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Medhu Vadai /Urad Dhal Vada

December 21, 2009 by PadhuSankar 102 Comments

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Ulundu Vadai or vada is a popular deep fried snack or breakfast dish prepared with lentils. It  is usually served with coconut chutney and sambar. You can have it with tomato sauce also. In this recipe, I have soaked 1/2 tsp raw rice and 1/2 tsp fried gram (pottukadalai) along with urad dal for crispy vadas. My mother does awesome vadas and it is her recipe. Vada is delicious as such and even when soaked in sambar or rasam or curd. Let us learn how to make medhu vadai/ulundu Vadai  (South Indian Style) following this easy recipe.

You can make different varieties of vadas like Keerai vadai, crispy cabbage vada  , Banana flower vada

etc. For those who do not eat onion, we have paruppu vadas without onion garlic.

Medhu Vadai | Urad Dhal Vada RecipePlain vada- rasam vada – curd/dahi vada

Watch of video of making vadas in Mixie

How to make Ulundu Vadai

Ingredients needed

Whole urad dal (without skin) – 1 cup
Green chilies – 2
Raw rice – 1/2 -1 tsp
Fried gram- 1/2 tsp (pottu kadalai)
Salt -1 tsp flat (crystal salt) or as required. (If using table salt use less)
Plastic sheet or banana leaf for making vadas
Oil for deep frying.

Method

Soak urad dal along with 1/2 tsp rice and 1/2 tsp fried gram for half an hour and refrigerate it for another 1 hour.

Drain the water completely and grind it along with green chillies and salt to a smooth and soft batter without adding water or sprinkling little water now and then. If needed you can sprinkle very little water and grind. It is better to use the wet grinder for grinding. Your batter is now ready.
(tips- to find out if your batter is ready, wet your hands, take a small ball of batter – the batter should not stick to your hands.)

Heat oil in a deep bottomed kadai. Once the oil is heated, reduce the flame to medium. To check if the oil is hot, drop a little batter, if it comes to the surface immediately, the oil is hot enough to fry the vadas.

Now take a bowl of water, wet your fingers and take a lemon sized vada batter, flatten it slightly on a plastic sheet or back of the banana leaf. Make a hole in the middle.and slowly transfer the shaped dough to your hands and slip it into the hot oil very gently. (be very careful while doing this)

Fry until it turns golden brown on both sides. Remove it from oil and place it on a colander or paper towel to drain excess oil.

Repeat the same process for the rest of the dough. You can fry 3-4 vadas at a time depending on the size of your kadai and the quantity of oil used.

ulundu vadai-vada

Recipe Card for Ulundu Vadai 

3.42 from 12 votes
ulundu vadai-vada
Print
Ulundu Vadai-South Indian Vada Recipe
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
50 mins
 

Ulundu vada is a popular deep fried snack or breakfast prepared with lentils. It is usually served with idli, chutney and sambar for breakfast. It can also be had as a snack.

Course: Breakfast, Snacks
Cuisine: South Indian
Servings: 4 persons
Ingredients
Ingredients needed
  • 1 cup Whole urad dal (without skin)
  • 2 Green chilies
  • 1 tsp Raw rice
  • 1/2 tsp Fried gram (pottukadalai)
  • Salt (as needed)
  • Plastic sheet or banana leaf (for making vadas)
  • Oil For deep frying
Instructions
Preparations
  1. Soak urad dal along with 1/2 tsp rice and 1/2 tsp fried gram for half an hour and refrigerate it for another 1 hour.

  2. Drain the water completely and grind it along with green chillies and salt to a smooth and soft batter without adding water or sprinkling little water now and then. If needed you can sprinkle very little water and grind. It is better to use the wet grinder for grinding. Your batter is now ready. (tips- to find out if your batter is ready, wet your hands, take a small ball of batter – the batter should not stick to your hands.)

Method
  1. Heat oil in a deep bottomed kadai. Once the oil is heated, reduce the flame to medium. To check if the oil is hot, drop a little batter, if it comes to the surface immediately, the oil is hot enough to fry the vadas.

  2. Now take a bowl of water, wet your fingers and take a lemon sized vada batter, flatten it slightly on a plastic sheet or back of the banana leaf. Make a hole in the middle.and slowly transfer the shaped dough to your hands and slip it into the hot oil very gently. (be very careful while doing this)

  3. Fry until it turns golden brown on both sides. Remove it from oil and place it on a colander or paper towel to drain excess oil.

