An American woman has gone viral on Instagram for making crispy medu vadas from scratch. In the reel shared by @the_vernekar_family, Jessica Vernekar takes us through the process step by step, right from making the batter to frying the vadas and cooking the accompaniments. Her Indian husband and children are seen relishing her culinary delights in the end. Jessica starts by soaking urad dal with a few methi (fenugreek) seeds overnight. She explains that the latter is optional, but adding them can enhance the flavour of the batter.
The next morning, she drains the excess water and adds the dal to a grinder jar. She adds salt and 3 tablespoons of ice-cold water to it to start blending the dal. She suggests opening the grinder jar in intervals, scraping the sides of it and perhaps adding an extra 1 tablespoon of water as required. She cautions against adding too much water as the mixture needs to be thick. The same process can be repeated for the other batches of the dal. Later, she shares a tip for checking whether the batter is ready or not. She scoops up a small amount of batter using a spoon and drops it into a glass/container of water. She says that if it floats on the surface, the batter is ready to be used.
Next, she tells us that she had already begun making the sambar that she would be serving with the vadas. She adds drumsticks and coriander to that vessel and allows it to continue cooking. In the meantime, she starts preparing the coconut chutney. She dry roasts a few chillies and adds them to a grinder along with grated coconut. She also adds coriander leaves, a clove of garlic and a little water. She blends these ingredients to form the chutney. Later, she tops it with a tadka with whole dried red chillies and other ingredients.
She returns to the medu vada batter and she mixes it with her hands for around a minute. She chops green chillies, curry leaves and ginger to add to the batter, along with a little salt. She states that one can also add peppercorns, coconut, onions and other ingredients to the batter. Once it is ready, she shows viewers how she crafted the vadas themselves. She wets her fingers and takes a small amount of the batter in her left hand. She uses a finger of her right hand to make a hole in the middle (like a doughnut) and then flips her palm carefully over the hot to start frying the vadas. She continues doing the same to make more vadas. Finally, she serves them to her children and her husband on steel plates with homemade sambar and chutney. Don't miss their reaction to how crisp the vadas are - watch the viral video here.
Also Read: Viral Video: US Woman Describes Her Kids' Indian Diet, Internet Applauds
The reel has received a lot of interest online. Here's how Instagram users reacted in the comments:
"Medhu vada with a perfect hole is a very tough achievement in an Indian kitchen! I almost gasped at the final output!"
"Awesome and tasty."
"This looks so delicious."
"Honestly you're an amazing person for doing all these cultural things even though you're not Indian."
"Looks and sounds so good. I want one now."
"Woowww I just love how patiently you cooked these traditional dishes."
"Can my family live with yours?!"
Before this, a viral video showed a Filipino woman giving her Indian mother-in-law her homemade pakoras to taste. Click here to read the full story.
