Medu Vada is a popular South Indian dish that features a crispy and savory doughnut-shaped fritter made from urad dal. It is commonly served with sambar, a versatile and aromatic lentil-based stew. In this recipe, I will share some easy techniques for shaping Medu Vada and also provide a pressure cooker sambar recipe with a special masala paste to enhance its taste and color. This sambar is not only easy to prepare but also saves a lot of time, making it ideal for busy routines. The combination of Medu Vada and sambar is perfect for breakfast or as a tiffin recipe. Give it a try!
The key to making restaurant-style medu vada and sambar at home are
For Medu Vada:
- Firstly, the urad dal batter is key for perfect medu vada. Add cold water or ice cubes while grinding the batter, and grind it into a thick paste. Add water in batches and beat the batter in a circular motion to incorporate air, making the medu vada soft, fluffy, and crispy.
- Secondly, shape the vada with slightly wet hands. If you are unable to shape the vada by hand, use a tea sieve or glass for shaping.
- Fry the vada on medium flame until it becomes crispy on the outside and properly cooked on the inside.
For Sambar:
- I prepare a special masala paste for sambar, which gives it the perfect color and taste. Also, adding tamarind water and jaggery provides a balanced flavor and original taste to the sambar.
- In terms of adding veggies to sambar, it is completely open-ended, and you can experiment with your choice of veggies. Apart from the veggies in this recipe, you can add eggplant, cauliflower, radish, and okra.
- Cook the sambar on low-medium flame for 25-30 minutes to enhance its taste and color.
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Recipe video
Medu vada recipe | sambar vada | pressure cooker sambar
Ingredients
For medu vada
- 1 cup urad dal
- ½ cup cold water or ice cubes
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp crushed black pepper
- 7-8 chopped curry leaves
- 1 tsp chopped green chilli
- 1 tsp chopped ginger
- 2 tbsp chopped onion
- Pinch of hing
- Some coriander leaves
For sambar
- ¼ cup toor dal
- 3 tbsp oil
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 2 medium size onion pieces
- 2 tomato pieces
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp red chilli powder
- 1 chopped brinjal
- 2 chopped drumstick
- ½ cup chopped bottle gourd
- ½ cup chopped carrot
- ½ cup potato pieces
- 2-3 cup water or as required
- ½ tamarind water - 3 tbsp tamarind paste
- 3 tbsp jaggery
special masala paste for sambar
- 2 tbsp fresh coconut pieces
- 2 tbsp roasted chana dal
- 1 medium size tomatoes
- 1 green chilli
- 1 inch ginger
- 2-3 garlic cloves - optional
- 3 tbsp sambar powder
- Water to grind paste
For sambar tempering
- 2 tbsp oil
- ¼ tsp mustard seeds
- ¼ tsp chana dal
- ¼ tsp methi dana
- 3 dry red chilli
- Some curry leaves
Instructions
Making medu vada
- Soak 1 cup of urad dal in enough water for 4 hours. Do not over-soak it.
- Remove the water and grind the dal into a thick and smooth paste by adding water in batches. I use ½ cup of cold water. Transfer the urad dal paste into a large mixing bowl. Add some salt and beat and mix the batter in a circular motion until it turns light. This helps to incorporate air into the batter and make the medu vada soft and fluffy.
- Then add ½ tsp cumin seeds, ½ tsp crushed black pepper, 7-8 chopped curry leaves, 1 tsp chopped green chilli, 1 tsp chopped ginger, 2 tbsp chopped onion, a pinch of hing, and some coriander leaves. Mix well.
- Now wet your finger and shape the vada into a round shape, making a hole in the center. You can also shape the vada using tea sieves or a glass. (Refer to the video.)
- Heat oil and drop the vada in the oil, deep-frying the medu vada on medium flame. Fry on both sides until they turn golden brown and crisp. Serve hot medu vada with sambar or chutney.
Making Sambar:
- Wash and soak ¼ cup toor dal for 20 minutes. Now, in a pressure cooker, add the soaked dal, ¼ tsp turmeric powder, salt to taste, and 1.25 cups of water. Mix well and pressure cook the dal on medium flame for 4-5 whistles.
- In a mixture jar, add 2 tbsp fresh coconut pieces, 2 tbsp roasted chana dal, 1 chopped tomato, 1 green chilli, 1 inch ginger, 2-3 garlic cloves, 3 tbsp sambar masala, and some water. Grind it; the masala paste is ready, keep it aside.
- In a pan, add 3 tbsp oil, ½ tsp mustard seeds, and ½ tsp cumin seeds. Add 2 medium-sized chopped onions and sauté. Now, add 2 medium-sized chopped tomatoes and salt. Sauté until the tomatoes become soft.
- Then add 1 tsp turmeric powder and 1 tbsp Kashmiri red chilli powder. Sauté it. Now, add ½ cup chopped potatoes, 1 chopped brinjal, ½ cup chopped carrot, ½ cup chopped bottle gourd (Dudhi/lauki), and 2 drumstick slices. Sauté it. Cover and cook the vegetables for 2-3 minutes. Switch off the gas.
- When the pressure cooker releases its pressure naturally, whisk the cooked dal and make it smooth. Add sautéed vegetables, masala paste, and 1 cup hot water. Mix well and pressure cook the sambar for 1 whistle.
- After 1 whistle, open the pressure cooker; the vegetables are properly cooked. Add water to adjust sambar consistency, also add ½ cup tamarind water (3 tbsp tamarind pulp) and 3 tbsp jaggery. Mix well and boil the sambar for 10 minutes.
- In a tadka pan, add 2 tbsp oil, ¼ tsp chana dal, ¼ tsp mustard seeds, some curry leaves, ¼ tsp methi dana, and 2 dry red chillies. Sauté it and add tempering on sambar. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve sambar with medu vada.
Notes
For sambar
- Use a very small quantity of tuvar dal in sambar.
- Cook on medium flame for 5 whistles.
- Coconut provides an authentic taste, and roasted chana dal adds thickness to sambar.
- Saute vegetables in oil to enhance their flavor in sambar.
- Add slightly hot water to adjust the sambar's consistency.
- You can use lemon juice instead of tamarind water.
- Jaggery balances the taste in sambar.
- Add cold water or ice cubes while grinding urad dal.
- Grind the dal into a thick and slightly coarse batter.
- Whisk the medu vada batter for 2-3 minutes until it becomes light and fluffy.
- Wet a plastic sheet slightly so that the vada batter can be easily added to hot oil.
- Fry medu vada on medium flame.
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