  4. Repeat the same process for the rest of the dough. You can fry 3-4 vadas at a time depending on the size of your kadai and the quantity of oil used.

Recipe Notes

For Rasa Vada/rasam vada

As soon as your remove the vada from oil, soak it in rasam. 

Watch the video on how to grind for  ulundu vada in mixie

Ulundu vada -Urad dal vada-Medhu vadaiEnjoy vadas with sambar, chutney or tomato sauce any time.

Rasam vada

Rasa vada- rasam vada

As soon as your remove the vada from oil, soak it in rasam for rasa vada.

Curd vada/Dahi vada

Thayir vadai-Thayir vada (South Indian)

How to make Thayir vadai-South Indian Style

Ingredients needed (for soaking 2 vadas)

Curd -1 -1 1/2 cups
Green chillie -1
Ginger -1 bit
Coriander powder -1/2 tsp
Cumin seed Powder -1/4 tsp
Coriander leaves -little (finely chopped)
Salt needed

Method

Grind green chillies and ginger to a fine paste and mix it with thick curd. Add salt needed, coriander powder and cumin seed powder to the curd.

Keep a bowl of warm water. As soon as your remove the vada from oil, soak it for a few seconds in water, squeeze out the water and then soak it in the prepared curd.

Let it remain soaked for 10-15 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves and enjoy delicious South Indian thayir vadai. You can also garnish it with Kara boondi.

Check out my Punjabi Dahi Vada also.

If you found this post useful, I would really love it if you pin it or share it with your Facebook fans or Twitter followers . All it takes is a simple click on the “pin it” “like,” “share,” “tweet,” buttons below the post. Don’t forget to subscribe to  Padhuskitchen Youtube. It will keep me motivated and I can make more videos. Thank  you!

 

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Filed Under: Adi Perukku, Avani Avittam, Breakfast Varieties, Diwali, Diwali Snacks, Festival Recipes, Karthigai Deepam, Krishna Jayanthi, Navratri, Pongal, Ramanavami, Snacks, Tamil New Year, Thiruvathirai, Uncategorized, Varalakshmi Vratham, Video Recipe, Vinayaka Chaturthi Tagged With: legumes, South Indian recipes, Uncategorized




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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. prasu

    December 21, 2009 at 3:17 pm

    wow..lovely clicks dear…..vadda, sambar vada, dahi vada verything looks yummm…..perfect for the event. keep rocking.

    Reply
  2. vineetha

    December 21, 2009 at 3:44 pm

    mfavourite snack..yummy!!

    Reply
  3. Sarah Naveen

    December 21, 2009 at 4:27 pm

    Nice presentation dea..!!! Everything looks superb and delicious..I wanna have some now…Yummy yummmm

    Reply
  4. Latha

    December 21, 2009 at 5:23 pm

    Yummy vadas…..my family's fav snack. Nice clicks.

    Reply
  5. Savitharajsspiceland

    December 21, 2009 at 6:23 pm

    Nice click!! and nice tip for crispy vadas..!!

    Reply
  6. Sreelekha Sumesh

    December 21, 2009 at 6:27 pm

    ohh yummy vada..love all the recipes with vada.

    Reply
  7. Gita

    December 22, 2009 at 1:03 am

    Nice pictures…looks so delicious 🙂

    Reply
  8. Soma Pradhan

    December 22, 2009 at 1:49 am

    Wada Sambhar look snice and crispy

    Reply
  9. Cham

    December 22, 2009 at 2:04 am

    Lovely rasam vadais!

    Reply
  10. Dolly

    December 22, 2009 at 3:32 am

    Wow. love them all. Beautiful Clicks.Look crispy and inviting. IN fact ur Dahi Vada I'll eat right now and Vada Sambhar tomorrow morning. OMG Now I'm craving for them rt now !!!

    Reply
  11. Sushma Mallya

    December 22, 2009 at 3:52 am

    looks so delicious …i love dahi vada..

    Reply
  12. Red Chillies

    December 22, 2009 at 4:54 am

    One of my favorite vadas,to have them as is, with sambhar and as dahi vada. Looks god.

