Crow, grandmother /Paati and the fox….. A triangular drama…. a moral story narrated in every Tamizh household to the kids to put them to sleep or eat an extra mouthful.. The story talks about the stupidity of the crow and the cunningness of the fox. A thought that crossed my mind…. Is that all?? Unwise crow and wily fox…. NO the story has much more to reveal and understand…the old woman, her entrepreneurial skills, her financial independence despite her old age and not to forget her vada making skills…crisp, golden brown and aromatic medhu vada also referred as Dondi vada due to the hole in the center, which enticed the crow, the fox and even the little kid whose love for this deep-fried delicacy sown by this story remains lifelong.
Medhu Vada made from Urad dal batter is a versatile dish. It can be had plain, crisp and hot, or as onion vada with a liberal mix of finely chopped onions with the batter, cabbage vada or a Keerai vadai in a similar style. It can be dunked in morekuzhambu for a morekuzhambu vada, in spiced curds for curd vada in a spicy rasam for rasam vada or sambhar for sambhar vada. The options are endless and each variation more flavorful than the other.
The trick of a perfect vada lies in its soaking and grinding. The dal is best when soaked for just an hour and then ground to a fluffy batter with sprinkles of water. I always prefer the wet grinder for best results. One azhaku which roughly measures about 200 g of dal will yield 20 medium sized vadas. The cloud like light batter is spiced and patted on a banana leaf or a plastic sheet and gently slid into medium hot oil. This is an ordeal for beginners and the skill is to be developed as the soft batter can lose shape while sliding into the oil. If you do it hurriedly it may end up with an oil splash or a slight burn on your fingertips.
For the novice and the vada making beginners Foodialogues.com shares a video of a trick which will help you in shaping and sliding the perfect vada in oil and at the same time keeps your fingertips safe. Thanks to Priyaa Ravi for the demo.
