Medu Vada always reminds me of my 1st pregnancy. Thursday’s used to be half working day for me and Mr.B. A small Udupi eatery used to be our meeting point for late noon lunch. Having relaxed lunch, sharing all our weekly office gossips and knitting plans for weekend and religiously I would either dig into a Thali or Medu Vadas soaked in loads of sambar.This picture is dedicated to my sweet memories – Medu Vadas with Mango chutney, Tomato chutney, Sambar and Onion raita.
Medu vada is a traditional South Indian cuisine served with condiments such as variety of chutney’s and sambar. Before making vadas, don’t forget to read the recipe with detailed tips to make it perfect. I do make medu vada’s but without the donut shape as I always have the fear of messing it up. But this time on the occasion of our anniversary when Mr.B informed me of his long desire to have medu vada is perfect shape, I could not say NO or make silly excuses. I accepted the challenge and gave it a try.
My story on Medu Vada:
I like my Vada's to be crunchy so i have added Moong dal as well, hence I call it "Urad and Moong Vada". Hesitantly and slowly gearing up my patience and hand skills I was successful to shape 6 vada’s for Mr. B thereafter I did not have the patience to continue shaping. Lesson learnt: try try until you succeed, cooking isn’t a rocket science. I was extremely happy and mesmerized with my 1st batch of donut shape vadas and thereafter i continued making shapeless vadas as I knew my kids won’t mind on the shape of vadas, as long as it is filled in loads of flavors and crispy.
Before the vadas loose it’s crisp and freshness, I hurried up to click my 1st batch of donut shape vadas, perfectly satisfied with my clicks. Rearranged my props and plate for the next batch of shapeless vada’s. In the meantime I never knew when my kids sneaked into the kitchen and gobbled all the perfect shaped vadas. Not a single piece for Mr.B.
Pheww.. all the hard work over and now time to devour those yummies. The best compliment I received from my son, “Mom this breakfast is plate licking” and he literally licked the whole plate to spotless clean.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup Urad Dal (Split White lentils)
- ¾ cup Moong Dal (Green grams)
- ½ cup Shallots
- 3 to 4 Green Chilies / birds eye chilly
- 1 inch Ginger
- 1 Sprig of Curry Leaves
- 5 – 6 Pepper corns
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds (optional)
- Oil for deep frying
- Salt to taste
Procedure:
Wash the Urad Dal and Moong Dal for 2 – 3 times in running water and soak the for approximate 3 to 4 hours.
Drain excess water from the dals and transfer it in a grinder or blender to grind until the batter is fluffy. Add only few spoons of cold water, one at a time, to help in grinding to smooth fine paste. Do not add too much water while grinding, because it will not allow to hold the shape. The batter should be thick in consistency. Do not add too much of water, else the batter will be runny and it will be difficult to shape. Secondly, the vada will absorb too much oil.
Grinding tip: Don’t grind the batter for too long at once as it will make the batter mushy and gluey. Grind it for few seconds; pause and then grind again, until you reach coarse thick batter, as shown in the picture.
Transfer the batter into a bowl and beat it with your hand, in circulation motion, in one direction for approximate 1 minute or so. This process is to incorporate air into the vadas to be light and fluffy.
Batter testing tip: To check if the batter is fluffy, fill water in a small bowl and drop a small portion of batter into the water and if it floats on the surface it means that batter is fluffy enough.
If the batter does not float well, then it means the batter is not properly aerated or there is excess water. Beat the batter once again and then check. If required add 1 to 2 tablespoon of rice flour and then beat the batter again to make it fluffy.
Finely mince the onions, ginger, chilly, curry leaves and crush the pepper corns. Now add these ingredients to the batter along with salt to taste and mix well.
Heat oil in a deep frying pan. When the oil is medium hot, wet your palm with water. Take the desired quantity of batter on your palm and gently flatten it to form thick round shape and with the help of your finger, make a whole in the center of the shaped batter. Gently slide the vada into the hot oil. Repeat the process until the pan is filled with vada.
We need to cook the vadas on medium heat so that it cooks from all the sides. Flip both the sides until they are golden brown and crisp. Transfer them to a plate lined with kitchen paper. Repeat the same process for the remaining batter.
MANGO COCONUT CHUTNEY:
Ingredients:
- 1 full fresh Coconut grated
- 6 – 7 Birds Eye Chilly
- 1 small raw Mango
- 2 sprig of Curry Leaves
- Salt to taste
Procedure:
The quantity of raw mango needs to be adjusted as per your taste buds and the sourness of the mango. Combine all the ingredients and grind it in a mixer with few spoons of water to smooth lump free paste.
Tips:
1. Urad dal color should not be pale yellow, this indicates old stock and the vadas might become hard.
2. Do not soak the dal for more than 4 hours or overnight.
3. Do not let the mixer / blender grind for long time, because it will heat the batter and vada may turn hard.
4. The grounded batter should be used immediately
5. If the batter is runny, add in 1 to 2 tablespoon of rice flour and beat it well to get aerated and fluffy.
6. Oil should not be on high flame as it will not cook the vadas from inside.
Do try this recipe and don’t forget to let me know if you like it through comments. Be kind to like my page and share with your friends using the buttons on the side, that would really encourage me. God Bless!
Please do SUBSCRIBE this Blog and like us on www.facebook.com/inishkitchen if you liked this recipe and wish to receive more updates on the upcoming posts.
Comments
Post a Comment