Medhu Vadai

Medhu Vadai

Medhu Vadai

Veg Vegan

Light, crispy doughnuts of urad dal batter — soaked lentils ground with green chillies, ginger, and curry leaves, shaped into rings and deep-fried until golden, with a crackling exterior and a pillowy centre. The essential breakfast companion to idli and sambar across Tamil Nadu; medhu vadai soaked in sambar (sambar vadai) transforms into an entirely different and addictive texture.

Cuisines

Chettinad Tamil Brahmin Kongunadu Madras Udupi Andhra

Best for

Breakfast Snacks

Recipe

Prep: 20 min Cook: 30 min Total: 50 min 2-3 servings

Ingredients

urad dal 1 cup Urad dal
rice flour 1 tablespoon Rice flour
Cumin 1 teaspoon Cumin , seeds
Black Pepper 1 teaspoon Black Pepper , crushed
Ginger 1 tablespoon Ginger , finely chopped
Curry Leaf 2 tablespoons Curry Leaf , finely chopped
Cilantro 2 tablespoons Cilantro , finely chopped
Onion 1 medium Onion , finely chopped
water 2 tablespoons Water
salt — Salt , to taste
oil — Oil , for deep frying

Instructions

  1. 1 Wash and soak the urad dal in water for about 2 hours.
  2. 2 Drain the water and grind the urad dal to a smooth batter, adding water gradually as needed.
  3. 3 Transfer the batter to a bowl and add rice flour, cumin seeds, crushed black pepper, chopped ginger, curry leaves, coriander leaves, and onion.
  4. 4 Mix well and add salt to taste.
  5. 5 Heat oil in a deep frying pan over medium heat.
  6. 6 Wet your hands and take a small portion of the batter.
  7. 7 Shape it into a ball, flatten it slightly, and make a hole in the center.
  8. 8 Carefully slide the shaped batter into the hot oil.
  9. 9 Fry until the vadai turns golden brown and crispy on both sides.
  10. 10 Remove the vadai from the oil and drain on paper towels.
  11. 11 Repeat the process with the remaining batter.

Tips

Ensure the batter is thick to get crispy vadais. Wetting your hands helps in shaping the vadai easily.