Medu vada recipe | hotel style sambar recipe | sambar vada recipe

Medu vada and sambar is a popular south Indian breakfast recipe. Medu vada is made from urad and regular spices, it is crispy from the outside yet soft, and fluffy from the inside. I also share the pressure cooker sambar recipe with special masala paste gives it perfect taste and color. this sambar is easy to prepare and saves a lot of time in a busy routine. This south Indian combo is e ideal for breakfast or tiffin recipes.

Here you will learn all the tips and tricks to shaping and perfecting medu vada and hotel-style perfect sambar recipes. Do try this!

For medu vada

• do not soak urad dal for more than 4 hours, otherwise, medu vada would absorb more oil while deep frying
• The udad dal batter is key for this recipe and it has to be thick and smooth batter. so add very little water while grinding dal.
• beat the batter in a circular motion to incorporate air into the batter. this makes medu vada soft, fluffy, and crispy.
• If your batter is slightly thinner then add rice flour makes medu vada crispy and also helps to make a thick paste. Do not add more rice flour otherwise, vada becomes dense from the inside.
• Shape the vada with a slightly wet hand. If you are unable to shape the vada with your hand then use a tea sieve or round bowl to shape the vada.
• Fry the vada on medium flame till it becomes crispy from the outside and properly cooked from the inside.

For sambar

• grind soaked toor dal coarsely for sambar. it will help to cook dal easily with vegetables in a pressure cooker.
• I prepared special masala paste for sambar, which gives perfect color and taste to sambar.
• simmer sambar on low-medium flame for 15-20 minutes, increasing its taste and color.

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Recipe video

Medu vada recipe | hotel style sambar recipe | sambar vada recipe

Author Nehas Cook Book

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Soaking time 4 hours hrs

Total Time 4 hours hrs 45 minutes mins

Course Breakfast

Cuisine south indian

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

 

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For medu vada

• ▢ 1 cup urad dal
• ▢ Salt to taste
• ▢ 5-6 tbsp water to grind dal
• ▢ 2-3 chopped green chilli
• ▢ 1 tsp ginger paste
• ▢ ½ tsp crushed black pepper
• ▢ 6-7 chopped curry leaves
• ▢ Some coriander leaves
• ▢ Oil for frying

For sambar

• ▢ ¼ cup toor dal
• ▢ 1 tbsp oil
• ▢ 2 medium size chopped onion
• ▢ 2 green chilli slits
• ▢ 1 tsp ginger paste
• ▢ 2 chopped tomatoes
• ▢ ½ tsp turmeric powder
• ▢ 1 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder
• ▢ ½ cup chopped bottle gourd pieces - lauki/dudhi
• ▢ ½ cup carrot pieces
• ▢ 1 drumstick pieces
• ▢ 1 brinjal pieces
• ▢ 1.5 cup +1.5 cup water
• ▢ Salt to taste
• ▢ Special masala paste
• ▢ 2 tbsp tamarind paste
• ▢ 3 tbsp jaggery
• ▢ Some coriander leaves

special masala paste for sambar

• ▢ 2 tbsp fresh coconut pieces
• ▢ 2 tbsp roasted chana dal
• ▢ 1 medium size tomatoes
• ▢ 2 tsp sambar powder
• ▢ Water to grind paste

For sambar tempering

• ▢ 1 tbsp oil
• ▢ ¼ tsp mustard seeds
• ▢ ¼ tsp chana dal
• ▢ ½ tsp cumin seeds
• ▢ 3 dry red chilli
• ▢ Some curry leaves

Instructions

Making medu vada

• soak 1 cup urad dal in enough water for 4 hours. do not over-soak it.
• remove water and grind dal into thick and smooth paste by adding water into batches. I use 5-6 tbsp water.
• transfer the urad dal paste into a large mixing bowl. beat and mix the batter in circular motion till they turn to light. this helps to incorporate air into the batter and make medu vada soft and fluffy.
• Then add 2-3 chopped green chilli, ginger paste, crushed black pepper, chopped curry leaves, and some coriander leaves. mix well.
• Now wet your finger and shape the vada into a round shape and make a hole in the center. You can also shape vada by using tea sieves.
• Heat oil and drop the vada in oil and deep fry the medu vada on medium flame.
• fry on both sides till they turn golden brown and crisp.
• serve hot medu vada with sambar or chutney.

Making sambar

• Wash and soak toor dal for 20 minutes. grind soaked dal slightly into mixture jar.
• In a pressure cooker, add 1 tbsp oil. Add onion and sauté till it is slightly translucent.
• Now add green chilli slits and ginger paste. Sauté it.
• Then lower the flame, add turmeric powder, kashmiri red chili powder, and some water. sauté masala into oil.
• Add chopped tomatoes and cook till they become slightly soft.
• Then add chopped bottle gourd, carrot, drumsticks, and brinjal pieces. Mix well.
• Add 1.5 cups of water and salt. Mix well.
• Cover and pressure cook dal and vegetable on a medium flame for 1 whistle.
• meanwhile in a grinding jar, add coconut, roasted chana dal, tomatoes, sambar powder, and water. Grind into a smooth paste. Special masala paste is ready.
• now pressure cooker cool down, open the lid, and check vegetable and dal are properly cooked.
• Add 1.5 cups of water and salt to it. Mix well.
• Now add masala paste, tamarind pulp, and jaggery. Mix well.
• Boil sambar on low flame for 15-20 minutes.

For tempering

• In a pan, add oil, mustard seed, urad dal, cumin seeds, dry red chill, and curry leaves. Sauté for a minute.
• Add terming into boiling sambar and mix well.
• Garnish sambar with coriander leaves and serve with medu vada.

Notes

For vada

• add water gradually while grinding dal, do not add more water.
• make thick and smooth batter for vada.
• stir the batter in one direction so air particles incorporate into the batter.
• the batter becomes creamy, and fluffy and slightly changes its color.
• use a wet hand while making vada, so the batter quickly drops into the hot oil.
• fry vada on medium flame.

for sambar

• grind soak dal coarsely for sambar.
• coconut gives taste and roasted chana dal gives thickness to masala paste.
• simmer sambar on low-medium flame for 15-20 minutes, increasing its taste and color.

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