In Search of Texas Wild - Meda Vada

We were clearly outnumbered. Our simple trip to the zoo had turned into a little bit of a marathon. We spent the holidays celebrating with family, three families to be exact, and six little cousins with an abundance of enthusiasm and energy. Poet and Flower had talked about their upcoming trip for months and were so excited to play and enjoy time with their cousins. We thought, what better way to expend some energy than a day at the zoo? We soon found out that when together, the energy of six far exceeds what you would think.

My cousin's house had quickly become a whirlwind of kids and toys. And within the span of minutes, their neatly organized house had turned into a disaster. I thought the kids made the tornado in The Wizard of Oz look like child's play. When one came running down the stairs with a motorized car stuck in her hair and another holding a pair of scissors to help, we knew we would have to do more. (Disaster was averted as the car was successfully cut out, and the brood ran off to do more damage.)

And so we planned a visit to the Ft. Worth zoo. The Indianapolis zoo is small and manageable, with two little ones. The Ft. Worth zoo was a completely different beast, no pun intended. We arrived and quickly found that our little group needed lunch. First we stopped near the entrance, only to find hamburgers—no options for six different little eaters. We marched on only to find that the closest lunch option was a pretty sizeable hike at the other end of the zoo. We set out with six (cranky) kids, a wagon, and three adults. Flower decided the walk was too long and ate cheese stick after cheese stick. Poet just kept asking if we were there yet.

We all played a game, looking for signs directing us to Texas Wild. It sounded like our destination was some type of mirage. Would we find the wild west complete with a saloon and maybe a drink? But, we finally made it. We found lunch successfully for everyone. Pizza, hot dogs, chicken tenders, all the foods that little kids (and sometimes not so little) love.

My cousin and I sat down, happy to have a moment while the kids enjoyed their lunches. Both of us had a cheeseburger with pepper jack cheese. She convinced me to skip a salad, and she couldn't have been more right. The burger was piled high with crispy iceberg, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. And to go with it, crunchy fries with a dusting of Texas spice. They had just come out of the fryer. It couldn't have been a more perfect meal. We sat together and enjoyed the quiet.

And then we were off to the foxes, the cheetahs, the elephants, the bald eagles and our next adventure.

Medu Vada

A classic crispy South Indian fritter. This is a delicious breakfast or afternoon snack made with lentils, curry leaves and cumin. Perfect with sambhar or coconut chutney.

Makes about 15 vada

• 1 cup urad dal
• 3 to 4 tablespoons water
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 7 to 8 curry leaves
• 1/2 medium onion (minced)
• 1 to 2 green chilies (chopped)
• 1/2 inch fresh ginger (minced)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• neutral oil for frying

1. Soak urad dal in 3 cups of water for 5 hours or overnight.

2. Drain the dal and then blend in a blender with 3-4 tablespoons of water. Add just enough water so you can blend the batter, but you don't want it to be too thin. Blend for 3 -4 minutes until light and fluffy. This is the key to a light and fluffy vada.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the batter with the cumin, black pepper, curry leaves, onion, chilis, ginger and salt. Mix gently.
4. In a frypan, heat oil until it is shimmering.
5. Use a little water to make your hands wet so the batter won't stick when making the vada. Take 3 tablespoons batter and place into the palm of your hand. Using your thumb, gently make a hole in the center.
6. Drop into hot oil and fry for 2-3 minutes a side until golden. Drain on paper towels.
7. Serve warm with sambhar or coconut chutney.