Medu Vadas for a chilly 'summer' morning fix

After eating out almost all week, I wanted a home-cooked breakfast. My all time favorite is the Udupi classic, Vada-Sambhar. The vadas that mum makes beats the restaurant ones. It has been a hit with our friends. Whenever I make this (yes, I make this breakfast quite often!) it takes me straight back home. Combine it with fresh coconut chutney and some lovely homemade Sambhar. (I will post the Mangalorean Sambhar recipe sometime soon.)

Soak the vada dumplings in sambhar and dash of coconut chutney for a perfect Udipi breakfast

Take around 2 cups of Urad Dal lentils also known as split black gram and soak it overnight with lots of water as they soak in generous amounts of liquid.  After a good soak blend it into a smooth paste with very little water as you need a thick smooth batter.

Notice the stainless steel bowl? It is a part of the idli steamer called 'Atti'. I make idlis by filling them with the batter.

Half way through the grinding process add a little salt and a few curry leaves. Adding a few sprigs of curry leaves while blending enhances the overall flavor.

I love this Indian blender by the company Sumeet that mum gave me. It makes super-smooth batters.

Dump in the blended mix into a large bowl. Add in finely chopped ginger, curry leaves and few chopped green chillis. Now 'beat' the batter well with your hands or use a whisk if you don't want messy hands. Beating the mix is important as it aerates the batter for light fluffly vadas.

Freshly chopped ginger and curry leaves add the zing to the vadas

Heat oil in a pan or a deep fryer. Wet your hands or the an ice-cream scooper, shape the vadas into roundels or the classic doughnut shaped ones with a hole in the center. [I can never shape them right, so I have stopped trying :)]

The vadas can be shaped with hand or use an ice cream scoop

Fry till vadas are golden brown and serve hot with delicious sambhar and chutney. If making them a few hours in advance keep them on the warm mode of your oven so that they remain crispy fresh till your friends come.

Medu Vadas are incomplete without yummy coconut chutney and sambhar