It was whilst stood on the platform at Madgaon train station in South Goa waiting for an early morning train to Hospet, a city near the ancient civilisation of Hampi that it suddenly dawned on me. Medu Vada, the delicious, donut-shaped South Indian savoury snack is the perfect breakfast. Tasty, nutritious and conveniently served in a disposable tiny foil dish; these vadas set me up nicely for the eight-hour train journey I had ahead of me – most of which I spent sharing a bench with a rather rotund Indian gentleman.
Made primarily from black lentils and spices, these fritters were served from a stand on the platform on top of a hot sambar (a lentil-based vegetable stew) and all for the princely sum of 30 rupees (about 30 pence). I had been introduced to the joys of medu vada a few weeks earlier in the Poornima café in Mumbai’s Fort district, courtesy of my friends at India Someday. As we tasted numerous other Indian street food delights, it was explained to me that vadas are usually eaten for breakfast or for brunch and originated in the Southern states of India (most likely Karnataka, according to the writer and broadcaster Vir Sanghvi) and in Tamil cuisine. Idli, were another breakfast staple I sampled, particularly during my time in Kerala – rice cakes steamed in a fermented lentil batter and again, served with a spicy sambar.
Poornima. 29 Tamarind Lane, Fort, Mumbai. 
The Medu Vada I experienced whilst waiting on the platform at Madgaon station.
Before leaving India just over a year ago, I spent several hours traipsing around the streets near Park Street (coincidentally also where my Dad and grandma once lived) in Kolkata and the city’s New Market, retrieving various gifts for family. I couldn’t resist picking up a bag of Urad Dal Flour or black gram lentil flour – the main ingredient needed to make medu vada.
What better time to attempt to recreate the vadas than in my parents’ house during a rather unusual lockdown Christmas one year later in the UK?
The streets around Park Street and New Market, Kolkata. December 2019.
Medu Vada with a spicy Tiffin Sambar
3-4 servings
What you need
For the vada
- 500g black gram lentil flour (mine already contained the spices needed to make medu vada – you can find the same one here)
- Oil for frying
For the sambar
- 1 x red onion, finely chopped
- 4 x tomatoes, chopped and the skins left on
- 1 x 500g canned tomatoes
- 1 x 500g canned chickpeas, drained (I used these rather than lentils on this occasion)
- 1 x 500g canned whole broad beans, drained (optional – I added these as they were in the cupboard!)
- 500ml vegetable stock
- 4 x garlic cloves, crushed
- 4 x dried red chillis, chopped (I used dried peperone crusco but you could also use fresh chillis)
- 2 x tablespoons dried coconut flakes
- 2 x teaspoons chilli powder
- 2 x teaspoons ground turmeric
- 2 x teaspoons mustard powder
- 2 x teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 x teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 x teaspoon cumin
- 1 x teaspoon dried red chilli flakes
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
- A small knob of butter
Steps
Tiffin sambar
1.) Add all of the spices to a pestle and mortar and grind to release the flavour. Set aside.
2.) Heat a small amount of butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. Once it’s melted, add the chopped onions and crushed garlic. Cook for 3-4 minutes until soft.
3.) Add the dried coconut and ground spices to the pan. Heat for a few minutes until the mixture forms a paste and becomes fragrant. Stir frequently.
4.) Add the chickpeas and the chopped chillis. Cook for a few further minutes, continuing to stir.
5.) Add both the canned and fresh tomatoes to the pan, stirring to combine with the spice mixture.
6.) Add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Once it’s boiled, turn to a low heat and simmer for one hour.
7.) As the stew gently simmers, stir occasionally and gently mash the chickpeas using a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon. Add more water to the pan, if needed.
8.) Add the broad beans to the pan 20 minutes before serving. Season the stew with sea salt and cracked black pepper, to taste.
Medu vada
1.) Add the black gram lentil flour mixture to a large bowl.
2.) Slowly add water, stirring each time until the mixture forms a thick batter. It shouldn’t be too runny, otherwise it will be difficult to form the shape of the vadas.
3.) Wet both of your hands, take about a tablespoon of the mixture and roll between your hands. Eventually form a flattened disc with a diameter of about 6cm.
4.) Make a hole in each circle with two fingers to form a donut shape. Place each vada onto a sheet of greaseproof paper or a plastic sheet (in Southern India, banana leaves would be the surface of choice but funnily enough these are less readily available in Europe).
5.) Once all of the vadas are ready, heat about 100 ml of oil in a wok, large frying pan or saucepan on a medium heat (it shouldn’t be too hot).
6.) Fry the vadas in the hot oil for a couple of minutes until each side is golden brown and then turn over. The vadas should cook from the inside out, so that they are soft but not raw in the middle, yet crispy on the outside.
7.) Set aside to cool slightly before serving.
Serving suggestion
You can serve the sambar in a bowl with the vadas on a side plate to dip into it, or alternatively you can simply serve the vadas on top of the sambar. In India this would typically be eaten with a coconut chutney but lime pickle or mango chutney would also go well. A side salad or even yoghurt dip could also be served alongside this. The sambar will keep very well in the fridge for 2-3 days.
