Updated on by Raks Anand 129 Comments
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Medhu vadai recipe - Ulunthu vadai - ulundu vadai- medu vada - with video and step by step pictures, tips and tricks to make perfect shape.
The only work/help I used to do before marriage,to my mom, if any festive days means, that would be grinding and making vadai.
My mom used to tell how and i will grind and make as per her instructions. Then after 3-4 times,I used to do all by myself👏. From then, vadai department is mine. That is from grinding ,cleaning the grinder, till making vadai😍.
My mom used to make medhu vadai with a piece of banana leaf or a polythene cover, for making shape of vadai.
But once I happened to see how vadai is made in hotel/restaurants, without using anything, just using our one hand make beautiful vadais that looks so cute.
From then I started making like that. It's less mess and easy too than using banana leaf or anything else. What u need is practice.
No no, don't think it's difficult. Once u get to know the correct trick, you will be able to do with ease.
I could not take pictures while making sooo detailed,but have done whatever i can do with my one hand, so that beginners could be benefited.
And this medhu vadai post is especially for my two close friend’s request,one, Sangeeta and then my Sis in law.
Check out my paruppu vadai recipe
If you are making for any festival, Make few without onion to offer God. Then add onion to remaining batter.
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5 from 45 votes
Medhu vadai
Medhu vadairecipe – Ulunthu vadai –ulundu vadai- medu vada – with VIDEO and step by step pictures, tips and tricks to make perfect shape.
Course Snack
Cuisine Indian
Prep Time 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes minutes
Soaking time 2 hours hours
Author Raks Anand
Servings 15 vadai
Cup measurements
Ingredients
- ¾ cup Urad dal/ Ulutham paruppu
- 10 Small onion/ shallots or Big onion – 1
- 2 Green chillies
- 1 inch piece Ginger
- 2 tablespoon Coriander leaves chopped
- 1 Curry leaves sprig
- ⅛ teaspoon Asafoetida
- Salt
Instructions
Soak urad dal for 2 hour at least. (Use whole urad dal without skin(muzhu ulundu)for better result).
Grind urad dal with only little water till fluffy. Please note the following points:
Add urad dal little by little(no water),while the grinder is running.
b)Just sprinkle water now and then to avoid jamming of the grinder. Using ice cold water is recommended.
c)Stand near till you finish grinding for sprinkling water now and then and wipe the urad dal that sticks to the wall of the grinder container.
d)This whole process takes around 12-15 minutes,you will get a fluffy white batter.
Now chop onions,ginger,green chillies,coriander and curry leaves and add all these to the batter along with salt and asafetida.(You can add ginger and green chillies while you are grinding the batter itself,if you don’t want to come in mouth.If you decide so,first add ginger and chilles,then urad dal)
Now mix well,keep aside and heat enough oil in kadai (be generous or else vadas may stick to the bottom and get burnt).
Now wet your right hand well and make a small ball.
And use ur thumb to make hole in the middle.
and drop it in oil,(just invert the vadais over the oil and slightly shake ur fingers)
Fry in medium flame,turn the vadais and fry till both the sides turn crisp and golden brown.
Video
Notes
- If your vadai drinks so much oil,then it means you have added more water,reduce next time. Try adding any one of the following only one teaspoon to reduce vadai drinking oil-Rice flour or gram flour or Maida/all purpose flour.
- Do not soak more than 3 hrs max. If it is delayed, keep the urad dal in fridge until you grind.
- Using ice water gives you more volume as well as fluffy vadais.
- Wet grinder gives best vadais. More volume and tasty too than mixie ground vadai.
- If in case you want to grind in mixie, soak for 3 hrs, leave it inside fridge for minimum 30 mins. Grind with ice cold water.
- After mixing salt, the batter leaves water. So make sure you add salt just before making vada.
- Never ever grind the batter with salt. It will become watery and you may not able to shape.
- If your batter is like a paste and dull in colour, may be the urad dal quality is not good.
- Don't grind for too long,it will make your batter sticky and you could not shape the vadais. Keep in refrigerator and try after an hour.