    Reply
  13. Ms.Chitchat

    December 22, 2009 at 8:04 am

    Yummy vadas. Adding pottukadalai is new to me, would add the next time and enjoy crispy vadas like yours. Rasam vada and curd vada looks absolutely tempting.

    Chitchat

    Reply
  14. my kitchen

    December 22, 2009 at 9:20 am

    Vada looks good,Want to taste curd vadai

    Reply
  15. Shirley

    December 22, 2009 at 9:58 am

    Thank you for visiting and for your kind comments. Cheers

    http://www.enrichingyourkid.blogspot.com/

    Reply
  16. shanthi

    December 22, 2009 at 11:00 am

    yummy rasa vadai and curd vadai

    Reply
  17. Aruna Manikandan

    December 22, 2009 at 12:23 pm

    Nice yummy vadai's dear…..
    One of my favorite…
    but adding pottukadalai is new to me….

    Reply
  18. Malar Gandhi

    December 22, 2009 at 3:11 pm

    That looks incredible…lovely pictures…

    Love medu vadas…

    Like the way you displayed them dahi' vada, sambar vada….so yummm:)

    Reply
  19. PJ

    December 22, 2009 at 4:05 pm

    vadais look so delicious! The dahi-wada is just screaming 'make me' 🙂

    Thanks for stopping by my blog dear; you have a great space here with very delicious recipes and nice clicks! I'll be sure to visit again.

    Reply
  20. suvaiyaana suvai

    December 22, 2009 at 6:19 pm

    mouth watering parcel please!!!

    Reply
  21. Gulmohar

    December 22, 2009 at 6:56 pm

    Love all the varieties of meduvadai…You have presented it beautifully 🙂

    Reply
  22. sneh

    December 22, 2009 at 7:33 pm

    Nice presentation! I like vadas with chutney so much. great tips.

    http://www.inspired-recipes.com/

    Reply
  23. A Homemakers Diary

    December 22, 2009 at 7:39 pm

    nice recipe and great clicks. your presentations are really good Padhu. love the vada sambar more thna others.

    Reply
  24. Rekha

    December 23, 2009 at 4:04 am

    sambar vada is my fav while curd vada is my Dh's..thanks for posting both recipes in a single post.

    Reply
  25. Ally

    December 23, 2009 at 2:17 pm

    I love your presentation…the earthen pots look so lovely!!
    Also following you..
    http://recipesfortheverydaywoman.blogspot.com

    Reply
  26. Aruna Manikandan

    December 24, 2009 at 7:40 am

    Hi padhu,

    Love to share an award with u . Kindly accept it

    Reply
  27. Nandini

    December 24, 2009 at 10:54 am

    Medhu vada mela looks fantastic! Perfect for my evening snacks!

    Reply
  28. Sushma Mallya

    December 25, 2009 at 4:26 am

    Hi padhu,merry xmas and a very happy new year to you and your family,have a fun filled year with lots of happiness and love…

    Reply
  29. Savitharajsspiceland

    December 25, 2009 at 3:06 pm

    Thanks for the wishes Padhu!Wish you a Happy XMAS and a very Happy New Year with lots of fun and happiness!!!

    Reply
  30. Shri

    December 25, 2009 at 6:24 pm

    I can have them in this cold weather here:)I can never get a hole in my vadas..

    Reply
  31. Siddhi Shirsat

    December 25, 2009 at 10:06 pm

    Hey thnx for visiting my blog n commenting..u hv a nice food blog with very good recipes…this medu vadas luk very tempting…u gave many diff ways of having them…i vl follow ur blog 2 get more good recipes…happy cooking…merry xmas n happy holidays

    Reply
  32. Oraphan

    December 26, 2009 at 5:39 am

    That looks and sounds really good! What a great idea for snack! Thanks for sharing such wonderful recipes:)

    Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

    Reply
  33. Aux délices des gourmets

    December 26, 2009 at 10:47 am

    joyeux noël et à bientôt

    Reply
  34. Simply Life

    December 26, 2009 at 12:20 pm

    oh this looks delicious! beautiful photos!

