Medu vada - a South Indian Snack Recipe

Medu Vada

Medu Vada is a South Indian Snack that is made of urad dal or lentils and is a rich source of proteins. A deep fried snack, the medu vada is served as a side dish with fluffy idlis or crispy dosas. They can also be had dipped in sambar or in yogurt as dahi vada. Medu Vada is a popular breakfast dish and also a tea time snack.

Winter and crispy hot deep fried snacks sure have a beautiful relation that has only got better with time. A cold winter evening is best celebrated with a hot and crispy serving of onion pakodas, samosas, aloo bondas or with the South Indian delicacy, the medu vada. The medu vada or the medhu vadai is what I have for you here today.

A pick from the South Indian cuisine, the medu vada can be best described as a savoury doughnut (for those who are new to this crispy mouthwatering snack that is served with a generous helping of chutneys(mostly coconut based) and the sambar ( a curry with a tangy flavour that beautifully combines lentils and vegetables).

Here is the medu vada recipe:

Ingredients for Medu Vada
Urad dal - 1 cup
Green chillies - 1 (chopped into small pieces)
Onions - 2 tbsp (chopped fine)
Pepper corns - 3 to 4 or 1/4 tsp freshly powdered black pepper
Baking soda - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method for making Medu Vada:
1- Soak urad dal in water for 5-6 hrs. For those looking to speed up the process, you can soak it in hot water for an hour instead.
2- Wash and clean the dal and grind to a smooth paste in the mixer(use water only as required, the idea is to keep water to the minimum to get a thick dropping consistency batter, you may use approximately 4 to 5 tablespoons of water while grinding). Make sure that you use very little water or else you would not be able to shape your vadas perfectly. The right consistency of the batter is extremely important to get the shape right and also for the texture of your medu vada.
3- Take out from the mixer, add in the chopped onions, green chillies and salt and mix well with a spoon or spatula. Make sure to mix rapidly and continuously for about 5 minutes. This is to make sure that the batter has enough air trapped in it to give you vadas that are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. This is especially important for those grinding in the mixer.
4- Apply some water on your palms. Take a small quantity of the batter on your palm and make a ball with it. Now with the fingers of your other hand(dip in water first or else the batter will stick to your hand) flatten it lightly and make a hole in the centre. Fry in hot oil till golden brown. Serve hot with chutney and sambar.

You can check out my dosa recipe, idli recipe, rava idli recipe, pesarattu recipe, coconut onion chutney

This goes out to Radhika's deep fried snacks event. Congrats Radhika on your first event. I am eagerly looking forward to the round up.