Medu Wada Sambhar

Medu Vada Sambhar in Marathi

Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 cup Urad Dal
4 to 6 whole black pepper, crushed
2 tbsp thin slices of coconut
2 green chilies, finely chopped
5 to 6 curry leaves, finely chopped
1/2 tsp ginger, grated
Salt to taste

Method:
1) Wash and soak Urad Dal in the water for 4 to 5 hours. Drain all the water. Grind to fine paste. Do not add water while grinding. (Note 1 and 3)
2) Transfer the batter into a deep bowl. Beat this mixture with hand-mixer or egg beater for 2 minutes. This will incorporate air and make the batter light. Then add crushed pepper, coconut, green chilies, ginger, curry leaves and salt to taste. Mix well.
3) keep ready a bowl of water, before starting the frying process. Wet your hand every time shaping the batter into wada.
4) Heat Oil for frying. Turn the heat to medium high.

Method 1
dip your hand in the water bowl. Pick and hold lemon size batter on four fingers, poke in the center with your thumb. immediately drop carefully into hot oil. Use your thumb to push the batter ahead from your fingers. It needs little practice.

Method 2 (Step By step Images)
Take a thick plastic paper (min. 4"x4"). Grease with little oil or wet with some water. Place 2 tbsp batter over it, do not spread. Make a hole in the center. Hold the paper in your left hand, wet your right hand. Carefully transfer this shaped batter from plastic sheet to your right hand fingers and now leave it into hot oil.

Method 3
If you are unable to shape up the vada, drop 1 tsp vada batter into hot oil and make small Bonda or Pakoda. It will not change the taste though.

Deep fry vadas into hot oil till color turns to golden brown. Serve Hot vadas with Sambar and Chutney.

Note:
1) If the batter is very thick, test the batter by frying one vada. If Vada doesn't become fluffy and light from inside, add very little water to the batter. Do not add too much water, otherwise you will not be able to shape the vadas.
2) Do not fry Vadas over low heat. It makes Vadas very Oily.
3) If the batter becomes thin in consistency, add little Rice flour till you get perfect consistency. Rice flour gives nice crisp to vadai outside, but from inside vadas remain less fluffy