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3 July 2008

Uzhunnu Vada/Medhu Vadai/Deep Fried Urad Dal Dumplings

Uzhunnu Vada is something that has been in my to-make list for a long time mainly because my mom and her sister are experts at this and no matter where I have it, I always crave for the home-made version. Also, this is a favourite of TH's. For that matter, anything that's deep fried is more his thing.



But what really prompted me to try it immediately was Suganya's post and her yummy pictures. Due to these lines in her blog ".. it takes a little practice to shape it properly. The key is to add very little water while grinding. Don’t lose heart if you can’t get it right. Just drop by spoonfuls into the hot oil.." I was not disheartened when my dough became a tad too watery and I have to just make blobs of vada. Like she said, noone complained, cuz after all, it was deep fried :D

I made very slight changes in the ingredients according to personal taste.

Uzhunnu Vada/Medhu Vadai



What I Used:

Makes about 15 dumplings (approx 12 vada)

Skinned urad dal - 1/2 cup
Chopped green chillies - 3
Minced ginger - 1 tsp(I don't like biting into them while easting the vada)
Chopped curry leaves - 15
Salt - to taste

How I Made It:

1. Soak urad dal in sufficient water for atleast an hour. Drain water completely and grind to a fine paste. This is where I went slightly wrong. I added a bit of water and couldn't shape the vadas cuz of that.

2. Mix in the other ingredients to make a thick batter.

3. Heat oil in a pan and shape the vadas like doughnuts. You can use your wet palms or a damp plastic bag side to do this without the batter sticking to it. I just dropped spoonfuls of the batter into the oil.

4. Fry till golden brown, adjusting the heat when the oil gets too hot. Make sure the heat is not too much cuz that will burn the outside while the inside is still undercooked.

5. Dump into a kitchen napkin to drain excess oil.

Best enjoyed with coconut chutney and sambhar. We had ours with carrot sambhar.

This is my entry to this month's MBP hosted by Nupur at One Hot Stove. The theme is 'More Is Less'. Going by her rules, this recipe only uses up 4 ingredients and like she wants, its such a wonderful medley of flavours.


Tried & Tasted By Nagalakshmi V at 17:56
Labels: , , ,

33 Comments:

  1. Hi Naga, nice picture:-) And don't be disheartened. I just made it for the first time in my life last week, and though I did get real round shapes (I dropped them into the oil with a tablespoon), they turned out to be a little on the hard side! not really soft and tender. Good recipe, will try again soon:-)
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  2. thanks shreya. these came out really crisp and soft inside! TH loved them :)
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  3. Arvind loves these with Sambhar. I make it doughnuts with holes. Vadas look very soft and yummy, great entry!:))
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  4. I don't have a problem with the consistency of the finished product, just with the fact that I can't shape the batter - not that I try hard!
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  5. Lovely pic! They look so well done...
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  6. Getting the batter thick in a mixie is always a bit of problem.. a grinder is the best. You could add some rice flour if it's too watery next time... They look beautiful and golden... :)
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  9. Laavanya, adding a bit of rice flour is such a great tip! will surely try it next time cuz i don't have a grinder here, just an ordinary sumeet mixie :)
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  10. What a mouthwatering picture! I am totally craving some medu vada now :)
    Thank you for a fantastic entry.
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  11. There's something waiting for you on my blog...
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  12. love these..especially with some yummy coriander coocnut chutney....they go so well even a combo with sambar is awesome...looks delicious :)
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  13. I love these with Garlic chilli powder.. yummy!!
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  14. Ur pict came out so well, In TN with hole same dough called medu vadai and round shape like u did is Ullundu Bonda good with coconut chutney!
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  15. my husband prob loves these more than he loves me:) they look great Nags! yeah, who can say NO to fried food!:)
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  16. That looks fabulous! Who cares about the holes?! they're just a waste of space;-) At least this way, there's more of the stuff that can be eaten.:D
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  17. true, if it is deep fried, it better taste good :)
    vada's look nice n crisp.
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  19. yes it is mine!! i wrote to that blog owner. lets see if i hear from him/her
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  20. Awww Nags, you made me proud. For a long time, my vadas were shapeless bondas too. As with everything else, it takes some practice and patience (underline that) to get the right shape. However pretty the shape is, it ends up to be a mishmash in our stomach. Who cares how it looks, as long its tastes good.

    Adding rice flour is a good tip for watery dough. There is a catch though. The vadas should be eaten while warm. Once cooled, they become very hard and chewy. Thank you for trying out the recipe.
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  21. oooh! thanks for the warning suganya. we had some for lunch and rest for dinner so i guess adding rice flour wud have been disastrous :)

    i will be patient till i get it. glad u liked this version though :)
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  22. They may not have holes in the middle, but your vadas are looking real crisp.
    Another trick for slightly watery wada batter is to add a bit of rawa. This absorbs the water and lends to the crispness of the wada.
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  23. And the tips keep coming in :) Thanks Aparna!
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  24. boy TH is a lucky dude :D..and i don't know how to make vadas with holes too...never tried it..i feel i may burn myself when i drop it in the hot oil...
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  25. Hey Nags...the vada looks so yummmy... and hey if you have some remaining put them into curd (chilly powder etc etc) for some delicious thayir vada!
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  26. These look so good I love any type of dumpling and I would love to try these. :-)
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  27. My Urad dal vadas never turn out to be vadas, they are always bondas :D Looks yummy!
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  28. You can use wada maker. http://www.chennaistore.com/Scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=331&idCategory=48&Left=Y

    This make nice big wada with a hole, just like doughnuts, just that batter should be thick.
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  29. Yummy vadai and lovely click. Do visit my blog when time permits.http://shanthisthaligai.blogspot.com/
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  30. Hey Nags...the vada looks so yummmy... and hey if you have some remaining put them into curd (chilly powder etc etc) for some delicious thayir vada!
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  31. THANK YOU for this awesome recipe! Made it for the first time today. Can't wait to try others on your site :)
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  32. so glad you liked the medhu vada recipe :)
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  33. it came out well and was tasty too thanks
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