Medu vada (; in Tamil language and Kannada) is a South Indian breakfast snack made from Vigna mungo (black lentil). It is usually made in a doughnut shape, with a crispy exterior and soft interior.
Etymology
"Medu" (ಮೆದು) means "soft" in
Kannada language, thus "medu vada" means "soft vada".
The dish is often mentioned simply as "vade" on menus.
Other names for the dish include uddina vade
Kannada, urad vada, medhu vadai, ulundu vadai (
Tamil language), garelu(గారెలు) (
Telugu language), uzhunnu vada (
Malayalam),
batuk (
Nepali language),
and
ulundu vadai (
Sinhala language).
History
According to
Vir Sanghvi, the origin of
medu vada can be traced with "some certainty" to the Maddur town in present-day
Karnataka. The dish was made popular outside South India by
Udupi cuisine restaurateurs of
Mumbai.
Preparation
The medu vada is made primarily of black lentils (urad dal) batter.
The black lentils are soaked in water for several hours, and then ground to a paste.
The paste may be flavoured with other ingredients such as
asafoetida,
methi seeds (fenugreek), ginger, cumin seeds, black pepper,
curry leaves, chillies and coconut pieces.
It is then patted into doughnut-shapes and fried in oil until golden brown.
One variation involves baking instead of frying.
Serving
The dish is usually served with sambar (lentil and vegetable stew) and
coconut chutney. Along with
idli, it is often eaten as a breakfast dish. It is also eaten as a lunch starter or a snack.
The medu vada is sometimes also served with yogurt, as a chaat snack (see dahi vada).
In Nepal, on the day of Maghe Sankranti, people make , which is eaten with a variety of boiled tubers such as yam, taro, and sweet potato.
Gallery
File:Medu Vadas.JPG|Medu vadas served with coconut chutney
File:Vada at Sagar Ratna restaurant, New Delhi.jpg|fried Medu vada with chutney
File:Breakfast South India.jpg|A common South Indian breakfast: idli, medu vada, sambar and coconut chutney
File:GKN Pongal Vada DSC 1069.JPG|Another common breakfast: medu vada, pongal, sambar and coconut chutney
File:Dahi Vada or Dahi Bhalla.JPG|In form of dahi vada, with yogurt
See also
-
List of deep fried foods
-
List of Indian dishes
-
List of doughnut varieties
-
List of fried dough varieties
External links