- Adding a teaspoon of toor dal or channa dal while soaking urad dal, gives you a nice browning, crispiness as well as texture to the vadai.
- If I grind batter in mixie, I add chopped onions in the end and give it a pulse. this gives a great flavor and nice golden vadai.
- A good variety/quality of urad dal also matters.
- If you grind everything correctly,you will get a crispy vadai,no need to add rice flour or anything!!!
- While grinding mixie, certain things you need to consider for perfect vadais.
a)Good quality urad dal for more quantity of vadai.
b)After soaking urad dal for 2-3 hours, I refrigerate for an hour. This gives fluffy batter, more volume and easy to shape too.
c)Never grind the batter for long time at once, grind few seconds - stop, grind again. Open the lid and add water little by little when needed.
d)Use ice cold water.
e)I added roughly ½ cup water for 1 cup good quality urad dal. I got around 26 medium sized vadas.
f)I grind green chilli, ginger, urad dal without water first, then add water little by little and grind.
g)Never add salt while grinding. Also dont grind for too long, your batter will become pasty and cannot shape.
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Medhu vadai method:
- Soak urad dal for 2 hour at least. (Use whole urad dal without skin -muzhu ulundu for best result).
- Grind urad dal with only little water till fluffy. Please note the following points:
a) Add urad dal little by little (no water),while the grinder is running.
b)Just sprinkle water now and then to avoid jamming of the grinder. Using ice cold water is recommended.
c)Stand near till you finish grinding for sprinkling water now and then and wipe the urad dal that sticks to the wall of the grinder container.
d)This whole process takes around 12-15 minutes, you will get a fluffy white batter. - Now chop onions, ginger, green chillies, coriander and curry leaves and add all these to the batter along with salt, asafetida.
- You can add ginger and green chillies while you are grinding the batter itself, if you don’t want to bite while eating. If you decide so,first add ginger and chilli, then urad dal
- Mix well, keep aside and heat enough oil in kadai. Be generous or else vadas may stick to the bottom and get burnt.
- Wet your right hand well and make a small ball.
- Use your thumb to make hole in the middle.
- Drop it in oil, just invert the vadais over the oil and slightly shake your fingers.
- Fry in medium flame,turn the vadais and fry till both the sides turn crisp and golden brown.
Serve medhu vadai with hot with sambar/ coconut chutney.
Sakkarai Pongal:
Today is Aadi velli,So I made the above vadais and sakkarai pongal. This is my 100th post too!! I thank all of the blogger friends who give their lovely comments,which encourage me a lot! I also have my friends who read my blog silently,I thank them too …Please continue with your support!!
Ingredients:
Raw rice - ½ cup
Moong dal/Pasi paruppu - 2 tbsp
Ghee - 4 tbsp
Milk - ½ cup
Cashews - 8
Jaggery - ¾ cup
Elachi - 1
Raisins(optional) - 1 tsp
Nutmeg powder(optional) - 2 pinches
Pachai karpooram(optional) - A pinch
water - 1 & ¾ cups
Salt - 2 pinches
Method:
- Heat the cooker and add a teaspoon of ghee and fry the moong dal directly.Fry for a minute.
- Add the washed rice,half of the milk,water and pressure cook in medium flame for 4 whistles.
- Once the pressure is released,open and mix some more milk,just to mash and mix well.
- Powder the jaggery and if you think the jaggery is pure,doesn't have impurities or sand then you can add the powdered jaggery to the pongal directly.If you have impurities in it,then better just melt the jaggery with very little water and filter the impurities and then add this syrup to the pongal.
- Switch on the stove and keep on stirring well in a low-medium flame.
- Pour ghee little by little and keep on stirring till pongal leaves the sides of the vessel.(approx 4-5 min)
- Add fried cashew,powdered elachi and the other optional ingredients lastly and mix well.
- Enjoy the pongal hot hot!!
I used achu vellam(jaggery like cubes)which is more sweet and gives less colour. Use salt while you cook the pongal,it will enhance the taste. If you are using the round vellam/jaggery,then it has salt by it self,so watch out while you add salt.
