Medu Vada – The snack you want on a rainy day.

Happy Thanksgiving Y’all!!! Hope y’all had a fun time with family and friends. The last 3 days for Maddy and I included everything from a traditional thanksgiving meal to a potluck to lots and lots of shopping. That’s a packed schedule right there which doesn’t leave too much time to think of a recipe. So I decided to take the easy route and kill two birds with one stone. I made this delectably simple Medu Vada (Lentil fritters) for the potluck and decided to post the same on the blog as well.

Potluck Party

Fact is for the past 3 years Maddy and I haven’t been able to settle down in one city. We have always been on the move for one reason or the other. So when we signed a lease renewal at our current apartment it was definitely a happy surprise for us. Once you start putting your roots down in a place you start getting to know people and making more friends.

That is what exactly has begun to happen to us lately. One such couple whom we met recently invited us over for a thanksgiving potluck. We didn’t think too much before accepting the invite. My options got narrowed down once the hosts asked us to get veg snacks and/or appetizers for the party. Now it was just a question of coming up with a quick and easy recipe to make. I settled in on these savory black gram fritters also known as Medu Vada in the local dialect.

This yummlicious snack is a staple of the street food scene especially in the southern part of India but also in my home city of Mumbai. It is rare to find a street food vendor who doesn’t have this bad boy on his menu. Not only do these fritters taste divine but they are surprisingly easy to make.

How to make Medu Vada Batter

The first step involves soaking the lentils in enough water for a couple of hours. This tenderizes them so they are soft enough to be blended. Then drain the water and blend the lentils with salt into a coarse paste by adding little water as possible. I added about a tablespoon and a half of water to get my batter to the right consistency. The batter shouldn’t be too thick but should be ever so slightly runny. This step is extremely important to get fritters which are crispy on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside.

Then I added chillies, ginger paste and some onions in the batter for a bit of extra crunch. You can use the same batter to make Soft and Creamy Dahi Vada Chaat

Tips to make the Medu Vada batter.

• Whisk the batter for 5 minutes until it is very light.
• Take a glass filled with water and drop a small drop of batter in it. If the batter floats on top, it’s ready. If not, then whisk it some more.

How to make Medu Vada

These babies have been traditionally made in the shape of doughnuts so I did not deviate from the script. Wet your fingers, take a portion of the batter, give it a round shape and make a hole in the centre using your thumb. Drop the vadas gently into the hot oil and deep-fry on a medium flame till it turns golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Notes to shape the Medu vada

• Wet  the  fingers  every time before  scooping  batter.
• If you find it difficult to shape the doughnut use a cling wrap

Coconut Chutney !!

Also these fritters are a bit on the drier side so they are usually served with a sambar (lentil curry) or with a chutney of some sort. I went for the easier option of making the chutney since it just involves blending the ingredients involved and finally tempering it with roasted mustard seeds which gives the chutney a uniquely different taste. There is a merry dance of flavors going on your palate when y’all take a bite of these fritters which are smothered in coconut chutney…

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IF YOU LIKE THIS RECIPE HERE ARE FEW MORE SNACK RECIPES FOR YOU TO TRY.

• Latkes – Crispy Potato Pancakes
• Soft and Creamy Dahi Vada Chaat
• Healthy Zucchini Pancakes
• Quinoa Upma
• Masala Pancake – The perfect pick me up breakfast

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Medu Vada

Rahul

Delectably, crispy lentil fritters dipped in cool coconut chutney is an absolute treat to eat..

5 from 3 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Snacks

Cuisine Indian

Servings 5 people

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup Black gram/ Whole urad dal
• 3 Green Chilies finely chopped
• ½ inch Ginger
• ½ small Onion finely chopped
• Salt to taste
• Water as required
• Oil

Chutney

• 2 cups Grated coconut
• 1½ cup Yogurt
• ½ cup Cilantro
• 3 Green Chillies
• ½ tsp Cumin seeds
• ½ tsp Mustard seeds
• 5 Curry leaves
• Salt to taste

Instructions

 

• Rinse and soak the urad dal in enough water for 2 hours.
• Drain the water and blend to coarse paste using very little water (I used one tbsp) and salt.
• Transfer the batter in a bowl and whisk for 5 minutes until it is very light. Add salt, baking powder and mix gently.
• Take a glass filled with water and drop small drop of batter in it. If the batter floats on top, it’s ready. If not, then whisk it some more.
• Add onions, green chilies and ginger. Mix gently.
• Heat oil over medium heat
• Wet your fingers, take some batter and make a hole in the centre using your thumb.
• Drop the vadas gently into the hot oil and deep-fry on a medium flame till it turns golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper.
• Repeat with the remaining batter.
• Serve immediately with coconut chutney, and sambhar.

Chutney

• In a grinder add coconut, cilantro, green chilies, garlic and yogurt. Grind to make a smooth paste. Do not add water. If required add yogurt. Remove the mixture in a bowl.
• In a small pan dry roast cumin seeds, mustard seeds and curry leaves.
• Add the tempering to the chutney. Add salt and mix well.

Keyword Coconut Chutney, Lentil Fritters, Medu Vada, Savory Donuts

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