Crispy Medu Vada Recipe – Andhra Minapa Garelu | Urad Dal Vada

South Indian Vadas

Crispy Medu Vada or Urad Dal Vada is a traditional South Indian specialty dish made from a spiced urad dal batter. The donut shaped savoury vadas are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Crunchy Medu Vada made from black gram is commonly prepared at home for breakfast and served with Coconut Chutney/Sambar. Minapa Garelu without onion is prepared during festivals.

Crispy Medu Vada Andhra Recipe:

Medu Vada

This Medu vada delicacy goes by different names like garelu (Telugu), uzhunnu vada (Malayalam), ulundu vadai (Tamil), urad vada and medhu vadai. Medu vada when in a yogurt base is called dahi vada.

Andhra style minapa garelu is a must during festivals. These crunchy golden brown minapa garelu taste the best with fresh coconut chutney, sambar, or even alongside chicken curry.

How to make crispy medu vada with urad dal:

To make Minapa Garelu at home, firstly wash and soak urad dal in water for about 6 hours. Then drain and grind the dal to a smooth paste using minimal water. The medu vada batter consistency should be thick.

Urad Dal Batter

Remove the medu vada batter into a bowl.
Now add finely chopped onions, green chilli, coriander leaves, cumin seeds, pepper, asafoetida, ginger and salt and mix well. Add a little rava to the dal batter for a crispy texture.

There’s no need to ferment the batter – it can be used straight away.
Now take a thick bottomed pan and heat sufficient oil for for deep frying. Wait till the oil gets really hot.
Keep a small bowl of water ready.
Then wet your palm and place a little batter on it. Flatten into a round shape with a hole in the centre and gently release into hot oil.

Deep fry the vadas over medium high heat till they turn a warm brown on both sides.
Remove onto a tissue and drain excess oil.

Serve crispy Medu Vada with coconut chutney or pudina chutney.

For more South Indian Breakfast Recipes, do check out Upma recipe, Masala Dosa Recipe and Pesarattu Recipe.

Urad Dal Vada Recipe details below:

Crispy Medu Vada Recipe

Crispy Medu Vada is made with urad dal batter and a mix of spices and deep fried to a golden brown. South Indian Urad Dal Vada is not just made routinely for breakfast/snack, but it also is an integral part of festival menus.

Course Breakfast/Snack

Cuisine South Indian

Prep Time 6

Cook Time 30

Total Time 6 30

Servings 3

Calories 73kcal

Author Shil

Ingredients

Urad Dal, skinned black gram – 1 cup
Onion – 1 small, chopped finely
Green Chilli – 1, chopped finely
Ginger – ½ inch, finely chopped
Coriander Leaves – 1 tsp chopped
Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp
Asafoetida – 1 pinch
Rava Suji (optional) – 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Crushed Pepper – ½ tsp
Oil for deep frying
Water as required

Instructions

Wash and soak the urad dal in sufficient water for about 5-6 hours.
Finely chop onion, ginger, green chilli and coriander leaves.
Drain and grind urad dal to a smooth paste using minimal water (if required, add a spoonful of water at a time).
Remove the batter into a bowl. Add cumin seeds, grated ginger, chopped onions, chopped chilli, freshly ground pepper, chopped coriander leaves, a pinch of asafoetida and salt to the batter. Blend well with hand for 2-3 minutes till the batter becomes light and fluffy.
Put in a tbsp of suji/rava and mix well.
To test whether the batter is ready, drop a teaspoon of batter into a bowl of water – if it floats, you got the right consistency.
Heat sufficient oil for deep-frying in a pan.
Keep a bowl of water nearby. Wet your palm. Take a golf-ball sized portion of the batter with your fingers and place on your palm; gently pat into a round shape and make a hole in the centre. With the wet fingers of the other hand, carefully slide the uncooked vada into hot oil. (If you don’t really care for appearances, simply drop spoonfuls of batter into hot oil!)
Fry the vada on a medium-high flame till both sides turn golden brown.
Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.
Serve Medu Vada hot with coconut chutney, mint-coriander chutney or sambhar.

Notes

You can add shredded curry leaves and chopped coconut pieces to the batter.
A spoonful of rice flour can be added in place of suji for a crispy exterior.
The batter should be of the right consistency – when you place a little batter on your palm, it should retain its shape. If the batter is too thick, the inside of the vada will be hard; if the batter is runny, it will not hold its shape and will absorb excess oil.
Keep the batter refrigerated – otherwise the batter will go soft if kept out for too long. Bring to room temperature before making vadas.
You can also use a banana leaf to shape the vadas.