Medu vada recipe. – Garelu, uddina vade, ulundhu vadai are the other South Indian names to these round disc shaped fritters. These are one of the very popular South Indian foods served for Breakfast or Snack not only in most traditional South Indian homes but also in street stalls and tiffin centers.
What is vada?
Vada is a crispy deep fried savory food made of lentils. Usually they are made by soaking and grinding urad dal (skinned black gram) or chana dal (bengal gram) to batter. Then small portions of this batter is deep fried.
Those made using urad dal are called medu vada or medhu vadai in Tamil and Garelu in Telugu. They are served with tiffin sambar and fresh coconut chutney. The kind made using chana dal are called as masala vadai or chana dal vada. These are served with just tea or chutney.
Medu vada recipe shared here can be used to make a basic version which are offered to goddess Lakshmi and Durga during festivals like varalakshmi vratam / puja, Gouri puja, Diwali and Durga navratri. These can also be made like hotel style lightly spiced vadai.
The ingredients that go towards making naivedhyam medu vada recipe or garelu are kept simple. At home we make these without onion, ginger, pepper or green chilies. Each family have their own custom whether to include or not certain ingredients.
The hotel style medu vada are made using crushed pepper, green chilies, cumin and onions. Even a pinch of baking soda is used to make them very fluffy.
Can I make vada batter without wet grinder?
In hotels & restaurants, medu vada batter is ground in wet grinder. This gives the best fluffy texture from inside and crispy texture outside. Most traditional South Indian households too use a wet grinder to make the batter.
But every time I make garelu or medu vada I use my mixer grinder. I have a very large wet grinder so I rarely use that for grinding. We can make fluffy medu vada even without a wet grinder.
If you intend to try these read all the notes mentioned at the end of this post to get them right.
More Vada recipes
Batata vada
Masala vada (chana dal vada)
Mixed dal vada
Sabudana vada
Alasanda vada
Medu vada recipe or garelu recipe
Medu vada
Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )
Ingredients for vada recipe
- 1 cup urad dal (or skinned black gram)
- Salt to taste
- Water Ice Cold , as required
- Oil for deep frying
spices (skip if making for naivedyam)
- ¼ tsp pepper corn (crushed coarsely)
- 2 to 3 green chilies (chopped)
- 4 tbsp onions (chopped)
Instructions
Preparation for vada
- Wash dal several times and soak in lot of water for at least 4 to 5 hrs.
- Drain the water completely and transfer the dal to a mixer grinder jar. If you have a wet grinder, you can use it.
- Sprinkle very little water. Next add salt and start grinding.
- Next scrape off the sides and then grind again.
- Whenever needed sprinkle only as much as 1 ½ tsps. Ice cold water evenly.
- Again continue to grind to a coarse thick batter.
- Sprinkle water. Grind again till the batter looks fluffy and white.
- Transfer this to a bowl. Aerate the batter by beating it with your hand in a clockwise direction for 30 to 60 seconds.
- Test the batter if it is aerated well. Drop a small batter ball in bowl full of water. The ball has to float meaning it is light. This is needed to get fluffy medu vada.
- If the batter doesn’t float well, means either the batter is runny or is not aerated well. Read the notes below to know what to do with runny batter.
- If the batter is in right consistency still it is not floating well. Then beat the batter once more.
- Add crushed pepper, green chilies and onions. Mix everything well.
How to make medu vada
- Heat oil in a deep heavy bottom kadai or pan till hot enough.
- Drop a small amount of batter to check if the oil is hot. The batter raises if the oil is hot enough.
- Dip your fingers in water or oil, we need moist fingers.
- Take small portions of batter. Shape to a ball, slightly flatten with thumb.
- Dip the thumb in water, make a hole in the center.
- Drop in the hot oil by gently shaking off the fingers.
- Or place the ball on a greased sheet. Flatten it slightly and make a hole in the centre.
- When the oil becomes hot, put on the flame to medium.
- Moisten your fingers again. Lift the corner part of the sheet and transfer the vada on to your fingers. Then drop it just by shaking your fingers.
- Fry medu vada till they turn golden on both sides.
- Make them and fry them in batches till you use up all the batter. In between every batch, wait till the oil heats up, if not hot.
- Serve medu vada with chutney or sambar.
Notes
Nutrition
Preparation for medu vada recipe or garelu
1. Wash and soak dal for at least 4 to 5 hrs. Soaking them for at least 4 hours make the batter fluffy and increases the volume. But if you run short of time, you can soak for 2 hours and make.
2. Grind the dal with salt and very little ice cold water that has to be sprinkled to start off. As and when needed sprinkle evenly about only 1 ½ tsp. water each time. Whether you make in the wet grinder or mixer, the process is same.