    Reply
  35. Kanchan

    December 26, 2009 at 4:58 pm

    I havent yet tried medu vada , and posts like these give me gentle reminder 🙂

    Reply
  36. Abhilash Pillai

    December 26, 2009 at 7:45 pm

    mm… they look delicious. I still remember the marvadi marriage where we had a lot of vadai that made the stomach ache for two days. We friends can do anything… 🙂

    Reply
  37. பித்தனின் வாக்கு

    December 28, 2009 at 2:48 am

    vada looks yummy and tasty. rasa vada simply super. kindly parcel pls

    Reply
  38. Anupama

    December 28, 2009 at 10:50 pm

    I love all those that you have presented… you've tempted me enough to make some immediately 😉

    Reply
  39. EC

    January 2, 2010 at 10:18 am

    Can have it any number of times..looks tempting, thanks for the entry

    Reply
  40. uvr

    January 4, 2010 at 3:18 pm

    Lovely presentation… 🙂

    Reply
  41. Dershana

    January 7, 2010 at 9:27 am

    hi padhu, thanks for stopping by. my urad dhal vadas have always ben flop shows. will try with your recipe now. i just love hot rasa vadas 🙂

    Reply
  42. momsnetwork

    February 7, 2011 at 6:05 am

    awesome recepi:) i tried this recepi. it cam outreally well and everyone in my family enjoyed a lot. pls do post us more recepies as and when possible. i am a daily visitor for your website. great website:)

    Reply
  43. sharada

    April 13, 2012 at 6:49 pm

    Vada looks yummy. Sure I will try your recipe. Thanks keep posting recipes.

    Reply
  44. sudha raja

    January 30, 2013 at 5:01 am

    yummy vada ……

    Reply
  45. The Conqueror

    July 26, 2013 at 7:22 am

    Dear Padhu,
    I dont have skinned urad dhal in stock at home. If I am to use whole urad dhal, could you please let me know the ratio of the ingredients?

    Reply
  46. PadhuSankar

    July 26, 2013 at 9:39 am

    Skinned dal means dal with the skin off.I have updated it more clearly. You can use whole urad dal as I have also used only whole urad dal without skin

    Reply
  47. Sagira K

    August 4, 2013 at 7:24 am

    i tried out the recipe. It was yummy and crispy. I added a spoon of ginger paste and that helped too.

    Reply
  48. Sagira K

    August 4, 2013 at 8:17 am

    I tried the medhu vadai recipe. It was crispy and yummy. I did not have pottukadalai, so did not add it. I added some ginger. Thanks Padhu 🙂

    Reply
  49. SAKSHI

    August 18, 2013 at 9:09 pm

    Hi Padhu
    Tried the recipe..came Out Really Good…Hubby Loved it

    But may i know what is the reason behind refrigerating soaked Urad dal?

    Reply
  50. Vidhya Sweety

    October 12, 2013 at 11:24 am

    awesome recipe

    Reply
  51. Ranjitha C R

    October 20, 2013 at 7:38 am

    Dear Padma,

    Thanks for the medhu vada recipe. Tried it today but I used the mixie instead of the wet grinder and split urad instead of whole and didn't add water while grinding. I also used greased aluminium foil but i couldn't make the vada with the hole as the shape was not retained when I tried to transfer it from the foil to my palm, can you please tell me the reason why this happened. So I ended up just dropping the dough with a spoon into the oil. The vadas were crisp outside but slightly hard inside, can you please tell me the reason why this happened? So I added a pinch of cooking soda to the batter and then dropped them in oil, this turned out fine crisp outside and soft inside but not like the ones we find in restaurants. I am desperately trying to perfect this recipe as everybody in my family loves it. Appreciate your help. Awaiting an early response.

    Thanks & wishes,
    Ranjitha

    Reply
  52. Padhu Sankar

    October 20, 2013 at 2:42 pm

    Ranjitha -You can use mixie -that is not a problem. You should use whole urad dal without skin as the batter will be very fluffy and you will get crispy vadas. Also you can add rice and fried gram while soaking urad dal.

    Reply
  53. Rajeshwari C

    November 15, 2013 at 4:56 am

    Thanks for the recipe. Any tips for making the vadas more crispy?

    Reply
  54. Padhu Sankar

    November 22, 2013 at 8:50 am

    Rajeshwari – Adding raw rice and fried gram is to make the vadas crispy. Kindly read the first paragraph.

