Crispy Medhu Vada

Vadas are an all time favorite both at home and in social gatherings. I still remember as kids we would be thrilled when dad would drive us down to kamat and we would so eagerly wait for our first bite of hot crispy vadas. When I initially started making them they would taste wonderful but I would struggle to get them into those wonderful doughnut like shapes untill rashmi in jersey taught me the trick of how its done… though I still have to master the art of getting that perfect Kamat style medhu vada. The secret is keep a bowl of water right next to the batter, so just as soon as u slide one into the oil, wet your hand again before slipping another handful of batter right in.

Most people prepare vadas with urad alone, but this small variation not only adds color but makes the vadas crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. Remember if you don’t get that doughnut shape just plop them right in.

Ingredients
2 cup urad daal
¼ cup ordinary rice
1 tsp chopped ginger
1tbsp coconut grated coarsely
6-7 whole pepper corns
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Method:
Wash & soak daal & rice together with plenty of water either overnight or for at least 4 hours.
Drain well and grind to a soft smooth batter.
The batter should neither be too think or too thin, just right enough to shape vadas. If its too thin it will be tough to shape the vadas and if its too thick the vadas might turn hard. Run a check on the consistency by frying one and then adjusting the batter accordingly.
Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix well
Heat oil, wet your palm, take a hand full of batter, make a hole in the middle with your thumb and allow it to slip gently into the hot oil.
Drain on a paper towel and serve hot with chutney, sambar or rasam