🍩 Medu Vada

Name: Medu Vada
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: India · South India
Ingredients: 200 g urad dal, soaked 4 hours; 1 tbsp grated ginger; 2 green chillies, finely chopped; 10 curry leaves, chopped; 1 tsp cumin seeds; salt, a few tbsp cold water; oil for deep-frying

Origin: India · South India

200kcal

per serving · 100 g

200kcal

per 100 g

8 gProtein8 g / 100 g

10 gFat10 g / 100 g

20 gCarbs20 g / 100 g

Medu vada are South Indian savoury doughnuts made from a batter of soaked and ground urad dal, seasoned with ginger, green chilli, curry leaves and cumin. Deep-fried, they become crisp and golden outside while staying light and fluffy inside. They are a breakfast favourite, served hot with coconut chutney and sambar.

Diets

✓

Vegetarianno meat or fish in a typical recipe

✓

Veganno meat, fish or animal products in a typical recipe

✓

No pork

✓

Gluten-freeno wheat, barley or rye in a typical recipe

✓

Dairy-freeno milk, cheese, butter or yogurt in a typical recipe

Not keto20 g carbs per 100 g

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens in a typical recipe.

What it is made of

urad dalgingerchili peppercurry leavescumin

Recipe

4 servings40 min

Ingredients

200 g urad dal, soaked 4 hours
1 tbsp grated ginger
2 green chillies, finely chopped
10 curry leaves, chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
salt, a few tbsp cold water
oil for deep-frying

Method

Drain the dal and grind it with as little cold water as possible into a thick, fluffy batter.
Beat the batter by hand for 3–4 minutes to aerate it, then mix in the ginger, chillies, curry leaves, cumin and salt.
With wet hands shape a ball, flatten it and poke a hole in the centre.
Slide into oil at about 170 °C and fry 4–5 minutes, turning, until crisp and golden; drain on paper.

How to make it lighter

Keep the oil hot enough (about 170 °C) so the vada absorb less oil.
Eat two vada with sambar, which fills you up for fewer calories than extra vada.
Try cooking the batter in an appe (paniyaram) pan with a few drops of oil instead of deep-frying.

History

Medu vada are a classic breakfast and festival food of South India, especially Tamil Nadu and Karnataka; 'medu' is usually explained as meaning soft. Today they are served in homes, temple kitchens and tiffin restaurants across India and the diaspora.

Count it in one photo

Point your camera at the table — Me Nutrition recognises Medu Vada and every other dish, with calories and macros for each. Ate only half? Slide it.

Download on the App Store

Similar dishes

Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →