Ulundhu(Urdhal) vadai / Medhu vadai

Medhu Vadai is one of the popular snack in Tamil Nadu made using Urad Dhal (Ulundhu). It’s a great and tasty appetizer. We usually make this vadai for most of the festivals for neyvedhyam (offering to the god). Medhu vadai 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 don’t add onions.

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Ulundhu(Urdhal) vadai/Medhu vadai

Course: Appetizer, Chat, Snacks

Cuisine: Indian, South Indian, Tamil Nadu

Equipments Needed

• Heavy Bottomed Pan
• Mixer Grinder

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Servings: 15 Vadai

Calories: 343kcal

Author: Sowmya Venkatachalam

Medhu Vadai, is a crispy and yummy vadai made using urad dal as the main ingredient and other indian spices. We have a tradition to make this Medhuvadai as a Prasad for many occasions and festivals

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 Cup Urad Dal 1 Cup - 250ml
• ▢ 2 tsp Raw Rice
• ▢ 2 Green Chili
• ▢ 1 inch Ginger
• ▢ 1 tsp Salt (adjust to your taste)
• ▢ Few Curry leaves
• ▢ 2 Cups Oil For Deep Frying

Instructions 

Preparation

• ▢
  Soak the Ulundhu(Urad Dal) and rice in water for 2-3 hour

Grinding the Dal

• ▢
  Strain the Urad Daland grind it along with green chilli and salt in a grinder by adding 1 handful of water. Grind it till the urdhal is smooth without any lumps.
• ▢
  If we grind it in mixer, just add water little by little at a time and grind it till the batter is smooth. Do not add more water then we can’t shape the vadas. Sprinkle water only if necessary.

How to check the right consistency of the dough ?

• ▢
  Take it from grinder after the Urad Dal is ground properly. If you take the flour in your wet hands, it should roll like a ball. If we drop a pinch of batter in water, it should float it in water. If the batter gets sunk, then we need to grind it more. This is the right stage to remove from the grinder. If we are grinding in mixer, then take out the smooth vada batter and beat it nicely for 3-5 minutes using a whisk or ladle. This will aerate the batter. This step is very important and not to be skipped, we if are grinding batter in mixer, otherwise, the vadas will be harder.
• ▢
  Add the finely chopped ginger,curry leaves and mix well

Frying the Vadai

• ▢
  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 batter, pat it and make a small hole in center and drop it in oil.
• ▢
  Add 4-5 vada  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

Serving Time

• ▢
  The yummy Urad Dal vadai(Medhuvadai) is ready to serve / ready for neyvedhyam. For neyvedhyam we don’t add onion.

Video

Notes

1. For making this vadai on a normal day, we can add finely chopped onions with the batter and make scrumptious vadas.
2. 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.

Nutritional Info

Nutrition Facts

Ulundhu(Urdhal) vadai/Medhu vadai

Amount Per Serving (2 Vada)

Calories 343 Calories from Fat 99

% Daily Value*

Fat 11g17%

Carbohydrates 43g14%

Protein 14g28%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Method with Step by Step Pictures:

PREPARATION

• Soak the Ulundhu(Urad Dal) and rice in water for 2-3 hour

GRINDING THE DAL

• Strain the Urad Daland grind it along with green chilli and salt in a grinder by adding 1 handful of water. Grind it till the urdhal is smooth without any lumps.
• If we grind it in mixer, just add water little by little at a time and grind it till the batter is smooth. Do not add more water then we can’t shape the vadas. Sprinkle water only if necessary.

HOW TO CHECK THE RIGHT CONSISTENCY OF THE DOUGH ?

• Take it from grinder after the Urad Dal is ground properly. If you take the flour in your wet hands, it should roll like a ball. If we drop a pinch of batter in water, it should float it in water. If the batter gets sunk, then we need to grind it more. This is the right stage to remove from the grinder. If we are grinding in mixer, then take out the smooth vada batter and beat it nicely for 3-5 minutes using a whisk or ladle. This will aerate the batter. This step is very important and not to be skipped, we if are grinding batter in mixer, otherwise, the vadas will be harder.

•    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 batter, pat it and make a small hole in center and drop it in oil.

•  Add 4-5 vada  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