3. Scrape off the sides and grind again. The batter will be coarse but must be thick. Sprinkle water.
4. Grind till the batter looks fluffy and white, like you see in the picture.
5. Transfer the batter to a bowl, beat the batter in clock wise direction for 30 seconds. This makes the batter more fluffy and aerated. This is very important. You can skip this step if making the batter in wet grinder. You can also add a pinch of baking soda, crushed pepper, green chilies and chopped onions if you want like the ones made in hotels. Since I made these for the puja, I did not add any.
6. Take a small bowl filled with water. Take little batter and form a ball, drop it in the water. If aerated well, the batter floats well. Repeat beating if the batter doesn’t float well. The batter will not float even if the consistency is very thin. Read the notes what to do if the batter becomes runny/thin.
How to make medu vada recipe or garelu
7. Heat oil in a deep pan till hot enough. Dip your fingers in water (water should not be dripping from your fingers) Take small portions of this batter. Make a ball then slightly flatten with your thumb. Next dip your thumb in water, make a hole in the centre. Face your palm towards the oil, drop in the hot oil by shaking your fingers gently. Take care. Change in the color is due to the lighting.
or place the ball on a greased sheet. Flatten it slightly and make a hole in the center. Once the oil is hot enough, reduce the flame to medium. Dip your fingers in water. Lift the corner part of the sheet and transfer the medu vada on to your fingers. Drop these just by shaking your fingers.
8. Fry on a medium flame till they turn golden. Drain them on a kitchen tissue. Make batches and finish frying till all the batter is used up.
Cool garelu completely and Offer them to the Goddess.
Serve medu vada with coconut chutney.
Salma says
I have gone through many receipe software yours.They are all simple and looks yummy.
I will definitely try some of them soon and will give you the feedback.
Thanks for your efforts.
swasthi says
Hi salma
you are welcome. yes do try. Thank you so much
Yash Rawat says
Wow! great… I will try this on coming Sunday.
swasthi says
Thank you. Yes do try them.
Sudha B. Kumar says
Hi Swasthi,
I am extremely happy that my vadas turned out great and soft too! It didn’t absorb a whole lot of oil too. The tips were very useful, especially on use of small quantities of ice water, beating the batter and shaping tips. Thanks for the info Swasthi. God bless…
A very ecstatic,
Sudha Kumar
swasthi says
Hi Sudha
Thank you so much for the comment. Very happy to know the vadas turned out good.
🙂
Indu says
Hi,
I tried making the vada as per the instructions and it turned out great. The hacks mentioned help in making soft round vadas 🙂
swasthi says
Hi Indu
Thank you so much for the comment. Glad to know vada turned out good.
Narmadha says
Wonderful recipe well explained
swasthi says
Thank you
Rabinder says
Well explained both text and clear images, Pls. correct spell hole and not whole in Medu vada. Thanks for all
your efforts, will try soon.
swasthi says
Hi Rabinder,
You are welcome. Thanks for the mention.
😃
Will correct it.
SK says
Hi Swasthi, approximately, how much reqd for 1 cup of dal. Thank you
swasthi says
Hi SK
I didn’t get the question. I suppose you want to know how much water is required. There is no specific measure for water as it depends on the quality and age of dal. Just keep sprinkling water as needed and blend.
SK says
Somehow, I missed typing Water 😂. Thank you Swasthi.
swasthi says
🙂
SK says
Yday I tried out vandals and they turned out very fluffy and crispy. Thanks a lot. All the tips helped out very well.
swasthi says
Welcome Sk. Thanks for trying.
🙂
Priya says
Hi swasthi.. I am planning to make this tomorrow.
Can I soak the dal overnight?
swasthi says
Hi Priya
Just 4 to 5 hours is best.
Priya says
Hi..
I made this today and it was awesome… I followed ur instructions and it came out great…
I ate a lot..😋😋
Thank you so much…
swasthi says
Hi Priya
So glad to know vada came out good. Thanks for the comment. Made me happy
🙂
Priya says
Is there any need of fermentation for garelu
swasthi says
No priya it doesn’t need fermentation
Reshmi says
Thanks much for the recipe. It’s first time I made vada and it came out very soft and tasty. Special thanks for the details of how to check the consistency in water and why to add only very little water. These details helped me to make excellent vada the very first time.
Only problem I faced is to get the shape – with proper hole in the middle. Only few came out in good shape and others were all in various shapes which has no names :-). I guess it will take some practice to get right shapes.
