Soak 1 cup urad dal in enough water for 4 hours. Do not over-soak the dal.

Drain the water completely and transfer the soaked dal to a mixer jar. Add salt to taste and grind the dal into a smooth and thick batter, adding cold water gradually in batches. I use about ½ cup of cold water. Do not add too much water while grinding.

Transfer the urad dal batter to a large mixing bowl. Add 2 tbsp rice flour and 1 tbsp rava. Beat the batter well in a circular motion until it becomes light and fluffy. This helps incorporate air into the batter, resulting in soft and fluffy medu vada.

Rest the batter for 30 minutes.

After resting, add ½ tsp cumin seeds, ½ tsp crushed black pepper, 7–8 chopped curry leaves, 1 tsp chopped green chilli, 1 tsp chopped ginger, ½ cup chopped onion, a pinch of hing, and some coriander leaves. Mix well.

Just before frying, add ¼ tsp baking soda and mix the batter gently.

Wet your fingers with water and take a portion of the batter. Shape it into a round vada and make a hole in the centre. You can also shape the vada using a tea strainer. (Refer to the video for the shaping method.)

Heat oil for deep frying. Carefully drop the vada into the hot oil and fry on medium flame until golden brown and crispy from both sides.

Remove the medu vada and drain on a kitchen towel. Serve hot with sambar and coconut chutney.

In a pan, heat 1 tbsp oil and add ¼ cup peanuts. Sauté until they are lightly roasted.

Add ¼ cup roasted chana dal and sauté briefly.

Add 2 green chillies and some curry leaves. Sauté well.

Switch off the flame and add ¼ cup desiccated coconut. Mix well and sauté briefly in the residual heat.

Transfer the mixture to a plate and let it cool completely.

Transfer the cooled mixture to a mixer jar. Add salt to taste, 1 tsp jaggery, ¼ cup curd, and water as required.

Grind everything into a smooth chutney and transfer it to a bowl.

For the tadka, heat 1 tbsp oil in a small tadka pan. Add ¼ tsp mustard seeds and ½ tsp urad dal. Sauté briefly.

Add 2 dry red chillies and some curry leaves. Sauté well.

Pour the prepared tadka over the chutney and mix well.

The coconut chutney is ready. Serve it with hot medu vada and sambar.