Medu Vada

Ingredients:

• Washed Urad daal: 1 cup
• Hing: a pinch
• Salt: to taste
• Onion: 1 (very finely chopped) (optional)
• Coriander leaves: a few
• Ginger: a small piece (grated)
• Black pepper pwd: to taste
• Green chilli: 1 (very finely chopped)
• Oil: for frying

Method:

• Wash and Soak urad daal in water for 3-4 hours.
• Grind it to form a smooth batter. (Don't add water while grinding). The batter should be thick.

• Beat the batter with ladle/ hand for 5- 10 mins to make it fluffy. This makes vada spongy.
• Test to see when batter is ready:

• Take water in bowl. Put a little batter in water.
• If the dough starts floating, your batter is ready.

• Add onions, ginger, green chilli, salt, hing, coriander leaves, black pepper pwd and mix well.

• Heat oil in pan.
• Take water in big bowl. Wet your palm in water. Take a little dough in it. Make a ball and with thumb make a small hole and put it in pan for frying.

• Deep fry with golden brown. Make all the vadas in the same way.
• Serve with coconut chutney and sambar.

PS:

• I made with 1/2 cup urad daal (washed) and 1/2 cup washed Moong daal. The result was quite good.
• Make vadas with fresh batter. Don't keep the batter for next day.
• If the batter is not thick, add rice flour or semolina to get the required consistency.
• Its not easy to get the required shape of vada with hole, so don't panic if the shape is not good. As said, '' Practice makes man perfect''.