Fried snacks
Calories in Medu Vada
One medu vada has about 70 kcal. ICMR-NIN's Dietary Guidelines for Indians list 2 vadas at approximately 140 kcal, and the single-vada figure is half of that. The guideline does not say how big the vada is, so a large restaurant vada may well be higher. No protein, carbohydrate or fat figure is given for it.
Nutrition in 1 medu vada
| Nutrient | 1 medu vada | 2 medu vadas |
|---|---|---|
| Energy (approximate) | 70 kcal | 140 kcal |
1 medu vada is about 3% of the daily energy requirement of a sedentary adult man and 4% of a sedentary adult woman's (ICMR-NIN, 2020).
This is the approximate calorie value given in ICMR-NIN's Dietary Guidelines for Indians. The guidelines do not state the size of the piece and give no protein, carbohydrate or fat figure, so none is shown. Source: ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition. Dietary Guidelines for Indians: A Manual. 2nd edition. Hyderabad: NIN; 2011. Annexure 8.
What this figure covers
The source is a guideline table, not a recipe: ICMR-NIN gives about 140 kcal for 2 vadas and leaves the size unstated. That works out at 70 kcal each. Because no weight is given, there is no way to tell from the guideline whether a broad tiffin-room vada or a small home-made one is meant, and a bigger ring of batter will always carry more. Sambar and coconut chutney are not part of the figure either. Read 70 kcal as an approximate marker for one vada, and adjust upwards for a large one.
A medu vada is urad dal and oil. The dal is soaked, ground to a thick paste and beaten until it is full of air, then shaped into a ring and fried. Urad is a pulse, so the batter itself brings protein and fibre along with starch, and no flour is added. The remaining energy is frying oil. The airy batter that makes the inside soft also behaves like a sponge, and the hole in the middle exposes more surface to the oil, so the amount absorbed can vary a good deal from one cook to the next.
What goes into one serving
A standard recipe uses these main ingredients. Amounts are not shown, because the calorie figure above is not calculated from them.
| Ingredient |
|---|
| Black gram (urad) |
| Oil |
What changes the number
- 01
The size of the ring
Two small vadas shaped at home are not the same as two the width of a saucer. With no size in the guideline, the count for a large vada has to be scaled up by eye. Three vadas at the guideline rate are about 210 kcal.
- 02
Batter consistency
A stiff, well-aerated batter holds its shape and fries crisp. Batter thinned with too much water spreads and drinks oil. Grinding with very little water and frying straight away are the traditional safeguards.
- 03
Oil heat and draining
Vadas fried in oil that is hot enough brown quickly and stay light. In cooler oil they sit longer and take up more; one extra teaspoon of oil in a vada would raise it from 70 kcal to about 114 kcal. Drain them well before serving.
- 04
Sambar and coconut chutney
A vada dunked in sambar picks up little energy from it, since sambar is mostly dal, vegetables and water. Coconut chutney is richer because coconut is high in fat. Both are outside the guideline figure.
How medu vada compares
Other dishes of the same kind, one serving each, lightest first. Serving sizes differ, so read the serving before the number.
| Dish | One serving | Energy (kcal) | Protein (g) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pakora | 1 pakora | 35 | - |
| Medu Vada | 1 medu vada | 70 | - |
| Masala Vada | 1 masala vada | 75 | - |
| Puri | 1 puri | 80 | - |
| Dahi Vada | 1 dahi vada | 90 | - |
| Fish Fry | 1 piece of fish fry | 95 | - |
| Aloo Bonda | 1 aloo bonda | 100 | - |
| Sabudana Vada | 1 sabudana vada | 105 | - |
| Matar Kachori | 1 matar kachori | 190 | - |
| Samosa | 1 samosa | 200 | - |
In a meal and in a day
One medu vada is about 3% of a sedentary man's daily energy requirement and 4% of a woman's. It is usually eaten as a pair with sambar and chutney, or as the fried half of an idli-vada plate. Two vadas come to about 140 kcal and three to about 210 kcal. Because it is made from dal and not flour, a medu vada brings some protein, and sambar adds more along with vegetables. Pairing one vada with idlis gives the taste of the vada with less frying oil on the plate than a plate of vadas alone.
Ways to keep it lighter
- Order one vada with idlis instead of a plate of two or three vadas.
- Have plenty of sambar and go easy on the coconut chutney.
- Cook the same batter in a lightly oiled appe pan for small, round vadas.
- Fry at home in hot oil, and drain the vadas on a rack before serving.
Before you rely on the number
The 70 kcal figure is a rounded guide with no size attached, so it may well understate a large restaurant vada. Urad dal is a good base for a snack, but frying still makes this a food to count. Restaurant sambar and chutneys can be salty. People with high blood pressure, or anyone advised to limit pulses for kidney disease, should follow the guidance of their doctor or dietitian.
Food composition is general information, not a diet plan. Anyone managing a medical condition should plan their diet with a doctor or a registered dietitian.
Medu Vada: common questions
How many calories are in one urad dal vada?
About 70 kcal, taking ICMR-NIN's approximate figure of 140 kcal for 2 vadas. Urad dal vada, ulundu vadai, uzhunnu vada and medu vada are the same dish under different names. A larger vada will have more, since the guideline does not specify a size.
How many calories are in 2 medu vadas with sambar?
The two vadas are about 140 kcal on ICMR-NIN's figure. The guideline does not give a combined figure with sambar and chutney, so those need to be counted separately; of the two, coconut chutney adds more than sambar for the same spoonful.
Is medu vada high in protein?
It is made from urad dal, a pulse, so it has more protein than a flour-based snack of similar size. The guideline gives no protein figure, however, so no number can be quoted here. It is also deep-fried, which means a share of its calories is oil.
Medu vada or masala vada: which is lighter?
They are almost the same in ICMR-NIN's table: about 70 kcal for a medu vada and 75 kcal for a masala vada. Both figures are approximate and neither comes with a size, so the real difference on your plate depends on how big each vada is and how it was fried.
The recipe, the ingredients and related reading
Medu Vada
The recipe on this site, step by step.
Black gram (urad): nutrition per 100 g
Nutrients per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Indian food calorie chart: household portions, not per 100 g
The portion-by-portion answer, in the NNWA journal.
Indian food calorie counter
Add up a whole plate in rotis, katoris and cups.
Calories in every dish
All the cooked dishes, with calories per serving.
Learn to read a plate
Certification in Nutrition
Estimating what is on a plate and turning it into a meal plan is taught in this NNWA course.