But thanks much for tasty, fluffy vada recipe.
swasthi says
Welcome Reshmi
Yes the shape comes out good only by practice and that too if made regularly atleast once a week. Thanks for the comment. Glad to know the recipe was useful
Nanthini says
wowww….. looks yummy and soooo fluffy.. this diwali i make this vada.. thank you mam
Sunitha says
Hi… My son likes vada but the ones I made were hard. Can I get hotel like vadas without using baking soda? I heard that baking soda is not good for health.
swasthi says
Hi sunitha
Did you try my recipe? We don’t need to use soda at all. The trick lies only in grinding the dal well and then beating the batter well to aerate it. They will come very fluffy if the batter is right.
Harsha says
I really love ur recipes ….it really works
swasthi says
Thanks Harsha
VICky says
Thank for sharing ur knowledge it’s really helpful. Awesome recipe . Thanks ? again
swasthi says
Welcome Vicky
Happy to know it is useful.
Thanks for the comment
Nivedita says
Hi.. i tried them once and they were a disaster. . Will follow your method.. i hope it works.. 🙂
Also grinding a small batch will be difficult (which is what i did last time ) in the jar as the grinding isn’t uniform.
How do i store the left over batter?
swasthi says
Hi Nivedita
Yes do try. It depends on the mixer and dal, I even grind with just half a cup of dal. It works well in my mixer.
I never store the batter as it absorbs lot of oil. I have seen many ppl store this for about 4 days in a steel container.
pradnya says
Hello I made dis medu vada recipe yesterd n it had become perfect . Thank u so much for dis perfect recipe .
swasthi says
Welcome Pradnya
Glad to know vada came out good
siri says
Hi…
I made this today for sankranthi…
Very tasty.. my husband loved it…
Thanks to u…
taste was good but I didn’t get the perfect shape…
I am gonna try ur palak pulao recipe…
swasthi says
Welcome Siri
Glad to know you made them. Yes for the shape, need some practice. Batter gets streched and spoils the shape while dropping. Greasing fingers well helps to a large extent.
Debasish Das says
i really love this site. all the recipes are posted here with so much care and sympathy. i like to cook new dishes and i always take help of this site. 100 of thanks to u.
swasthi says
You are welcome Debasish Das
Very happy to know you love this site. Thanks a lot for following the blog.
swarna lokesh says
very very nice dishes, i just loved the pictures as well. Thanks to you for such a wonderful recipes.
swasthi says
Welcome Swarna
Thanks a lot
Renuka says
Dear swasthi,
all your recipes are helpful to me . really thankful to you.
swasthi says
welcome Renuka
Happy to know you like the recipes
Shwetha. v.Prashanth says
It was so helpful and it was very tasty all the recepies. …. It is very useful to one who don’t no to cook by seeing ur step by step photo s we can cook easily ….
swasthi says
Thanks shwetha
Glad to know the recipes are useful
sharada says
Unbelievably detailed explanation which is so important. To get the texturr right. You are amazing…thank you so much!
swasthi says
Welcome Sharada
So glad to know you like it
DR.Malvika. Zantye says
Great recipes ..tried your medu vada and chicken chilly…it was better than any restaurant. ..my whole family enjoyed it.
swasthi says
Hello Dr. Malvika
So glad to know you all liked vada and chilli chicken. Thank you
Have a wonderful week ahead!
Naj Tadvi says
so thanks all the recipes.
swasthi says
welcome
shankari says
It is very yummy
swasthi says
Thanks Shakari
Asma khan says
Wow! yummy vada
vani says
They turned out very fluffy and crispy made in the mixer.Thanks for all the good tips.
swasthi says
So glad to know they turned out good. thanks for the feedback
harshu says
It’s a wonderful vada we called in Kannada uddina vade.it is super combination with cocunut chutney
swasthi says
Thanks Harshu
mehera says
Hai I have been trying to make round vadas or garelu since 1 year but I could not how can I get perfect round shaped garelu
swasthi says
Hi Mehera,
1. Make the vadas just before you fry, make only 2 at a time and fry. Leaving them on the sheet for quite sometime spreads the batter, so cannot get good shape.
2. If the batter is thin, we don’t get a good shape. while we try to drop them in the oil, they mess up. If the batter consistency is correct, you can get them in good shape.
3. moisten your fingers well before you drop them in the oil.
4. you will get a good shape by practice.
hope this helps.
🙂
Pushpa says
Thanks Swasthi ji ! Love the way you explain. Your small tips really helps us. Itz so simple and easy to make. Today i made Beautiful vadas (well shaped) for our guest. Itz only & only because of your perfect suggestion.
swasthi says
Welcome Pushpa
So glad to know you made them beautiful. Thanks for the feedback and the compliments. Have a good day
marudhuskitchen says
wow..super!!perfectly made
Nisa Homey says
Perfect vadas, I still have not mastered this yet! Love ur tips too.