Once the monsoon starts, idli sambar and medu vada sambar are made every week for breakfast at our home. Warm sambar on a cold morning is comforting.
Ingredients
- For Medu Vada
- 1 Cup Urad Dal
- 2 Green Chillis (finely chopped)
- 1-inch Ginger (finely chopped)
- Few Curry Leaves (finely chopped)
- 2 Tbsp Coriander (finely chopped)
- 1 Tbsp Dry Coconut (chopped)
- A pinch of hing (asafoetida)
- 2 tbsp rice flour
- 1/2 Tsp Salt
- Oil (for deep frying)
- For the Sambar
- 1 Cup Tamarind (extract)
- 1/2 Tsp Turmeric
- 1 Tsp Jaggery
- 2 Green Chillis (slit)
- Few Curry Leaves
- 1/2 Onion (diced)
- 1 Carrot (diced)
- 2 Drumsticks (chopped)
- 1/2 Cup Pumpkins (diced)
- 1 Tomato (chopped)
- 1 Tsp Salt
- 1 Cup Water
- 3/4 Cup Toor Dal
- 3 Tbsp Sambar Powder
Preparation
Prep: 20 minutes
Cooking: 30 minutes
- For the medu vada – preparation Time: 3 hours
- Firstly, soak urad dal in enough water for 3 hours. Do not over soak, as the vadas will absorb oil.
- Drain off the water and grind to a fine fluffy paste adding water as required (I have added 4 tbsps of water to make a smooth thick paste).
- Transfer the paste into a large mixing bowl. Beat and mix the batter in a circular motion till it turns light (this helps to incorporate air into the batter and make medu vadas soft and fluffy).
- Then add ginger, few curry leaves, coriander, dry coconut, a pinch of hing, rice flour and salt as per taste. Mix the batter well.
- Heat the oil in large kadai.
- Wet your hands with enough water. Take a small ball sized dough and make it round, shaping the edges and make a hole in the center.
- Gently place 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 dunked in sambar.
- For the Sambar – In a pressure cooker, add toor dal and water, a pinch of turmeric and vegetables to boil. Give it 3-4 whistles. Once done, mash it a little.
- Meanwhile in a kadai, heat tamarind extract, turmeric, jaggery, 2 green chillis, curry leaves, onion and salt as per taste. Cover and boil for 10 minutes.
- Then add 1 cup water, boiled toor dal and vegetables. Boil the mixture again.
- Now add sambar powder, mix well and boil for 2 minutes or till flavors of sambar powder is absorbed completely.
- Finally, sambar is ready to serve along with hot medu wadas.