Medu Vadaમેદુ વડા
Crisp outside, soft and fluffy inside, these urad dal fritters are the classic partner to sambar and coconut chutney.
Ingredients
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- 1 cup urad dal, soaked 4 hours
- 2 green chillies, 1 tsp ginger
- Curry leaves, coriander, ½ tsp black pepper
- Salt
- Oil for deep frying
Method
- Grind the soaked dal thick and fluffy, using as little water as possible.
- Beat the batter by hand for 3-4 minutes; the trapped air is what makes the vadas soft.
- Mix in the chillies, ginger, curry leaves, coriander, pepper and salt.
- Wet your hands, take a ball of batter and make a hole in the middle.
- Fry in medium-hot oil until golden and crisp.
- Serve at once with sambar and coconut chutney.
Tips
- Too much water and the vadas won't hold shape; a spoon of rice flour rescues it.
- Shaping them on a wet hand or wet cloth is much easier.
Storing and reheating
Fried vadas start to harden the moment they cool, so they are meant to be eaten hot. Leftovers keep two days in the fridge; crisp them again at 180C in an oven or air fryer for five or six minutes, or half a minute back in hot oil. The batter holds a day refrigerated but loses its air. Fried vadas freeze for a month.
What you can swap
- No whole skinless urad? Split urad dal works; dal with the skin on gives darker, heavier vadas.
- If the batter will not fluff, a pinch of baking soda helps, though grinding with less water is the better fix.
- No wet grinder? Use a mixie with splashes of ice-cold water, in small batches and short pulses. A mixie heats the batter, and warm batter will not aerate.
- No curry leaves? Leave them out and add extra coriander, but keep the coconut bits and the coarsely cracked pepper.
What to serve with it
They belong on the South Indian breakfast plate next to idli, dipped into sambar and coconut chutney. Soaked right through in sambar they become sambar vada, and sitting in spiced curd they become dahi vada. Filter coffee goes alongside.
Mistakes to avoid
- Add the salt only shortly before frying. Salt added early draws water out of the batter and it deflates.
- Do not grind too long or without stopping. The machine warms up, and warm batter will not hold air.
- Do not skip the hole in the middle. It is not decoration; it is what lets the centre cook through.
- Do not get the oil too hot. The outside darkens while the inside stays raw. Fry on steady medium heat.
Questions people ask
How do I know the batter is ready?
Drop a small ball of batter into a bowl of water. If it floats, enough air is in there and the vadas will be soft. If it sinks, beat it by hand for another two or three minutes.
Why do my vadas soak up oil?
Either the batter had too much water or the oil was not hot enough. The batter should hold its shape on a spoon. A vada should rise to the surface within five to seven seconds; if it lingers at the bottom, the oil is cold.
Can I grind the batter the day before?
You can, but keep it refrigerated and unsalted. Take it out half an hour before you fry and beat it for three or four minutes again. If it has fermented and gone sour, the vadas will taste more like idli.
