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Kerala · Snack

Medu Vada

Traditional 11. Medu Vada recipe

🧺 Ingredients

• 1.5 cups black gram (urad dal, 300g), unpeeled whole
• 2 tbsp rice flour (20g)
• ¼ cup onion, finely chopped (40g)
• 2-3 green chillies, finely chopped (5g)
• 6-8 curry leaves, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp black peppercorns, crushed (8g)
• ½ inch ginger, finely chopped (3g)
• ½ tsp salt (3g)
• ⅛ tsp baking soda
• Oil for frying (2 cups/480ml)

👩‍🍳 How to make Medu Vada

1. Soak urad dal (6-8 hours, room temperature): Soak 300g urad dal in water to just cover. Keep in warm place. After 30 mins, water level drops—add more water to cover again. Soak total 6-8 hours (preferably overnight).
2. Grind (8 mins, wet grinder): Drain dal. Grind in small portions in wet grinder without adding water. If grinder struggles, sprinkle 1-2 tbsp water only. Grind until smooth, thick, fluffy paste—batter must be as thick as possible. Lightness is key.
3. Add ingredients (3 mins, room temperature): Transfer paste to bowl. Add 20g rice flour, 40g chopped onion, 5g green chillies, curry leaves, 8g crushed peppercorns, 3g ginger, 3g salt, baking soda. Mix well with spatula—do not overmix or vadas will be dense.
4. Shape (5 mins, room temperature): Wet palms with water. Take small portion (~25g), shape into ball. Press slightly, make hole in center using thumb. Vada should have donut shape with hole.
5. Heat oil (5 mins, high heat): Heat 2 cups oil to 340°F/170°C. Test: drop small batter piece—should sizzle and rise slowly without browning immediately.
6. Fry (12 mins, medium heat): Carefully place vadas into hot oil—do not overcrowd (3-4 at a time). Do not touch for first 2 minutes. Flip gently, fry 2-3 minutes more per side until golden brown and crispy outside, soft inside. Visual cue: should float and be uniformly golden, not pale or dark brown.
7. Drain (2 mins): Transfer to paper towels. Serve warm with sambar or coconut chutney.

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