Ulundhu Vadai/Medhu Vadai

No festival time in TamilNadu is complete without this Vada. My mom and sis also used to make this for any occasion. The only job that I do is to assist my sis by frying them in the oil. I am too bad at shaping those vada's. I am still a learner of that part. At times, my vadas will turn out to bondas bcos of my batter consistency :P Now that Prajju has started liking medhu vada's I am sincerely putting my efforts and my vada's are turning out kind'a OK :-) So sharing with you the tips and techniques I have learnt so far..

Ingredients

Whole urad dal - 1 cup
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Whole black pepper - 1 tsp
Shallots - 5 or 6, chopped finely
Curry leaves - few, chopped finely
Green chilli - 2 or 3 (adjust as per taste), chopped into thin rounds
Salt and asafoetida as per taste
Water - 1/4 cup approximately
Oil for deep frying

How to make ulundhu vadai?

1. Soak the urad dal atleast for an hour. But do not soak for more than 2 hours, or else the vadai's will drink too much of oil.
2. Drain the water completely and grind the urad dal WITHOUT adding salt in a grinder or in a mixer. Just sprinkle water as and when needed. Do not add too much of water. Scrape the sides of the mixer jar/grinder now and then to avoid sticking to the sides. Grind till the batter looks fluffy. This might take 10-12 minutes approximately. 
3. Transfer the batter to a bowl and add salt, asafoetida, cumin seeds, black pepper and chopped onions, curry leaves and green chillies. Mix well.
4. Have a wide bowl filled with water while making the vadas. Wet your hands in the water every time you take the batter and drop them in the oil.
5. Heat oil in a pan. Once the oil is hot enough, wet your hands and take a medium sized ball of batter, gently make a hole in the center using your thumb, drop it in the oil carefully i.e invert the vadai over the oil and shake your finger so that the batter falls into the oil. Fry till golden brown on both sides in medium flame. Drain it in a kitchen towel/paper. 
6. Repeat the same process for all the vadais. Do not forget to wet your hands before each vada. Enjoy hot and crispy vadas with Sambar and Chutney!

Note

• If grinding using a mixer, the batter may not be soft and fluffy at times. In that case, use your hand or spatula and beat the batter well enough, atleast for 5 mins. This is very important, because if the batter is not fluffy the vadai's will turn out to be hard and rubbery.
• If the batter is too watery, then the vadai will absorb lot of oil. Add just a tbsp of rice flour in that case to make the batter thick. Do not add too much of rice flour also.