Recipe for Medu Vada
Medu Vada is a popular breakfast and snack recipe from South India. In this recipe, Urad Dal ( Black Gram without skin) is soaked, ground and combined with spices. The resulting batter is mixed with herbs and spices. Then small portions are deep-fried till they are golden brown and crispy.
Like Masala Vada, Medu Vada is usually served with Coconut Chutney and Sambar.
It is easy to make Medu Vada, but one must pay attention to some details ( Please see my notes below). So, let us start with the recipe:
Ingredients needed to make Medu Vada:
- 1½ Cups Urad Dal; washed thoroughly and soaked in 3 cups of water for 4 hours
- 1-2 tbsp Cold Water
- Salt; to taste
- 1 tbsp Cumin Seeds
- ¾ tbsp Ground Black Pepper
- 1 tbsp Grated Ginger
- 1 tbsp Finely chopped Green Chillies
- 10-15 Curry Leaves
Method to make Medu Vada:
- Drain out the excess water from the soaked lentils.
- Grind them to a fine paste using as little water as possible.
- Transfer to a mixing bowl.
- Whip the ground paste till it turns light. You can test if the batter is ready by dropping a small portion in a bowl of water. If it floats, the batter is ready.
- Add salt, ground pepper, curry leaves, grated ginger, green chillies, and cumin seeds. Mix well.
- Heat oil.
- Cover a small bowl tightly with a thin cloth. Any cotton or muslin cloth will do.
- Hold this bowl in your left hand. With your right hand, wet the flat surface with water. Then put a portion of the dough onto the flat surface. Wet your right hand again and shape the dough. With wet hands, it is easy to shape the dough and make a hole in the middle.
- Turn the bowl into the oil. It will fall easily into the oil. Let the Vada fry for about 30 seconds on medium to high heat.
- Then turn it and let it fry on the other side.
- Fry till the vada is completely cooked.
- Serve Hot.
The last time I made these delicious Vadas, I served them with Radish Sambar.
Some Important Notes:
- The lentil should be soaked for about 4-5 hours. Both over-soaking and under-soaking can lead to hard vadas. The texture of perfectly made vadas is crunchy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside.
- Draining out the excess water after soaking is crucial. Grind the lentils with as little water as possible. Excess water will lead to a loose batter, resulting in very oily Vadas.
- The oil should be hot but not smoky. If the oil is smoking hot, it will immediately blacken the Vada. If the oil is not hot enough, the Vadas will soak oil and become greasy. So, the correct oil temperature is crucial to getting the perfect Vadas.
- After you put the Vadas in oil, don’t turn them immediately. Let them cook for at least 30 seconds on one side. Then turn them and let them cook on the other side. Once both sides have cooked for about 30 seconds each, you can reduce to heat to medium so that the Vada gets thoroughly cooked from the inside. That way, you can get a fully cooked Vada with a golden brown surface.
- To make the Vadas crispier, add two tablespoons of rice flour to the batter.
- For even crispier Vadas, you can add Baking Soda. For this recipe, 1/4 tsp Baking Soda should be sufficient. If you add more baking soda, the Vada will drink up oil and become greasy.
- Vadas can be served hot with Sambar and Chutney. However, if you wish to serve Vada dipped in hot Sambar, let the Vadas cool down. Then dip them in hot Sambar and serve. If you dip hot Vadas in hot Sambar, the vadas will become hard and chewy.
A note for my readers in Germany:
Ingredients such as salt, black pepper, ginger and cumin seeds can be sourced from the German Supermarket.
Indian ingredients needed for this recipe, such as urad dal, cumin seed and fresh green chillies, can be purchased from Spiceland, Frankfurt. Their quality is good, prices reasonable and they deliver all across Germany.
You can also get these ingredients from Amazon.de. Links to buy are given below:
Urad Dal: https://amzn.to/447gwDu
Cumin Seeds: https://amzn.to/3HbrjD1
Dry Curry Leaves: https://amzn.to/41BgQZE
Fresh Ginger: https://amzn.to/41ECkFb
Black Pepper: https://amzn.to/3n3WSaT
Equipment Needed for the Recipe:
Mixing Bowl WMF: https://amzn.to/3V8ZPUl
Mixer:
Option 1 Bosch: https://amzn.to/3LzMbGF (Perfect for Indian cooking, with great reviews)
Option 2: Preethi: https://amzn.to/3n9XCLH ( I use this. It is perfect for Indian cooking, but priced higher than Bosch)
Frying Pan WMF: https://amzn.to/3neRulh
Knife Set BSF: https://amzn.to/3Lg64Bj
Cutting Board WMF: https://amzn.to/3n9IXjM
Serving Plate Maxwell & Williams: https://amzn.to/40LtwMr
Serving Bowl Maxwell & Williams: https://amzn.to/3HikyPI
Here is the recipe in printable format:
Recipe for Medu Vada
Equipment
- Mixer
- Mixing bowl
- Frying Pan
Ingredients
- 1½ Cups Urad Dal; washed thoroughly and soaked in 3 cups of water for 4 hours
- 1-2 tbsp Cold water
- Salt; to taste
- 1 tbsp Cumin Seeds
- ¾ tbsp Ground Black Pepper
- 1 tbsp Grated Ginger
- 1 tbsp Finely chopped Green Chillies
- 10-15 Curry Leaves
Instructions
- Drain out the excess water from the soaked lentils.
- Grind them to a fine paste using as little water as possible.
- Whip the ground paste till it turns light. You can test if the batter is ready by dropping a small portion in a bowl of water. If it floats, the batter is ready.
- Now, add salt, ground pepper, curry leaves, grated ginger, green chillies and cumin seeds. Mix well.
- Heat oil.
- Cover a small bowl tightly with a thin cloth. Any cotton or muslin cloth will do.
- Hold this bowl in your left hand. With your right hand, wet the flat surface. Then put a portion of the dough onto the flat surface. Wet your right hand and shape the dough and make a hole at the centre.
- Turn the bowl into the oil. It will fall easily into the oil. Let the Vada fry for about 30 seconds on medium to high heat. Then turn it and let it fry on the other side.
- Fry till the vada is completely cooked.
- Serve Hot.
Notes
- The lentil should be soaked for about 4-5 hours. Both over-soaking and under-soaking can lead to hard vadas. The texture of perfectly made vadas is crunchy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside.
- Draining out the excess water after soaking is crucial. Grind the lentils with as little water as possible. Excess water will lead to a loose batter, resulting in very oily Vadas.
- The oil should be hot but not smoky. If the oil is smoking hot, it will immediately blacken the Vada. If the oil is not hot enough, the Vadas will soak oil and become greasy. So, the correct oil temperature is crucial to getting the perfect Vadas.
- After you put the Vadas in oil, don’t turn them immediately. Let them cook for at least 30 seconds on one side. Then turn them and let them cook on the other side. Once both sides have cooked for about 30 seconds each, you can reduce to heat to medium so that the Vada gets thoroughly cooked from the inside. That way, you can get a fully cooked Vada with a golden brown surface.
- To make the Vadas crispier, add two tablespoons of rice flour to the batter.
- For even crispier Vadas, you can add Baking Soda. For this recipe, 1/4 tsp Baking Soda should be sufficient. If you add more baking soda, the Vada will drink up oil and become greasy.
- Vadas can be served hot with Sambar and Chutney. However, if you wish to serve Vada dipped in hot Sambar, let the Vadas cool down. Then dip them in hot Sambar and serve. If you dip hot Vadas in hot Sambar, the vadas will become hard and chewy.
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