Medhu Vadai Recipe
By: Hungry Forever
Published: Friday, May 29, 2015 - 5:01am

Ingredients




1 cup Urad Dal/Black Gram
¼ tsp Crushed Black Pepper
½ tsp Cumin Seeds
1 Green Chili (chopped)
½ tsp Hing (asafetida)
2-3 tbsp Water
Salt as required
Oil for deep-frying

Preparation

1 Rinse the urad dal in water a couple of times and soak them in water for 4-5 hours. 2 Drain well and transfer all the lentils in a grinder. 3 First add 1 tbsp water and grind for a few minutes. Grind again in intervals scraping and stirring the batter a few times. 4 When the batter has become smooth, fluffy and soft, stop grinding. 5 Add the crushed black pepper, cumin, green chilies, asafetida and salt to the ground batter. Mix well and keep aside. 6 Shape the medu vada. 7 Heat oil in a pan and fry the vadas in medium hot oil till golden and crisp. 8 Drain the vadas on paper napkins. 9 Serve the vadas hot with coconut chutney and sambar.

About

Medu vada is a traditional favourite of south india that features not just in everyday cuisine but is also an indispensable part of the menu on festivals and puja days. Grind the batter with just enough water to make a soft but not watery dough – as it’s the consistency of the batter that determines how soft and shapely the vadas turn out, and of course how many compliments you reap! after all, ‘medu’ means soft, and the wadas must live up to the name. Take care to make the vadas as soon as the batter is made, as they will absorb too much oil if left to ferment. Also, forget not the hole in the centre for it is the defining feature of medu wadas!