    Reply
  55. Chandra Sekhar

    December 30, 2013 at 3:59 pm

    Crispy vada.thsnkq u padhu

    Reply
  56. Bartanwale Kitchenware

    January 12, 2014 at 5:18 pm

    nice vada recipe …. thanks

    Reply
  57. Smiling Ninja

    March 9, 2014 at 8:26 am

    As per above method moment i put vadas in oil they was bursting. Next time i didnt refrigerate simply soaked whole urad dal without refrigeration and there was no bursting of vadas in oil. Don't know what's wrong in your method

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      March 10, 2014 at 8:52 am

      I have done this several times, not even once it bursted for me. This recipe has been tried and tested by many readers with success. You have to refrigerate the whole urad dal and not the batter. Keeping it in the refrigerator is optional.There is nothing wrong in my method. Maybe while transferring the batter from your hands to the hot oil, you might have dropped it along with a little water accidentally.

      Reply
  58. anuradha suresh

    April 9, 2014 at 6:28 am

    Loved ur recipe padhu. Adding pottukadalai is new to me. Can I add black pepper and jeera as done in temples, to this recipe?

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      April 13, 2014 at 2:35 am

      Thank you Anu for liking my recipes.Yes, you can add pepper and jeera if you like the flavor.

      Reply
  59. CMCK

    April 16, 2014 at 4:32 am

    Hi Padhu,
    Been an ardent follower of your blog. This recipe however did not work for me. Couldn't get the vada shape with my batter and they weren't crispy. Tasted good though. I think the problem might have been with the proportion of urad dal. By one cup, did you mean the actual measure of a cup or a general cup sized vessel's measurement?

    Reply
  60. Padhu Sankar

    April 17, 2014 at 5:56 am

    Thank for being an ardent follower of my blog. Actually we make this vada frequently for festivals. I presume that the problem is with your grinding. The batter should be light and fluffy. You should not add too much water, then you will not get the vada shape.That is the reason for your vada not being crispy. As far as possible try to grind without adding water, if required just sprinkle once or twice. I use only my standard My measuring cups and spoons for all my recipes. Your problem is not with the measurements.

    Reply
  61. Priya

    May 14, 2014 at 8:01 pm

    Thank you for posting this. Tried this recipe and the vadas came put well. Soft inside and crispy outside. One question though – the outer layer was very slightly thick. What should I do next time to prevent this?

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      May 17, 2014 at 5:58 am

      Nice to know that the vada came out well. Regarding your question – It depends on grinding the batter, quality of urad dal and also you should take very less batter and flatten it for making vadas.

      Reply
  62. ramasubramaniam bhaskaran

    October 30, 2014 at 2:13 am

    Tried it out yesterday following the recipe and instructions. Ground it in mixie (i dont have a grinder) without water but the problem was the batter was highly sticky to the hand and couldn't remove it from the sheet as well.
    So couldn't succeed in trasnfering to the oil and get the vada fried.
    I used all items and steps exactly as given in the recipe.Could u help me
    to solve the problem.Thanks .

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      October 31, 2014 at 6:17 am

      Rama – If the batter is sticky, you must sprinkle water and grind for some more time. Correct consistency is – when you dip your hands in water and take a ball of batter, it should not stick.Probably u did not grind it properly. Also while making vadas- you should dip your fingers in water every time when u take a ball of batter.

      Reply
  63. ramasubramaniam bhaskaran

    February 13, 2015 at 6:39 am

    Padhu Madam,
    Being a novice after some months of hesitation,tried it out yesterday,Followed all the recipe guidelines meticulously,ground the dal to fluffy paste without a single drop of water,did the wet hand non stick padham test,dipped hands in water,took and flattened the batter on polythene sheet and then tried to drop it in oil.But alas it was gettting struck to the hands and refused to leave the sheet. Tried it again and again but in vain. Finally made vada balls and ate it.
    Pl guide me where I could have gone wrong as I am keen to perfect this receipe for my kids.
    Many of your other recipes have been tried by me and were instant success in first attempt itself.
    Thanks in advance,
    ramasubramaniam

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      February 13, 2015 at 9:49 am

      I have already replied to your question. You have asked the same question earlier. Sprinkle little water and grind for some more time if the vada batter sticks.

