Medu vada recipe | hotel style sambar recipe | sambar vada recipe
Ingredients
For medu vada
- 1 cup urad dal
- Salt to taste
- 5-6 tbsp water to grind dal
- 2-3 chopped green chilli
- 1 tsp ginger paste
- ½ tsp crushed black pepper
- 6-7 chopped curry leaves
- Some coriander leaves
- Oil for frying
For sambar
- ¼ cup toor dal
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2 medium size chopped onion
- 2 green chilli slits
- 1 tsp ginger paste
- 2 chopped tomatoes
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder
- ½ cup chopped bottle gourd pieces - lauki/dudhi
- ½ cup carrot pieces
- 1 drumstick pieces
- 1 brinjal pieces
- 1.5 cup +1.5 cup water
- Salt to taste
- Special masala paste
- 2 tbsp tamarind paste
- 3 tbsp jaggery
- Some coriander leaves
special masala paste for sambar
- 2 tbsp fresh coconut pieces
- 2 tbsp roasted chana dal
- 1 medium size tomatoes
- 2 tsp sambar powder
- Water to grind paste
For sambar tempering
- 1 tbsp oil
- ¼ tsp mustard seeds
- ¼ tsp chana dal
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 3 dry red chilli
- Some curry leaves
Instructions
Making medu vada
- soak 1 cup urad dal in enough water for 4 hours. do not over-soak it.
- remove water and grind dal into thick and smooth paste by adding water into batches. I use 5-6 tbsp water.
- transfer the urad dal paste into a large mixing bowl. beat and mix the batter in circular motion till they turn to light. this helps to incorporate air into the batter and make medu vada soft and fluffy.
- Then add 2-3 chopped green chilli, ginger paste, crushed black pepper, chopped curry leaves, and some coriander leaves. mix well.
- Now wet your finger and shape the vada into a round shape and make a hole in the center. You can also shape vada by using tea sieves.
- Heat oil and drop the vada in oil and deep fry the medu vada on medium flame.
- fry on both sides till they turn golden brown and crisp.
- serve hot medu vada with sambar or chutney.
Making sambar
- Wash and soak toor dal for 20 minutes. grind soaked dal slightly into mixture jar.
- In a pressure cooker, add 1 tbsp oil. Add onion and sauté till it is slightly translucent.
- Now add green chilli slits and ginger paste. Sauté it.
- Then lower the flame, add turmeric powder, kashmiri red chili powder, and some water. sauté masala into oil.
- Add chopped tomatoes and cook till they become slightly soft.
- Then add chopped bottle gourd, carrot, drumsticks, and brinjal pieces. Mix well.
- Add 1.5 cups of water and salt. Mix well.
- Cover and pressure cook dal and vegetable on a medium flame for 1 whistle.
- meanwhile in a grinding jar, add coconut, roasted chana dal, tomatoes, sambar powder, and water. Grind into a smooth paste. Special masala paste is ready.
- now pressure cooker cool down, open the lid, and check vegetable and dal are properly cooked.
- Add 1.5 cups of water and salt to it. Mix well.
- Now add masala paste, tamarind pulp, and jaggery. Mix well.
- Boil sambar on low flame for 15-20 minutes.
For tempering
- In a pan, add oil, mustard seed, urad dal, cumin seeds, dry red chill, and curry leaves. Sauté for a minute.
- Add terming into boiling sambar and mix well.
- Garnish sambar with coriander leaves and serve with medu vada.
Notes
For vada
- add water gradually while grinding dal, do not add more water.
- make thick and smooth batter for vada.
- stir the batter in one direction so air particles incorporate into the batter.
- the batter becomes creamy, and fluffy and slightly changes its color.
- use a wet hand while making vada, so the batter quickly drops into the hot oil.
- fry vada on medium flame.
- grind soak dal coarsely for sambar.
- coconut gives taste and roasted chana dal gives thickness to masala paste.
- simmer sambar on low-medium flame for 15-20 minutes, increasing its taste and color.