Medhu vada

Medhu vada
  Its a very simple, very popular deep fried Indian snack where the white lentils is the main ingredient.

  my childhood memories comes backs in mind when i think of medhu vada...my mom used to make it almost for all the festivals n functions at home.. i remember, during Diwali, my mom used to make vadas at 4:30 in the morning where the aroma of these deep frying vadas awakes me up but v r strictly allowed to have it only after brush n oil bath :-( . we make these vadas to mark the occasion n to treat the taste buds.... in these times, iam making these for my kids, some times my mom make it when she comes home but i miss her very much during diwali....

  I like to share this recipe in thought of my mom. i dedicate it to u mom (mom, me as a parent, i realized ur pain n dedication towards growing me up).....

Emotions apart....let's look out the procedure for making vadas....

Ingredients:
onion - 1 (chopped).
curry leaves - 5-6 leaves (chopped).
coriander leaves - 2 tsp (chopped).

for grinding:
white lentils / urad dhall - 1 cup.
green chillies - 1 (chopped).
saunf / fennel powder - 1 tsp.
salt - as needed.


Method:
=> soak white lentils in water for an hour, drain n grind along with green chillies n fennel seeds powder( can be grinded in a mixer grinder / in a grinder) with a dash of water or without water (excess water results in dosas n not vadas ;-)). transfer the spongy paste to a bowl.


=>  add in chopped onions, chopped curry leaves, chopped coriander leaves n mix it well - this is called vada mix.

=> wet the palm n fingers ( it's to avoid sticking ), take a little vada mix , ball shape it, place it on a upside down wet plate, slightly press on top, make a center hole with the index finder(dipped in water)...make 3-4 at a time n deep fry it in batches ( my mom use greased thick polythene for making these..).

=> deep fry the vadas till golden brown on both sides.

=> to make it more attractive, pat it with sooji / semolina or pat it with white sesame seeds n deep fry for a different flavor.

vadas topped with sooji / semolina

vadas topped with white sesame seeds

Tip 1: grind white lentils, mix in 1/2 teaspoon of pepper cumin powder, pinch of asafoetida powder n salt for a peppery taste.

Tip 2: grind white lentils, mix in shredded cabbage + shredded carrots + chopped green chillies + chopped coriander leaves + salt for a heather version.

Tip 3: soak 2 tbsp of toor dhall /split pigeon peas  along with white lentils to avoid vadas from absorption of oil.

Tip 4: if vada mix is too loose n to bring in the consistency, add little rice flour which in turn makes crispy vadas.

Tip 5: Also adding a tsp of sooji to the vada mix gives in crispiness n good texture to vadas.

I follow these moms tips every time while i make vadas n I think sharing this here helps many people in some way..........n if u like to share ur suggestions n comments...drop it here...........