Medu Vada and Dahi Vada

The term Vada is used to refer to a snack that is round in shape and usually deep fried. Medu Vada is the first thing that comes to my mind while going to a restaurant as it is a dish very rarely made at home as it absorbs a lot of oil and is considered unhealthy. The same batter (as Medu Vada) is used to make Biscuit ambado(pronounced as Biskut, vada without a hole), a very famous snack item in Konkani weddings. The Biskut ambado is more common in Konkani households than Medu Vada. I love both the versions (afterall what difference does a hole make in its taste).
After coming to US i have purchased the Instant Dahi Vada mix a few times and also made biskut ambados with it. But on watching Vah Chef's video i decided to make it at home. Sanjay Thumma gives some very nice tips while making dishes for which i love to watch his videos.
I have followed his exact recipe without making any changes. But making the hole was the toughest part as my batter had a little more water than required. So i couldn't get a good shape for the vadas. But the taste was awesome and it was very crisp.


From the leftover batter i also made a few dahi vadas the next day.


For the dahi vadas I deep fried the vadas and then soaked them in water for around 5 mins. Soaking in water helps make the vadas soft. In the mean while i took some thick curd and whisked it to make it smooth and added little salt.
Then i squeezed the vadas to remove water and added it to the dahi and topped it with a little red chilli powder and cumin powder.
I served S these vadas and then added a little sugar to my dahi as i like it a little sweet but he prefers the savory version.

Note : The Dahi Vadas can also be served with some Green Chutney and Tamarind Chutney on top.

Chef Sanjay Thumma has a different version of Dahi Vadas. Check his version here.