According to KT Achaya, Vadai or Vada as we popularly like to call it was enjoyed by the ancient Tamils as far back as 100 BCE – 300 CE. The type of vada mentioned is "vataka" in Manasollasa, a 12th-century Sanskrit encyclopedia compiled by Someshvara III, who ruled from present-day Karnataka. (Source: Wikepedia)
As you know, Medu Vada is made with Urud Dhal. Once the lentils are soaked and ground into a thick batter, the dough is shaped into doughnuts with a hole in the middle and then deep-fried. Today, it is the most common vada type enjoyed throughout India. It is also a very popular snack in Sri Lanka where we popularly call it Uludu Vada. This kind of vada has many other names as well – Uddina Vada, Minapa Vda, Uzhunnu Vada.
A childhood favourite, this dish has fascinated me for a very long time. So I finally decided to try my hand at it. After trying out various recipes and adding my own flare to it, I’m happy to say the results and journey has been pretty wonderful! This recipe is very easy to make and I hope you give it a go too!
You can also check out the demo video on my Youtube Channel at - @CrispyMeduVada
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Ingredients:
300g urud dhal, soaked
1 cup red onions, chopped
4-6 green chillies, chopped
½ tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp pepper powder
¼ tsp asafetida (hing)
½ tbsp flaxseeds
Salt to taste
Method:
Grind the urud dhal into a fine paste in a mixer or food processor.
Do this a little bit at a time until all the seeds are ground well. You may need to add a little bit of water, but not too much as the batter needs to be thick in order to make the dough balls.
Now pour the batter into a deep bowl and whisk for a few minutes. You need to do this in order to aerate the dough. This makes the batter lighter and gives you delicious, crispy vada that are nice and fluffy on the inside.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the batter and mix well with a spatula. You can use your hands or a spoon, but in my experience the spatula lifts all the ingredients and mixes it together perfectly, just like a cake batter.
Heat the oil in a pan, but not on a high heat as we don't want the vada to burn or cook too quickly. Otherwise, they will be cooked on the outside, bust still raw inside.
Check to see if the oil is hot by dropping a tiny amount of the dough into it. If it instantly rises, the oil is ready.
Now wet your hand, take a small portion and roll it around a little bit to form a ball. With your thumb make a small hole in the middle. Then drop it gently into the hot oil. Do this repeatedly.
Don't forget to keep wetting your hands before forming each dough ball, as the batter is very sticky and can create quite a mess!
Once the vada are nice and brown on one side, gently turn them on to the other side and fry till done.
Remove and drain on a paper towel.
As anything deep-fried, these vada are best eaten fresh. But they will remain crispy and nice for a couple hours.
Goes well with Green Coconut Chutney. You can find the recipe here on the blog and the demo video on my YouTube Channel - @GreenCoconutChutney
XOXO, Jovanka
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