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Masala Vada Recipe

Time and servings

Nutrition

Per servings.

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About

It is a popular South Indian crispy deep-fried fritter known for its super crunchy and crispy texture. Masala Dal Vada commonly known as Paruppu Masala Vadai is a sought-after snack with multipurpose use cases. Typically it is served as an evening snack with a cup of tea or coffee, but it can also be used as a side to breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Moreover, it is prepared with a combination of 2 main lentils, i.e. toor dal and channa dal. In addition, it can take a range of spices and herbs to make it a complete snack meal. There are many different ways this simple Masala Dal Vadai can be prepared, but the basic combination is toor dal and channa dal. The variations to this vada are mainly derived from the additional toppings it takes. On top of 2 lentils, other lentils can also be added like toor, masoor, and moong dal. Additionally, the vada can be altered by adding fresh herbs like dill leaves, palak, and methi leaves. Each herbs make it a unique deep-fried snack with a different taste.

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Ingredients

  • ¾ cup chana dal
  • ¾ cup toor dal
  • water (for soaking)
  • 2 dried red chilli
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp fennel
  • 2 tbsp onion (finely chopped)
  • 1 inch ginger (grated)
  • few curry leaves (chopped)
  • 2 chilli (finely chopped)
  • ¾ tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp coriander (finely chopped)
  • oil (for frying)

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Instructions

  1. Firstly, in a bowl take ¾ cup chana dal and ¾ cup toor dal. Adding the mixture of toor and chana dal gives nice crunchiness and taste.
  2. Add water and soak for 3 to 4 hours. Make sure not to oversoak, else the vada will not turn crispy.
  3. Drain off the water, and reserve ¼ cup dal aside.
  4. Transfer the soaked dal into the mixer jar.
  5. Add 2 dried red chilli, 1 tsp cumin andd 1 tsp fennel.
  6. Pulse and grind to a coarse paste. You can also use a chopper to prevent it from turning into a smooth paste.
  7. Transfer the dal paste to a large bowl.
  8. Add 2 tbsp onion, 1 inch ginger, few curry leaves, 2 chilli, ¾ tsp salt and mix well.
  9. Squeeze and mix making sure everything is well combined. If you find the mixture is watery, then add 2 tbsp rice flour.
  10. Also add 2 tbsp coriander and mix well.
  11. Now wet your hand or grease your hand and pinch a ball-sized mixture.
  12. Flatten slightly with your palm, make sure to keep the edges thin compared to the centre.
  13. Drop the vada into hot oil, keeping the flame on medium.
  14. Do not touch the vada for 2 minutes, else there are chances for the vada to break.
  15. Stir occasionally, and fry on low to medium flame.
  16. Fry until the vada turns golden and crunchy.
  17. Drain off and keep aside. Make sure to fry on low to medium flame, or else the vada will turn crispy from out and remain soft from the inside.
  18. Finally, Masala Vada Recipe tastes great for up to 2 days when stored in an airtight container.

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Step-by-step

1
Firstly, in a bowl take ¾ cup chana dal and ¾ cup toor dal. Adding the mixture of toor and chana dal gives nice crunchiness and taste.
2
Add water and soak for 3 to 4 hours. Make sure not to oversoak, else the vada will not turn crispy.
3
Drain off the water, and reserve ¼ cup dal aside.
4
Transfer the soaked dal into the mixer jar.
5
Add 2 dried red chilli, 1 tsp cumin and 1 tsp fennel.
6
Pulse and grind to a coarse paste. You can also use a chopper to prevent it from turning into a smooth paste.
7
Transfer the dal paste to a large bowl.
8
Add 2 tbsp onion, 1 inch ginger, few curry leaves, 2 chilli, ¾ tsp salt and mix well.
9
Squeeze and mix making sure everything is well combined. If you find the mixture is watery, then add 2 tbsp rice flour.
10
Also, add 2 tbsp coriander and mix well.
11
Now wet your hand or grease your hand and pinch a ball-sized mixture.
12
Flatten slightly with your palm, make sure to keep the edges thin compared to the centre. Drop the vada into hot oil, keeping the flame on medium.
13
Do not touch the vada for 2 minutes, else there are chances for the vada to break.
14
Stir occasionally, and fry on low to medium flame.
15
Fry until the vada turns golden and crunchy.
16
Drain off and keep aside. Make sure to fry on low to medium flame, or else the vada will turn crispy from out and remain soft from the inside.
17
Finally, Masala Vada Recipe tastes great for up to 2 days when stored in an airtight container.Masala Vada Recipe

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Video

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Notes

  • Firstly, do not over soak the dal else the vada will not turn crunchy.
  • Also, adding onion is optional, however, it makes vada tasty.
  • Additionally, you can also add moong dal, and urad dal for variation.
  • Finally, Masala Vada Recipe remains crunchy for up to 2 days when fried on low to medium flame.
Original recipe by Hebbar’s Kitchen: https://hebbarskitchen.com/masala-vada-recipe-masala-paruppu-vadai/