      Reply
  64. Nirmala

    August 31, 2015 at 5:30 am

    Tried the recipe and it turned out really good every one in my house liked it … thanks Padhu

    Reply
  65. Padmavati Visweswara

    September 15, 2015 at 12:35 am

    Dear Padhu, I love browsing thru u r receipes. They are simple, easy and of course yummy. Am introducing my daughter in law to your website. Adding pottukadali for medhu vadai is new to. me. Will try your recipe for this Ganesh Chaturthi. V Padma

    Reply
    • Padmavati Visweswara

      October 2, 2015 at 8:14 am

      Hi Padhu. Tried your medhu vada receipe. Was tasty crispy and soft inside. Every one in my family loved it.

      Reply
  66. indreamsandinlove

    October 4, 2015 at 12:29 pm

    Hey Padhu,
    I'm a real fan of your blog… I started following it last year when I started cooking by myself. Tried so many dishes and everything turned out really great! – – Lots of love, newbie cook.

    Reply
  67. HARI V

    November 11, 2015 at 4:33 pm

    Hi Padhu,

    Unga recipe simple and fast. I used a mixie and was able to knock it out in less than an hour and a half with all the oora vechifying and arachufying.

    Diwali concluded on a really nice note , away from home.

    Thanks 🙂

    Reply
  68. Kalpana Rao

    January 2, 2016 at 2:14 am

    Hi tried making the vada yesterday but it burst out of oil. I soaked dal and rice for an hour(lack of time), dint refrigerate and grinded it in mixie. Dint add pottu kadalai either. Added ginger green chilli and curry leaves while grinding. What could be the mistake?

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      January 3, 2016 at 10:25 am

      Either you have have added too much water or may be you used rock salt and did not grind it properly.This is totally new to me. I have not heard of vada bursting in oil.

      Reply
  69. vimala

    August 12, 2016 at 4:36 am

    Hai padhu..
    Today i prepared vadai for varalakshmi noonbu … came out very well..Thank u for giving us a wonderful receipe☺

    Reply
  70. samanyaa gawtham

    September 1, 2016 at 4:07 pm

    Hi mam, I did ulunthu vada. N it cracked n burst out. Splashed off d oil. I grind it using mixer. Batter was thick enough. Wat may be reason

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      September 2, 2016 at 6:43 am

      Hi

      Vada will never burst. May be your hands must have been wet.

      Reply
    • Vishrushvijay S

      October 27, 2016 at 11:28 am

      hi, some times vada could burst out. i've seen this when my mom tried once. the reason behind this is not about choosing mixie or grinder, it is about the quality of the urad dhal we buy. a best quality of urad dhal will never burst.

      Reply
    • Jamwanti Bhat

      January 16, 2017 at 2:14 pm

      Hi Samanyaa,

      Vada bursting is very common. Reasons are varied. No fault of yours. Or the daal's.

      It happened to me two days ago. With the same urad daal I had prepared perfect vadas the previous weekend.
      Now, I was googling for reasons of vada bursting, and found many. Could be because of more water, too hot oil, due to rice flour, and so on.

      Just be very careful.

      Reply
  71. Vevel

    November 16, 2016 at 6:39 am

    Hiii padhu …

    Thanks for this wonderful receipe . I did try this . it was awesome. I was initially very hesitant to try , bcos I was in an idea that only experts can do vada .. but u gave me the confidence .. and broke away all the elderly ideas thru u r blog and thru u r correct instructions . God bless u and u r family for helping so many individuals like me. … now coming to the vada , I dont have a grinder here in states . so I used the miXie and as per u r instructions I added very little water and tried with little urad dal . and it was awesome. I myself was all in praises for u and (lol ) me.. but next time being over greedy I wanted to have more vadai and used higher quantity of urad dal .. and by mistake have added more water also unknowingly. Now I m not getting vadas at all.. only oil drenched urad balls are available. I don't feel like throwing the flour . I have brought the dal from India with much difficulty. Can u suggest any idea so that I can make use of the ground urad dal to some useful receipe. Leave out vada any other eatable recipe would do . Pls do help .

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      November 16, 2016 at 7:57 am

      Vevel – Thank you for your nice words.As it is only urad dal batter, you can mix a little ragi flour or kambu flour and make dosas. I have not tried it but I think it will work out. Add water if required and mix well to get dosa batter consistency and make dosas. First try with little batter. If it comes out well, you can add flour to the rest of the batter and make dosas. If it turns out well, do leave your feedback.

