A deep-fried batter of urad dal (black gram) with a hole in the center to resemble the western donut, this popular snack is a household name in South India. A compulsory dish during the festivals, it is also served for breakfast or evening snacks, especially when guests arrive. And, not just in India, this dish is popular in our neighboring country Sri Lanka as well. The name of this dish comes from Tamil and Kannada word “Medu” which means soft. “Vada” is an equivalent of fritter. So, in simple terms, this dish is a soft fritter in golden color and looks like a stuffed ring. This dish is normally served with sambar and coconut chutney or ginger chutney. The spiciness of the sambar and chutney enhance the taste of this subtly flavored dish. The batter can either be plain (with a dash of salt and cumin seeds) or spiced with finely chopped onions, green chilies, curry leaves or coriander leaves, and crushed peppercorns. Soft and Crunchy Meduvada Recipe Meduvada Recipe The texture of this dish depends on the thickness of the batter. Generally, it is prepared using only the batter made from soaked black grams. Some people add rice flour to the batter to make them crispy. If the batter is too thick, the rings will be hard and dense. If the batter is too runny, we cannot even get the shape of the ring.
Moreover, letting the batter sit out idle for too long will cause it to ferment. This results in slightly sour vadas that absorb too much oil. There are other variations of this dish. You can use pulses instead of black gram. Split chickpeas are commonly used, though pigeon pea and lentils (masoor) are also used. Some people also prefer to bake the rings instead of deep frying them in oil. If you want to try baking them, ensure the batter is thick and doesn’t spread on the baking tray. Where Did the Vada Come From? We don’t really know where and how this dish came into existence. According to Vir Sanghvi, the roots of this dish have been, to an extent, traced to a small town Maddur, in Karnataka. It was an Udipi restaurant in Mumbai that made this dish famous outside South India. People in North India follow a slightly different version of this Meduvada recipe. They serve it with yogurt that has been flavored with salt, chili powder, sweet and sour tamarind chutney and green chutney. The same dish is known as garelu in Telugu, ulundu vadai in Tamil, and uzhunnu vada in Malayalam. It is also known as urad vada or medhu vadai, depending on the region
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