Pongal 2026: Crispy Medu Vada That You Must Try

Pongal is one of the most awaited and beautiful festivals of South India. It is celebrated with great fervour and traditional delicacies. To celebrate Pongal 2026, households in Southern India start preparations in advance that may include cleaning homes, decorating the entrances with kolams, and preparing the festive meals. Among the several dishes that are prepared to grace the Pongal platter, Medu Vada holds a special significance. The dish is crispy on the outside and soft inside and made it as the must-have during this festival.  

The dish is ideally prepared with the help of urad dal or black gram. Daal needs to be soaked, ground, and deep-fried into golden doughnut shaped fritters. The dish is generally served with coconut chutney along with sambar that can produce a perfect blend of taste and tradition. On the morning of Pongal 2026, it is religious tradition to offer freshly prepared Medu Vada to Sun God along with sweets as it symbolises prosperity and abundance.  

Ingredients required:

• 1 cup whole urad dal (skinned)

• 1 small onion, finely chopped (optional)

• 1–2 green chilies, finely chopped

• 1 teaspoon grated ginger

• Some fresh curry leaves, chopped

• Salt to taste

• Oil (for deep frying)

How To Prepare Medu Vada

• Wash and soak urad dal for a minimum of 4–5 hours.

• Now drain water properly to grind the dal into a smooth, fluffy batter by adding small amount of water.

• You need to ensure that the batter is thick and airy. Transfer it to a bowl and mix it with onions, green chilies, ginger, curry leaves, and salt.

• Heat oil in a deep pan. Wet your fingers, take a small portion of batter, shape it into a round vada with a hole in the center, and gently slide it into hot oil.

• Fry on medium heat until the vadas turn crisp and golden brown. Drain excess oil on tissue paper and serve hot.

Simple and authentic sambar recipe that can be served with medu vada:

Ingredients Required:

For dal

• ½ cup toor dal (arhar dal)

• 2 cups of water

• ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

• Vegetables (you may use as per your taste)

• 1 small onion

• 1 tomato, chopped

• 1 fresh small carrot, chopped

• 6–8 drumstick pieces

• A few pumpkin or bottle gourd pieces

• 1 green chilli (optional)

• Tamarind

• Small lemon-sized ball of tamarind (soaked in warm water)

• Spices

• 2 tablespoons sambar powder

• Salt to taste

For tempering

• 1 tablespoon oil or ghee

• ½ teaspoon mustard seeds

• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds

• 2 dried red chilli

• 1 pinch of asafoetida (hing)

• Some curry leaves

Method To Prepare

• Wash toor dal, cook it with turmeric and water until soft and mushy.

• Soak tamarind in warm water for approximately 10 minutes. Squeeze and extract its juice.

• In a pot, add vegetables, tamarind water, salt, and cook until vegetables are soft.

• Add sambar powder and let it boil for 5 minutes to remove raw spice smell.

• Add cooked dal, mix well, and heat for at least 5–7 minutes. Adjust consistency with water if required.

• Heat oil or ghee in a pan. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dried red chilli, hing, and curry leaves.

• Pour the tempering over the sambar and mix gently.

The dish does not satisfy your taste buds but also offer several health benefits. Urad dal is an excellent source of protein, calcium, fibre, and iron that can provide you the much-needed nourishment that you desire and deserve. When you eat it in moderation, you can get sustained energy to support your digestion. You can pair the dish with sambar and chutney.