South Indian

Medu Vada (Urad Dal Fritters)

Name: Medu Vada (Urad Dal Fritters)
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: South Indian
Ingredients: 2 cups urad dal (split, husked), soaked; 2 green chilies; 1 tbsp grated ginger; 1 tsp black peppercorns; 10 curry leaves, chopped; 1/2 onion, finely chopped; 3 cups neutral oil, for deep frying; 1 tsp salt

Lakshmi @lakshmi_chennai

Medu Vada (Urad Dal Fritters) is South Indian home cooking, eaten at breakfast and dinner. On the plate it is the dish at the centre. Below is what usually sits beside it, what it does and does not contain, and what else to cook once you have made it.

35 min Medium Diabetic friendly Vegetarian Vegan Halal Gluten free Dairy free Pescatarian

Ingredients

Serves

The quantities follow this count.

2 cups urad dal (split, husked), soaked
2 green chilies
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 tsp black peppercorns
10 curry leaves, chopped
1/2 onion, finely chopped
3 cups neutral oil, for deep frying
1 tsp salt

How to cook it

Soak the urad dal for 3 hours, then drain well and grind it with the green chilies and ginger into a thick, fluffy batter using as little water as possible.
Whip the batter by hand for a few minutes to add air, then fold in the peppercorns, curry leaves, onion, and salt.
Heat the oil in a deep pan to medium-hot, then wet your hands, scoop a portion of batter, shape it into a flat disc with a hole in the center, and slide it gently into the oil.
Fry in batches, turning occasionally, until deep golden and crisp on all sides, about 4 minutes per batch.
Drain on paper towels and serve hot and crisp.

Watch how to cook Medu Vada (Urad Dal Fritters)

Someone making it start to finish, so you can see what the steps look like.

Serve it with

A South Indian dinner is a plate rather than a single dish. These are the courses that normally sit beside Medu Vada (Urad Dal Fritters), read from the same composition Dinejot builds a real meal from.

What it is eaten with
- Bajra Bhakri (Pearl Millet Flatbread)
  
  35 min
The sharp little thing
- Coconut Chutney
  
  15 min
Something cool and fresh
- Fried Vadam
  
  10 min

A course labelled with another kitchen's name comes from a cuisine in the same family, which is where this plate usually borrows it from.

Safe at your table

Dinejot tracks ten allergens and tags every one of them by hand. Medu Vada (Urad Dal Fritters) carries none of them. That is a checked answer rather than an ingredient list nobody read.

Every tracked allergen in Medu Vada (Urad Dal Fritters)
Allergen	In this dish
Peanuts	No
Tree nuts	No
Dairy	No
Gluten	No
Shellfish	No
Eggs	No
Soy	No
Fish	No
Sesame	No
Coconut	No

These tags are set by a person rather than inferred from an ingredient list, and they describe the recipe as written here. Read the labels on whatever you actually buy.

What it brings to the plate

Estimated, per serving

Calories: 360 kcal
Protein: 8 g
Carbs: 28 g
Fat: 24 g
Fiber: 3 g
Sugar: 1 g
Sodium: 420 mg
Saturated fat: 5 g

Estimated values. Actual nutrition varies with ingredients, brands, and how you cook.

When to cook it

Medu Vada (Urad Dal Fritters) takes about 35 minutes from a cold stove to the table, and the cooking itself is a fair bit of work. It is eaten at breakfast and dinner. Nothing in the calendar rules it out, so it is a year round dish.