Masala Vada is a street snack and will be good along with a cup of tea. Masala Vada, a crispy and savory deep-fried fritter made from chana dal and spices, is a popular street food of South Indian cuisine. It is also known as Paruppu Vadai in Tamil Nadu. Besides chana dal, the other important ingredient in masala vada, which plays a major role in its flavorful taste, is onion. However, if you want to make it without onion, add fennel seeds for the flavor. The process for making chana dal vada is very simple and takes very little time, except for the time required for soaking the chana dal. If you are craving something crispy and crunchy, then make this vadai, and your taste buds will not stop thanking us.
Ingredients
Chana Dal – 1cup
Fennel seeds – 1cup
Red Chillies – 4
Onion – 1 big or 10 to 15 pearl onions (Finely chopped)
Green Chilli – 3 (Finely Chopped)
Curry leaves – 1slit
Mint and Coriander leaves – as required (Optional) (Finely chopped)
Salt – for taste
Oil for deep frying
Steps
Soak the Chana Dal for 5 hrs minimum. Soaking more is required for a smooth and crispy
Take out a spoonful of Chana dal from the soaked dal and keep aside.
Put the rest of the dal into a jar and add red chilli and fennel seeds, and salt.
Blend it for 1 minute. It should not be very smooth nor very coarse.
Take out this mixture from the jar and add finely chopped onion, green chilli, curry leaves, Mint, coriander leaves, and a spoonful of chana dal, which we took earlier.
Now the mixture for Vada is ready
Heat the oil in a pan. The flame should be in the medium. Try a small piece of the mixture in oil. If it is rising immediately, that’s the stage you can start putting Vada.
Take a small lemon-sized ball of the mix, flatten it with your hands, and gently slip it into the oil. If you are not familiar with the hands, use a piece of banana leaf or aluminum foil, or a plastic cover for flattening the Vada.
Deep fry it until golden brown and take it out.