Sshekhar898 at 16:27, 27 April 2026

2026-04-27T16:27:25Z

New page

{{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 (dish)|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 [[Vada (food)|vadas]], [[Burmese fritters|mat pe kyaw]]
| other =
}}
'''Medu vada''' ({{IPA|kn|meːd̪ʊ vəɽaː|pron}}; {{lit|soft [[vada (food)|vada]]}} in [[Tamil language|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.<ref name="Richa_2015"/> A popular food item in [[South Indian cuisine]]<ref name="Meher_NDTV_2015"/> it is generally eaten as a breakfast or a snack.<ref name="Richa_2015"/><ref name="Hingle 2015"/>

== Etymology ==

"Medu" ({{langx|kn|ಮೆದು}}, {{langx|ta|மெது}}) means "soft" in both languages, thus "medu vada" means "soft [[vada (food)|vada]]".<ref name="Richa_2015">{{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 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r6xYAAAAMAAJ |title=Barkur Kannada |author=Alevur Sriramana Acharya |publisher=Deccan College |year=1971 |page=4 }}</ref><ref>{{cite dictionary |last=Winslow |first=Miron |entry=மெது ''metu'' |title=Winslow's A comprehensive Tamil and English dictionary |url=https://archive.org/details/winslowscomprehe00mwin/page/894/mode/1up |page=269 |date=1862}}</ref> The dish is often mentioned simply as "vada" on menus.<ref name="VS_Rude_2004"/> Other names for the dish include uddina vade [[Kannada]], urad vada, medhu vadai, uzhundu vadai ([[Tamil language|Tamil]]), garelu ([[Telugu language|Telugu]]), uzhunnu vada ([[Malayalam]]),<ref name="Siva_Axe_2015">{{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 }}</ref><ref>{{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 }}</ref> batuk ([[Nepali language|Nepali]]).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thegundruk.com/batuk-roti-made-from-black-lentils/|title = Batuk Roti- Black Lentil Patties|date = 29 January 2014}}</ref>

== History ==
{{main|Vada (food)}}

According to [[Vir Sanghvi]], the origin of ''medu vada'' can be traced with "some certainty" to the [[Maddur, Mandya|Maddur]] town in present-day [[Karnataka]]. The dish was made popular outside South India by [[Udupi cuisine|Udupi]] restaurateurs of [[Mumbai]].<ref name="VS_Rude_2004">{{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 }}</ref>

== Preparation ==
The medu vada is made primarily of black lentils (urad dal) batter.<ref name="Richa_2015"/> The black lentils are soaked in water for several hours, and then ground to a paste.<ref name="Richa_2015"/> 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.<ref name="Richa_2015"/> It is then patted into doughnut-shapes and fried in oil until golden brown.<ref name="Richa_2015"/><ref name="Meher_NDTV_2015">{{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]] }}</ref>

One variation involves baking instead of frying.<ref name="Richa_2015"/> Other variations of the dish involve use of [[Legume|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.<ref name="KTA_1994">{{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 }}</ref>

== Serving ==
The dish is usually served with [[sambar (dish)|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.<ref name="Meher_NDTV_2015"/><ref name="ToI_2015-05-22">{{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 }}</ref>

The medu vada is sometimes also served with [[yogurt]], as a [[chaat]] snack (see [[dahi vada]]).<ref name="Richa_2015"/>

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 (vegetable)|yam]], [[taro]], and [[sweet potato]].<ref>{{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}}</ref>

== Gallery ==
<gallery mode="packed">
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 (dish)|pongal]], sambar and coconut chutney
File:Dahi Vada or Dahi Bhalla.JPG|In form of [[dahi vada]], with yogurt
</gallery>

==See also==
{{portal|Food|India}}
* [[List of deep fried foods]]
* [[List of Indian dishes]]
* [[List of doughnut varieties]]
* [[List of fried dough varieties]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em|refs=
<ref name="Hingle 2015">{{cite book | author=[[Richa Hingle]] | title=Vegan Richa's Indian Kitchen: Traditional and Creative Recipes for the Home Cook | publisher=Vegan Heritage Press, LLC | year=2015 | isbn=978-1-941252-10-9 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LCUCBQAAQBAJ&pg=PT79 | page=79}}</ref>
}}

==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:Indian snack foods]]
[[Category:South Indian cuisine]]
[[Category:Sri Lankan snack food]]
[[Category:Sinhalese New Year foods]]
[[Category:Fritters]]
[[Category:Tamil cuisine]]
[[Category:Kerala cuisine]]
[[Category:Karnataka cuisine]]
[[Category:Andhra cuisine]]

Medu vada - Revision history

Sshekhar898 at 16:27, 27 April 2026