Medu Vada using Ultra Fastgrind
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No South Indian festival is complete without medu vada — this version is ground using an Ultra Fastgrind wet grinder for the best possible batter texture.
It’s festival season, and the festivals are in full swing across the Indian subcontinent. No festival is complete without medu vada — vada is a must for most South Indian Hindu festivals. I’ve already shared another favorite South Indian breakfast, idli, in an earlier post — vada pairs beautifully with idli. I’ll also touch briefly on how to grind for medu vada using an Ultra Fastgrind wet grinder.
Table of Contents
What Is Medu Vada?
Medu vada, also called urad vada, is a South Indian fritter made from black lentils (urad dhal). It’s usually shaped like a small doughnut, with a crispy exterior and a soft interior. This snack is hugely popular in South India, and its fame has since spread well beyond.
Grinding with a Wet Grinder
For a while now, the vada batter here has been ground using a wet grinder rather than a regular mixer. A mixer tends to need more added water, since a vacuum forms while grinding urad lentils — that often meant adding too much water and ending up with a batter that was too liquid to work with. Switching to a wet grinder solved this: it needs less water, which also means less oily vadas once fried, since deep-fried food loaded with extra oil isn’t great for overall health.
How to Make Medu Vada Using a Wet Grinder?
Ingredients List
- 1 cup soaked urad dhal
- 3 tbsp chopped coconut
- 1.5 tsp whole black pepper
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 2cm ginger, 2 green chilies
- A pinch of asafoetida
- Curry leaves, coriander leaves
- Oil for frying
Cooking Instructions
Soak the Dhal:
Soak the urad dhal for 3 to 4 hours, or longer if possible — soaking longer means a quicker grind, and changing the soaking water a couple of times helps reduce the phytic acid content, making the lentils easier to digest.
Grind:
Grind the soaked dhal with a little water using a wet grinder on the rice/dhal program. Set the timer based on quantity — around 10 minutes is typical, though well-soaked lentils often grind faster than that.
Season:
Once the dhal is ground to a thick paste, mix in all the seasonings.
Shape and Fry:
Shape into small doughnuts and deep fry in hot oil until golden brown.
Serve:
Serve hot with chutney, or with coffee or tea — the chutney is optional.
Serving Suggestions
Medu vada is traditionally paired with a few classics. Try it:
With chutney: the classic pairing — a chutney recipe using the same wet grinder is shared separately.
With idli: another South Indian breakfast favorite, and a natural match.
With coffee or tea: vada holds up well on its own too, without the chutney.
Tips for Perfect Medu Vada
Soak overnight if you can: longer soaking means a quicker, smoother grind.
Change the soaking water: doing this a couple of times helps reduce phytic acid, making the lentils easier to digest.
Use a wet grinder if you have one: it needs less water than a regular mixer, which means less oily vadas once fried.
Keep deep-fried food occasional: vada is a festival treat here rather than an everyday food, given how much oil deep frying involves.
More Ultra Fastgrind Recipes
This vada batter pairs perfectly with a chutney recipe using the same wet grinder, and with idli made the same way — both shared separately on the blog.
A Word on Deep-Fried Food
Since vada is deep-fried in hot oil, it’s best enjoyed in moderation rather than as an everyday food — deep-fried food generally isn’t the best fit for a healthy diet, which is why it’s mostly kept for festivals in this kitchen rather than a regular occurrence.
Watch the Video
Recipe Card
Medu Vada Recipe Using Ultra Fastgrind
- Total Time: 70
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Crispy-outside, soft-inside South Indian lentil fritters, ground with a wet grinder for the best possible batter texture and less oily results.
Ingredients
- 1 cup soaked urad dhal
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped coconut
- 1.5 teaspoons whole black pepper
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
- 2cm stick of ginger
- 2 green chilies
- A pinch of asafoetida
- A few curry leaves
- Coriander leaves
- Oil for frying
Instructions
-
Soak the Dhal:
Soak the urad dhal for 3 to 4 hours, or longer if possible — soaking longer means a quicker grind, and changing the soaking water a couple of times helps reduce the phytic acid content, making the lentils easier to digest.
-
Grind:
Grind the soaked dhal with a little water using a wet grinder on the rice/dhal program. Set the timer based on quantity — around 10 minutes is typical, though well-soaked lentils often grind faster than that.
-
Season:
Once the dhal is ground to a thick paste, mix in all the seasonings.
-
Shape and Fry:
Shape into small doughnuts and deep fry in hot oil until golden brown.
-
Serve:
Serve hot with chutney, or with coffee or tea — the chutney is optional.
Notes
Soak the dhal for at least 3 to 4 hours, longer if possible, and change the soaking water a couple of times to help reduce phytic acid. Best enjoyed in moderation, since it’s deep-fried.
- Prep Time: 45
- Cook Time: 25
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: Indian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 73
- Fat: 3
Your feedback is valuable
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you come back and gave it 5 stars! Thank you so much for visiting Vital Fair Living – we’re so happy you’re here! I would love it if you can share this recipe using the social media buttons you see next to the post.
Medu Vada is an easy snack that can fill your tummy and heart completely. Crushed pepper adds a unique flavour to the Medu Vada. It is nice that you have shared this recipe here. I would have loved it if you shared some exquisite chutney recipes too to go with it.
Crushed pepper definitely adds to the taste, only problem is small kids who will not eat it here at home. I already posted a chutney recipe last year. I Will share more reipes in the future.