Last Updated on January 31, 2014 by Babita
During my trip to India in summer I bought a medu vada maker. However, after I used it, I was inspired to write to this post because it was a huge failure. Check out the picture below to see what it looks like. Medu vada is a savory South Indian breakfast specialty which is widely available in India. It is so popular that it is available in Indian restaurants around the world. It is a savory deep fried dense snack that looks exactly like a donut but, taste wise it is far from it. Medu vada is made from ground up urad daal (split black gram) batter. Forming the donut shape with soft whipped up batter by hand is easier said than done and needs a lot of expertise.
So imagine my excitement when I saw a medu vada maker in one of the stores. I had to get one. Once I came here I forgot all about it until one day my mom called me and reminded me of it. She told me it does not work. So naturally I was curious. I prepared the batter for vada and loaded up the press and to my amazement my mom was right. The medu vada maker does not work. It is not because the press was faulty. It is just that this generic press is not designed well. The vadas which are supposed to plop out of the press with an immaculate donut shape does not happen at all. Even after all the pushing, the pumping, the swearing and praying, the vadas did not turn out like they were supposed to. The one single vada that did form was all flat and looked like an onion ring instead of a donut. I gave up and went back to making round vadas instead of donut shaped ones, after all we had to eat something.
If like me you too were tempted to buy this product based on the pictures of the mouthwatering vadas, then I feel truly sorry for you. I had so much hope for this press and I am sad I have to retire it to a far off corner in my kitchen cabinet. It feels like one of those “As seen on TV” products which promises plenty but fails to deliver.
Since I am still a sucker for disappointment I will try and see if it will work as a donut maker. Until then watch out for this space. Who knows I may still have something positive to say about this vada maker.
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I bought this vada maker (before I read this blog) and I agree – total failure.
I tried with thick as well as thin batter and neither worked.
I was so eager to be able to make vadas and this maker was a huge disappointment!
– Priya
I can understand your disappointment Priya. That is the whole reason I wrote this review. I had so much hope for this gadget. Complete thumbs down for it.
Tip on making medu vada by hand (palm): Instead of shaping it in palm, have a plate (to catch the water incase if it drips), invert a flat bottom bowl over the plate and cover the flat surface of the bowl with a small piece of plastic. Wet the surface of the plastic. Then shape the vada over the plastic paper. Lift the piece of plastic with one hand and remove the vada from plastic paper (since it won’t stick to the plastic) with another hand. it is easy to slip out and put it on the hot oil making sure not to splatter the oil. Hope this tip helps while shaping the vada. Happy cooking.
Thank you Jaya..
Today itself I saw it in a mall was tempted to buy but thought of checking reviews before buying it. And see here I am! Good I didn’t buy.
I think the palm method is the best. I apply water on my palms and then shape the vada with a broad hole because by the time we put it in oil , it becomes small.
I glad you decided against buying this gadget Madhurima. Not only would have wasted your money you would have added to the clutter. I agree with you, making the vadas with our hands is the best way to do it. I know it is time consuming, but it is worth the time.
I can understand how disappointing it is especially when you are craving for a tasty and crispy medu vada. Hmmm.
That is horrible that it is a failure. Heading to see the post to find out why…
I’ve tried it Babs, try with more batter, greasing the mould and tacful use of water. Water as you know is important for medu vadas and so is the quality of dal you’re using.By the way, using your bare hands (palm) is much easier. The trick with urad dal batter is using water to make it un-sticky.know what i mean? which does not mean mixing more water. Grind the batter with drop by drop water and keep in fridge for atleast 10mins. The batter comes in your hands and moulds the way like you want it. hope my experience helps. Any more on tis let me know..
Thanks Vijaya for all your helpful tips and I agree with you, if the batter is right it is easier to make it by hand (palm). I usually do make it with hand (palm). Since that process is slow and I am always impatient, I thought this vada maker would be super functional and would squeeze out the vadas quickly and with less effort. BTW, I greased the vada maker before using it. Anyway since you took the time to explain some of the things, I think I will try this vada maker one more time and let you know how it turns out.