Medu Vada or Ulundu Vadai is a crispy, soft, tasty South Indian snack or breakfast dish. This is also called Uzhunnu vada in south Indian state of Kerala. It is made with ground and seasoned urad dhal batter fried into a small doughnut-like shape. This Medu vada is fluffy, spongy, and delicious breakfast or snack recipe usually made in South Indian homes and restaurants. The word Medu means soft and vada means vadai(fritter) in Tamil. This medu vadai is perfect for breakfast and tea-time snacks.
Vada is a South Indian snack recipe that uses urad dhal or channa dhal. Traditional two varieties are medu vada with urad dhal and paruppu vada with chana dhal. These vadas require only a few basic ingredients that are available at home. There are other varieties like poha, rice flour, moong dhal, and green gram vada which involves the same process of making vada.
Medu vada or ulundhu vada is a circular shape fritter made with urad dhal batter. This recipe is authentic to South India but also popular with other neighboring states. This is a basic breakfast and snack recipe in restaurants, tea shops, and street stalls. This special vadai has a unique place not only in the breakfast and snack menu but also in all festival seasons like Diwali(Deepavali), Ugadi, Pongal, Navrathri, and so on. Even though the main ingredient is urad dal, there are variations in the making of vada in each South Indian state. There are different names for this urad dhal vada. And some of them are:
1. Ulundu Vadai in Tamilnadu
2. Garelu in Andhra Pradesh
3. Uzhunnu Vada in Kerala
4. Udinna Vada or Vade in Karnataka
About this Medu Vada
The recipe given here is a basic and easy urad dal vada. The urad dal is soaked for two hours and then ground into a thick paste in a blender(mixie). This batter is then mixed with onion, peppercorn, green chili, curry leaves, rice flour, and coriander leaves. The rice flour helps to achieve a perfect crispier vada. And then fry the batter until crisp in medium hot oil. This medu vada or ulundhu vada is crispy, fluffy, soft, and delicious breakfast, tea time snack, or lunch box. This vada tastes best with sambhar and Tamarind sauce and other similar chutney.
Please find similar snacks/breakfast recipes below. Visit Snacks Recipes, Starter Recipes for more.
Looking for easy and healthy breakfast recipes to kick start your busy mornings? Then you could also check this collection of Indian Vegetarian Breakfast Recipes to enjoy with your family and loved ones.
Medu Vada recipe video
I have shared the detailed video instruction of this Medu vada recipe in the video below and I believe it will help you to make/prepare this dish easily at home. You could also find thsi recipe in story format for a quick reference.
📖 Recipe
Medu Vada
Ingredients
- 1 cup Urad Dal, soaked for 4 hours
- ¼ cup Onion, chopped
- 3 Green Chili, chopped
- 1 sprig Curry leaves, chopped
- 1 tsp Peppercorn
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Ginger, chopped
- 2 tsp Rice Flour
- 5 tbsp Water
- Coriander Leaves
- Oil, for frying
Instructions
To Prepare Medu Vada | Ulundhu Vadai
- Wash and soak the urad dhal in water for about 2 hours
- Drain the urad dhal and transfer it to the blender
- Grind the soaked urad dhal in blender by adding water gradually in batches
- Blend the batter to a fluffy thick consistency
- Transfer the vada batter to the bowl
- Add onion, peppercorn, green chili, curry leaves, salt, rice flour, and coriander leaves
- Combine all ingredients well
- Take a medium-sized ball-shaped vada batter and make a hole in the middle
- Gradually add the batter to the oil in the pan with medium heat and fry
- On and off flip the sides of the batter
- Repeat this until both the sides turn golden brown in color
- Drain the Medu vada from oil
To Serve
- Serve the medu vada or ulundhu vada with coconut chutney or as it is
Video
Notes
- Grind the soaked urad dal with little water at a time to make a fluffy and thick batter which gives a perfect shape for Vada
- Adding rice flour to the batter gives crispiness to the vada
- Fry the Vada as soon as the batter mix is ready. This helps avoid the vada absorbing more oil
- Grease the palm with oil or dip in water to avoid the batter sticking to the palm
- Banana leaf is also used to shape the vada to get a perfect circular shape
- Vada batter can be stored in a refrigerator and stays good for up to 4 to 5 days
Nutrition
Enjoy the recipe and let us know your feedback in the comment section below!
Leave a Review