Go Back
Print Recipe

Ulli Garelu or Onion Medu Vada

Ulli Garelu or Onion Medu Vada is a traditional favourite breakfast and snack of south india which is a doughnut shaped lentil fritter.
Prep Time3 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time4 hours
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: Indian
Servings: 20 to 25 Garelu/Vadas
Author: Padma

Ingredients

  • To Grind:
  • 1 Cup Whole Black gram Urad dal or Minapa pappu
  • 2 Teaspoons raw rice
  • 1 inch chopped ginger
  • To season the batter:
  • 1 large onion finely chopped
  • 2 to 3 green chillies finely chopped
  • A spring of curry leaves finely chopped
  • ½ cup finely chopped coriander
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • Required Salt
  • To deep-fry:
  • Required oil for deep-frying

Instructions

  • Grinding Lentils:
  • Clean the lentils using runing water 2 to 3 times to remove any impurities..
  • Soak lentils along with rice and ginger in plenty of water for about 3 hours.
  • Grind lentils in a mixer or stone grinder to a thick paste.
  • Use very little water grind the soaked lentils into paste or thick batter (see notes).
  • Seasoning the batter:
  • Take the batter in a bowl and add all the ingredients under the heading “To season the batter”.
  • Mix it well with your hand to incorporate all the stuff into the batter.
  • Deep-frying:
  • Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat.
  • Wet your hands and make small balls out of batter. Flatten the ball and make a hole at the centre and gently slide it into the oil.
  • Alternatively you can take the ball of batter on a plastic cover by wetting your hands occasionally and form a disc shape. Place a hole in the center and drop them into hot oil for deep-frying.
  • Drop the garelu/vadas carefully into hot oil and deep-fry them on both sides to golden colour.
  • Transfer Garelu/Vadas on to an absorbent tissue paper to remove excess oil.
  • Serve hot with any chutney of your choice like peanut chutney, onion chutney, or carrot chutney on a healthy note, or any other chutney.