vada recipe – medu vada recipe | how to make vada |Cooking With Amanda

vada recipe or medu vada post to make a special south indian snack for lord ganesha as naivedyam or bhog during the ganesh chaturthi festival.

this vada recipe is also a no onion no garlic version. similar versions of medu vada is made during navratri festival in south india and served with coconut chutney and sambar. both the sambar and coconut chutney are made without adding onions or garlic. i have already posted an onion version of medu vada.

these deep fried fritters are popularly known as vada or medhu vadai, but also called as urad dal vada or ulundu vada. i have only used urad dal (black gram) in making this vadai. when i make medu vadai, i always soak the lentils overnight. they give the best results and become porous, soft and spongy when deep fried.

for grinding the batter, i do suggest to add a little water as this helps in making the vadas soft. i have ground the soaked and drained lentils in a mixer-grinder and added 2 tbsp water. the spices used are black pepper, cumin and a green chili…. coz we like the taste of a slightly salty and hot green chili bits in a vadai. you can even add fresh chopped coconut pieces to the batter.

whenever i make vadas, i always add the batter with a spoon and fry them. i am not so good in making the donut shaped vadas. i always try and give up every time. this time i persisted and managed to make decent dough nut shaped vadas.

the vadas are served with the simplest no onion no garlic chutney made with only three ingredients. i will update the coconut chutney recipe soon. medu vada always have to be served hot as they are crisp when hot. don't serve them when they become cold as the crispness is lost by then.

vada or medu vada step by step recipe below:

1. soak the black gram or urad dal overnight or atleast for 4-5 hours. drain the water completely and take all the lentils in a grinder jar.

2. add very little water and grind to a smooth fluffy batter.

3. add the black pepper powder, cumin, asafoetida, salt and green chilies to the batter and mix well.

4. wet your palms with water and take some batter in your right palm. with the help of the left hand, shape the batter first and then make a hole in the center with a thumb and gently slid the doughnut shaped vadai into medium hot oil.

5. make other vadas this way and then add them to the kadai. you can fry the number of vadas depending on the size of your kadai. fry the vadas till golden and crisp.

6. drain the vadas on kitchen paper tissues to remove excess oil.

7. serve vadas hot with coconut chutney and sambar.

vada or medu vada recipe below:

vada recipe – medu vada recipe for ganesh chaturthi – makes 8-10 vadas

Total time

9 hours 30 mins

Author: dassana

Recipe type: snacks, breakfast

Cuisine: south indian

Serves: 2-3

1 cup urad dal/black gram
¼ tsp crushed black pepper
½ tsp cumin seeds
1 green chili, chopped
a pinch of asafoetida
2 tbsp water or strained stock
salt as required
oil for deep frying

rinse the urad dal in water for a couple of times.
soak them in enough water overnight or for atleast 4-5 hours.
drain well and take all the lentils in the grinder jar.
first add 1 tbsp water and grind the lentils for a few minutes.
switch off the grinder and scrape the sides of the jar with a spatula and add the unground lentils which stick to the sides of the jar inside the jar.
add 1 tbsp water and stir with the spatula.
grind again in intervals scraping and stirring the batter a few times.
if you find difficulty in grinding the batter, you can add ½ or 1 tbsp water more.
when the batter has become smooth, fluffy and soft, stop grinding.
there should be no grainy texture in the batter. it should feel very smooth on your fingers.
add the crushed black pepper, cumin, green chilies, asafoetida and salt to the ground batter.
mix well and keep aside.
heat oil in a kadai or pan for deep frying the vadas.
shape the medu vada as explained in the step by step pic above.
fry them in medium hot oil till golden and crisp.
drain vadas on paper napkins and serve the vada or medu vada hot with coconut chutney and sambar.