medu vada | south indian medu vada | urad dal vada | garelu vada | uzhunnu vada |
by Tarla Dalal
Added to 276 cookbooks
This recipe has been viewed 1332751 times
medu vada | south indian medu vada | urad dal vada | garelu vada | uzhunnu vada | with 20 amazing images.
To make medu vada, urad dal is soaked, drained and then spices added and blended to make a smooth batter. Then small portions of urad dal vada is then deep fried.
Most South Indians consider breakfast incomplete without Medu Vada. Whether they have Idli, dosa, pongal or upma, they like to add a crispy, tasty and protein-rich urad dal vada to the platter.
In fact, when you have breakfast in a South Indian restaurant, even in the remote villages, you will be fascinated to see the waiter reel out the list of breakfast combos, almost all of them featuring vada!
Serving them fresh with Sambhar and coconut chutney however is doubly delightful.
Enjoy how to make medu vada | south indian medu vada | urad dal vada | garelu vada | uzhunnu vada recipe with detailed step by step photos and video below.
For medu vada- To make medu vada, clean, wash and soak the urad dal in enough water for atleast 2 hours.
- Drain, add the green chillies, pepper, curry leaves and ginger and blend in a mixer to a smooth batter, adding approx. ½ cup water.
- Immerse both your hands in a bowlful of water and wet your hands well.
- Add the onions and salt and mix well and divide the mixture into 14 equal portions. Keep aside.
- Take a portion of the batter and place it in a palm and lightly flatten it.
- Using your index finger of the other hand make a hole in the centre of the vada.
- Transfer the vada on the fingers of the other hand and carefully slide it in hot oil.
- Deep-fry on a medium flame till it turns golden brown in colour from both the sides. You can deep-fry 2 to 3 medu vadas at a time.
- Repeat with the remaining batter to make more medu vadas. Drain on an absorbent paper.
- Serve the medu vada immediately with sambhar and coconut chutney.
Medu Vada Video by Tarla Dalal
Medu Vada ( South Indian Recipe) recipe with step by step photos
-
Like Medu Vada, ( Vddina vada, Vada recipe, Medhu vadai, Ulundu vadai ) then see our collection of vada recipes. Vada is to South India what Samosa is to the North! Vada is a crispy deep-fried snack made with a dal-based batter. For hardcore vada lovers, not a day passes without having it with breakfast or lunch, or as an evening snack. A sumptuous breakfast platter generally combines Idli, Dosa or Ven Pongal with a ‘single vada’, which is how a single piece of hot and crisp Urad Vada ( Medu Vada ) is fondly called. See some popular vada recipes.
-
Don’t grind the batter for too long at once as it will make the batter more like a paste and heat up the grinder resulting into hard vadas. Grind it for few seconds, stop and then grind it again for few seconds. Follow this method to grind the batter.
![]()
-
Preferably, use cold water while grinding the medu vada batter.
![]()
-
If you have authentic grinding stone or wet grinder then you can churn the batter in the traditional fashion.
-
Once the batter is ground, prepare the vada immediately and do not leave it to ferment.
![]()
-
If you are preparing vada after some time then do not add salt to the batter. Salt makes batter watery if you keep for long time. So, add salt just before preparing the medu vada.
![]()
-
After grinding, beat the medu vada batter using your hand for 8-10 minutes in one direction. This process incorporates air which makes the vada light and fluffy. To check if the batter is fluffy enough or no, drop a portion of batter in a bowl filled with water and if it floats on the surface it means that batter is perfectly fluffy. Also, if you invert the bowl, the batter won’t fall. This shows it has been well made.
![]()
-
If batter is too watery and not holding shape then add few tablespoons of rice flour or semolina. It will make the batter thick and the vada will also turn crispy.
![]()
-
If you are a beginner and find it difficult to shape vadas on your palm, you can use a greased plastic sheet or a banana leaf to shape the vadas. Place a portion of the vada on it, give a round shape and make a hole in the center of vada. Take the vada gently from plastic sheet into the wet palm, add it to the oil and deep fry it.
![]()
-
For making the medu vada batter, clean and wash the urad dal 2-3 times in water. Soak it in enough water for atleast 2 hours. If you soak for less time, then the medu vada will turn out hard. 2-3 hours of soaking is ideal for urad dal. More than that or overnight soaking is not required and causes dal to soak more water unnecessarily. Cover with a lid and keep aside.
![]()
-
Drain the urad dal. The urad dal will almost double in volume and become soft.
![]()
-
Transfer the soaked urad dal to a mixer jar.
![]()
-
Add the green chillies.
![]()
-
Add the peppercorns.
![]()
-
Add the curry leaves.
![]()
-
Add the ginger.
![]()
-
Adding approx. ½ cup water.
![]()
-
Blend in the mixer to a smooth batter, Don’t add too much water while grinding else the batter will turn watery and it will be difficult to shape the medhu vadai.
![]()
-
Once done, remove the batter in a bowl. The medu vada batter should have a thick consistency and will look like this.
![]()
-
Add the onions, this is optional but better to add as it taste great.
![]()
-
Add the salt Mix well using a spoon.
![]()
-
Divide the ulundu vadai mixture into 14 equal portions. Keep aside.
-
Wet your hand. Dipping your hands in water helps in shaping the medu vada nicely.
![]()
-
Take a portion of the medu vada mixture in your hand.
![]()
-
Press it gently and make thick round shaped vada. Make a hole in the centre with your thumb.
![]()
-
For frying the South-Indian medu vada, heat the oil in a kadhai. Upturn your hand and drop the ulundu vadai in oil very carefully.
![]()
-
Deep fry 3-4 medu wada at a time.
-
Flip and cook the urad dal vada till both sides turn golden brown in colour on a medium flame. Do not fry on high flame they will give you the golden colour but they will be raw from inside. And do not fry on low heat they will absorb a lot of oil. Drain the garelu vada on an absorbent paper.
![]()
-
Repeat with the remaining batter to make more medu wadas.
-
Serve the hotel style medu vadas hot with fried coconut chutney and sambhar.
![]()
-
Our website has many more traditional vada recipe which can be enjoyed as evening snacks or breakfast.
Other Related Recipes
Accompaniments
Nutrient values (Abbrv) per medu vada
| Energy | 97 cal |
| Protein | 3.6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 8.9 g |
| Fiber | 1.8 g |
| Fat | 5.2 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 6 mg |
Review count
6 FAVOURABLE REVIEWS
The most Helpful Favorable review
Reviewed By
5 of 10 users found this review useful
See more reviews
No review of this type was found
6 FAVOURABLE REVIEWS
The most Helpful Favorable review
Reviewed By
5 of 10 users found this review useful
See more reviews
No review of this type was found
Helpful reviews for this recipe
Sign in to your account
Rate this recipe
Review this recipe (optional)
You are not signed in. To post a private recipe note requires you to
Sign In to your Gold or Silver account
Add your private note to this recipe