medu vada
{{Short description|Deep-fried Indian food item}}
{{Infobox food
| name = Medu vada
| image = Medu Vada.JPG
| alternate_name = Garelu, Uddina vade, Medhu vada, Uddi vada, Minapa garelu, Uzhunnu vada, Udid Vada, Ulundu vadai, Urad vada, Ulundu wade, Urdi bara, Batuk
| country = India
| region = South India, Sri Lanka
| type = Fritter
| course = Breakfast
| served = Warm (with sambar and coconut chutney) or room temperature (with yogurt)
| main_ingredient = Urad dal (Split Black gram), Rice
| minor_ingredient =
| variations =
| serving_size = 100 g
| calories =
| protein =
| fat =
| carbohydrate =
| glycemic_index =
| similar_dish = Other vadas, mat pe kyaw
| other =
}}
Medu vada ({{IPA|kn|meːd̪ʊ vəɽaː|pron}}; {{lit|soft vada}} in Tamil and Kannada) is a South Indian breakfast snack made from Vigna mungo (black lentil). It is usually made in a doughnut shape, with a crispy exterior and soft interior. A popular food item in South Indian cuisine it is generally eaten as a breakfast or a snack.
Etymology
"Medu" (ಮೆದು) means "soft" in Kannada, thus "medu vada" means "soft vada".{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LCUCBQAAQBAJ&pg=PT122 |title=Vegan Richa's Indian Kitchen: Traditional and Creative Recipes for the Home Cook |author=Richa Hingle |publisher=Andrews McMeel |year=2015 |isbn=9781941252109 |page=pt122 }}{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r6xYAAAAMAAJ |title=Barkur Kannada |author=Alevur Sriramana Acharya |publisher=Deccan College |year=1971 |page=4 }} The dish is often mentioned simply as "vade" on menus. Other names for the dish include uddina vade Kannada, urad vada, medhu vadai, ulundu vadai (Tamil), garelu(గారెలు) (Telugu), uzhunnu vada (Malayalam),{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vNliCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT21 |title=Riding God's Axe |author=Siva Sadasivan |publisher=Leadstart |year=2015 |isbn=9789352013609 |page=21 }}{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hZ8HWnnC6AgC&pg=PA30 |title=Chettinad kitchen |author=Alamelu Vairavan |publisher=Westland |year=2010 |isbn=9789380283883 |page=30 }} batuk (Nepali),{{Cite web|url=https://www.thegundruk.com/batuk-roti-made-from-black-lentils/|title = Batuk Roti- Black Lentil Patties|date = 29 January 2014}} and ulundu vadai (Sinhala).
History
{{main|Vada (food)}}
According to Vir Sanghvi, the origin of medu vada can be traced with "some certainty" to the Maddur town in present-day Karnataka. The dish was made popular outside South India by Udupi restaurateurs of Mumbai.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eK1uGVxmEiUC&pg=PA110 |title=Rude Food: The Collected Food Writings of Vir Sanghvi |author=Vir Sanghvi |publisher=Penguin India |year=2004 |isbn=9780143031390 |pages=110–111 }}
Preparation
The medu vada is made primarily of black lentils (urad dal) batter. The black lentils are soaked in water for several hours, and then ground to a paste. The paste may be flavoured with other ingredients such as asafoetida, methi seeds (fenugreek), ginger, cumin seeds, black pepper, curry leaves, chillies and coconut pieces. It is then patted into doughnut-shapes and fried in oil until golden brown.{{cite web |url=http://food.ndtv.com/opinions/medu-vada-in-its-many-avatars-1254795 |title=The Star of South India: Medu Vada in its Many Avatars |author=Meher Mirza |date=15 December 2015 |publisher=NDTV }}
One variation involves baking instead of frying. Other variations of the dish involve use of pulses other than black lentils. For example, am-bada (or aama vadai) is made with chana dal (split chickpea lentil); occasionally, tuar (pigeon pea) and masoor (lentil) are also used.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-cFcH2ZHWLcC |title=Indian Food: A Historical Companion |author=K. T. Achaya |author-link=K. T. Achaya |year=1994 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-563448-8 |page=127 }}
Serving
The dish is usually served with sambar (lentil and vegetable stew) and coconut chutney. Along with idli, it is often eaten as a breakfast dish. It is also eaten as a lunch starter or a snack.{{cite news |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/food/recipes/Recipe-Medu-vada/articleshow/47372652.cms |title=Recipe: Medu vada |newspaper=The Times of India |date=22 May 2015 }}
The medu vada is sometimes also served with yogurt, as a chaat snack (see dahi vada).
In Nepal, on the day of Maghe Sankranti, people make {{Transliteration|ne|batuk}}, which is eaten with a variety of boiled tubers such as yam, taro, and sweet potato.{{Cite web|title=The culture, history and recipe of batuk|url=https://kathmandupost.com/recipes/2020/08/28/the-culture-history-and-recipe-of-batuk|access-date=2021-03-03|website=kathmandupost.com|language=English}}
Gallery
File:Medu Vadas.JPG|Medu vadas served with coconut chutney
File:Vada at Sagar Ratna restaurant, New Delhi.jpg|fried Medu vada with chutney
File:Breakfast South India.jpg|A common South Indian breakfast: idli, medu vada, sambar and coconut chutney
File:GKN Pongal Vada DSC 1069.JPG|Another common breakfast: medu vada, pongal, sambar and coconut chutney
File:Dahi Vada or Dahi Bhalla.JPG|In form of dahi vada, with yogurt
See also
{{portal|Food|India}}
References
External links
{{commons category|Medu Vada}}
{{cookbook|medu vada}}
- [http://indianfood.about.com/od/southindiancuisine/r/Medu-Vada-South-Indian-Vada-Daal-Vada.htm Medu Vada, South Indian Vada, Daal Vada] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160427224907/http://indianfood.about.com/od/southindiancuisine/r/Medu-Vada-South-Indian-Vada-Daal-Vada.htm |date=2016-04-27 }}. About.com.
{{Sri Lankan cuisine}}
Category:Sri Lankan snack food