MedhuVadai ( Ulundhu vadai) is a great and tasty appetaizer. Also, we make this vadai for most of the festivals for neyvedhyam. Medhuvadai with idli, pongal, sambar & Chutney is a famous breakfast combo in Southern Part of India. Almost all restaurants serve this vada for breakfast and also during evening snacks time. Making a perfect batter is the secret of this recipe. The batter should be thick and also fluffy then only the vadas will be crispier outside and soft inside. For normal snacks, we can also add chopped onions that will enhance the taste. But for Neivedhyam we dont add onions.
| Preparation Time | 5 mins |
| Cooking Time | 15 mins |
| Yield | 15 |
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| Medhu Vadai | Ulundhu Vadai |
Preparation and Yield:
| Preparation time | 3 hours |
| Cooking Time | 30 mins |
| Yield | 12-15 Vada |
| Recipe Category | Snacks |
| Recipe Cuisine | South Indian |
Ingredients:
| Urad Dal | 1 Cup* |
| Raw Rice | 2 teapsoon |
| Salt | To taste |
| Green Chilli | 2 |
| Chopped Ginger | 1 teapsoon |
| Curry Leaves | few |
| Oil | for deep frying |
* 1 Cup = 250ml
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| Medhu Vadai | Ulundhu Vadai |
Method:
- Soak the Ulundhu(Urdhal) and rice in water for 45 mins. For softer vadai, we can soak it for 2-3 hours
- Strain it and grind it along with green chilli and salt in a grinder by adding 1 handfull of water. Grind it till the urdhal is smooth without any bumps
- Sprinkle water only if necessary.
- Take it from grinder after the urdhal is ground properly. If you take the flour in your wet hands, it should roll like a ball. If we drop a pinch of dough in water, it should float it in water. If the dough gets sinked, then we need to grind it more. This is the right stage to remove from the grinder.
- Add the finely chopped ginger,curry leaves and mix well
- Now Heat the oil in pan and once the oil is hot, add a little amount of flour to check for the readiness of oil. If the flour comes up right way, then the oil is ready
- In a banana leaf or small plastic cover, add little amount of urdhal flour and make small hole in the middle and spread the flour and then take it from leaf using water and add it to the pan. I normally wet my palm and add small ball of dough, pat it and make a small hole in center and drop it in oil.
- Add 4-5 urdhal flour and add it to oil. Slowly change the vadai to other side to cook properly in both sides
- Once the vadai becomes golden brown color, remove from flame
- The yummy Urdhal vadai(Medhuvadai) is ready to serve / ready for neyvedhyam. For neyvedhyam we dont add onion.
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| Medhu Vadai | Ulundhu Vadai |
Note:
For making this vadai on a normal day, we can add finely chopped onions with the dough and make scrumptious vadas.
Tips from BaluSreevidyaNZ - subbu's kitchen fan
About the crispiness of Medhu Vadai, I make them very crispy by soaking them longer, and frying them on low fire/less power on induction cooker. I will have the oil boiling and then will bring it to low to medium before dropping the vadai batter into it. Fry it longer in low temp, the vadais will remain crispy and fresh for longer time. Also, less oily as well. I don't make much of fuss about the whole in the middle, and instead make shallow scoops on spoon and make flatter vadais for even cooking. This will allow my batter more softer with water, hence softer crispier and melting fried vadais in the end.
Tips from BaluSreevidyaNZ - subbu's kitchen fan
About the crispiness of Medhu Vadai, I make them very crispy by soaking them longer, and frying them on low fire/less power on induction cooker. I will have the oil boiling and then will bring it to low to medium before dropping the vadai batter into it. Fry it longer in low temp, the vadais will remain crispy and fresh for longer time. Also, less oily as well. I don't make much of fuss about the whole in the middle, and instead make shallow scoops on spoon and make flatter vadais for even cooking. This will allow my batter more softer with water, hence softer crispier and melting fried vadais in the end.
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| Medhu Vadai | Ulundhu Vadai |