      Reply
    • Vevel

      November 18, 2016 at 8:25 am

      Sure thank u. . ll definitely try..

      Reply
  72. Piscean

    February 3, 2017 at 10:15 pm

    Padhu if I want to make vadai in the morning, can I refrigerate the batter? Or is it best to do it fresh? (waking up 2 hours earlier to grind the batter)

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      February 5, 2017 at 9:36 am

      You can refrigerate the batter. But bring it to room temperature before making vadas. Also in this way the vadas will drink a little oil.

      Reply
  73. Piscean

    March 8, 2017 at 2:34 am

    Padhu I tried the vadai and it was good, thank you! But it was a little dense and not light. I refrigerated the dal for 2 hours instead of 1. Could that be the reason or can you please tell me the possible mistakes I might have made?

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      March 11, 2017 at 11:15 am

      If the medhu vada was a little dense, it might be due to the consistency of the batter. The batter should be light and fluffy. It should not be too thick. You can mix the batter well with your hands to incorporate air into the batter.

      Reply
  74. Raji Ramakrishnan

    July 23, 2017 at 3:22 am

    i soaked the dal and could not prepare the same day hence kept in fridge and second day i made vada. it absorbed quite a good amount of oil. what is the reason and where i went wrong. normally, i soak it for 30-60 mts and grind it and make it immediately.

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      July 24, 2017 at 8:56 am

      Yes it will if you keep it in the fridge and make it the next day.

      Reply
  75. pcp c17

    August 25, 2017 at 4:23 pm

    Hi Padhu. I just follfollowed ur instructions but the vada was little hard so I had to soak them in sambar for about 15 mins for the soft output. Please help me out

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      August 27, 2017 at 2:12 pm

      For the medhu vada to be soft, you have to grind it well. It should be soft and fluffy. It is best to use wet grinder for grinding for vada. You should not add water but can dip your hands in water and sprinkle lightly.

      Reply
  76. Raji Ramakrishnan

    September 5, 2017 at 12:30 am

    some one had posted it was bursting. Once it happened to me as there was whole urad dal in it. it was a disaster for me.It never happened in my life like this since then i am very careful while grinding.

    Reply
  77. Bharathi

    November 28, 2017 at 6:07 pm

    Can i soak urad dhal overnight? Does that affect the taste or the consistency required for the vada?

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      December 2, 2017 at 7:18 am

      Soaking for just 1 -2 hours is more than sufficient. Soaking overnight is not required as it will absorb too much oil.

      Reply
  78. Jason

    September 17, 2018 at 5:44 pm

    I tried eating Thayir vadai in many places but all had very poor taste and texture. I will try your method and see how it works 😀

    Reply
  79. Unknown

    October 10, 2018 at 1:23 pm

    Tried as per your method .My lifelong dream to make nice crispy handmade shapy Vadas was fulfilled following your recipe style….thanks for the wonderful recipe.Big fan of your recipes for nearly 10 years now thanks a lot

    Reply
  80. Bhooma Sampath

    January 17, 2019 at 11:59 am

    Tried this yesterday and It came out really well.

    Reply
  81. Spoonbill

    February 28, 2019 at 6:09 pm

    You are a star! These days I just follow only your recipes….everything so far has come out well….I was thinking of making vada…so thought of checking up your site and there it is…love u gal…for all these…cheers to u and hope my vada turns out well…

    Reply
  82. Pavani

    August 1, 2019 at 6:14 am

    Hi padhu… Why do my medu vadas burst everytime i make

    Reply
    • PadhuSankar

      August 1, 2019 at 7:18 am

      Maybe you are adding along with water.

      Reply
  83. Sheila

    October 19, 2019 at 6:10 am

    Is it possible to make the batter beforehand and the vadas the following day?

    Reply
    • PadhuSankar

      November 1, 2019 at 10:08 am

      Prepare it before making vadas or maybe a few hours before otherwise the vadas will soak up plenty of oil.

      Reply
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Meet Padhu, the Chef, the photographer, recipe developer and web designer behind Padhuskitchen which features Simple Indian Vegetarian recipes, healthy recipes, kids friendly recipes, Indian festival recipes, traditional South Indian Vegetarian ...

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