Vada ( South Indian Recipe) with step by step photos

Like Medu Vada
    Like Medu Vada
  1. 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
    Recipe Notes for perfect medu vada
  1. 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.
  2. Preferably, use cold water while grinding the medu vada batter.
  3. If you have authentic grinding stone or wet grinder then you can churn the batter in the traditional fashion.
  4. Once the batter is ground, prepare the vada immediately and do not leave it to ferment.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.

Method For Medu Vada
    Method For Medu Vada
  1. 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.
  2. Drain the urad dal. The urad dal will almost double in volume and become soft.
  3. Transfer the soaked urad dal to a mixer jar.
  4. Add the green chillies.
  5. Add the peppercorns.
  6. Add the curry leaves.
  7. Add the ginger. 
  8. Adding approx. ½ cup water.
  9. 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.
  10. Once done, remove the batter in a bowl. The medu vada batter should have a thick consistency and will look like this.
  11. Add the onions, this is optional but better to add as it taste great.
  12. Add the salt Mix well using a spoon.
  13. Divide the ulundu vadai mixture into 14 equal portions. Keep aside.
  14. Wet your hand. Dipping your hands in water helps in shaping the medu vada nicely.
  15. Take a portion of the medu vada mixture in your hand.
  16. Press it gently and make thick round shaped vada. Make a hole in the centre with your thumb.
  17. 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.
  18. Deep fry 3-4 medu wada at a time.
  19. 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.
  20. Repeat with the remaining batter to make more medu wadas.
  21. Serve the hotel style medu vadas hot with fried coconut chutney and sambhar.
  22. Our website  has many more traditional vada recipe which can be enjoyed as evening snacks or breakfast.

Reviews

Medu Vada ( South Indian Recipe)
 on 09 Jan 23 03:03 PM
5

I have cooked vadas before but reading this was very useful, cooking tips from an experienced chief is very valuable
Tarla Dalal
11 Jan 23 11:14 AM
   Thank you for the feedback. Keep sharing your reviews for the articles and recipes you like.
Medu Vada ( South Indian Recipe)
 on 09 Aug 22 08:30 AM
5

Hello tarlaji, if I want to make wadas early morning - can I grind & beat the batter and keep in fridge overnite ? Also should I allow the batter to come to room temperature before frying???
Tarla Dalal
12 Aug 22 05:21 PM
   yes you have to
Medu Vada ( South Indian Recipe)
 on 31 Oct 21 06:45 PM
5

Medu Vada ( South Indian Recipe)
 on 30 Oct 20 02:22 AM
5

I tried the recipe today. It turned out very well. I added some chopped dhania as well. It was tasty. However I had difficulty getting it into the pan as it kept getting misshapen. Any suggestions on how to improve on that. Thanks.
Tarla Dalal
30 Oct 20 09:23 AM
   You can try one of these. 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. 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.
Medu Vada ( South Indian Recipe)
 on 08 Jul 20 07:24 AM
5

I love all your cooking instructions...Thanks for your nice efforts to teach nice cooking methods..
Tarla Dalal
08 Jul 20 09:07 AM
   Thanks for the feedback !!! keep reviewing recipes you loved.
Medu Vada ( South Indian Recipe)
 on 21 May 20 11:12 AM
5

Tarla Dalal
08 Jul 20 10:23 AM
   Surbhi, Thanks for the feedback !!! keep reviewing recipes you loved.
Medu Vada ( South Indian Recipe)
 on 03 Oct 19 07:42 PM
5

Love the recipe. Thanks
Tarla Dalal
28 Oct 19 10:50 AM
   Thanks Kaur, your feedback on menu vada will help many users to try the recipe.
મેદૂ વડા
 on 10 Sep 19 12:55 AM
5

Medu Vada ( South Indian Recipe)
 on 20 Jun 18 07:05 PM
5

Tarla Dalal
09 Jul 18 12:04 PM
   Ranjit, we are delighted you liked the recipe and thanks for your feedback.
Medu Vada ( South Indian Recipe)
 on 18 Jun 18 01:02 PM
5

View comment page:  ... 2 3 4 

Subscribe to Free Weekly Food Mailer