Paruppu Vadai/Masala Vada is a South Indian snack that is suitable to consume any time of the day. This vadai is also known as Aama Vadai in some parts of Tamil Nadu. My first memory of ever having an Aama Vadai is from the tiny stall, at the corner of our street, back in my native place. We used to buy these delicious vadais from that stall almost every day whenever we visited. Paruppu Vadai/Masala Vada has a crispy exterior and is well cooked in the middle. Note that this recipe is not a very spicy version, so the kids will absolutely love it.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup Bengal gram/Channa dal/Kadalai paruppu
- 1 large Onion, chopped
- 2 Green chillies, chopped
- 2 sprig Curry leaves, chopped
- 1/8 tsp Asafoetida
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 1/2 tsp Fennel seeds
- 1/2 tsp Salt or as needed
- Water
- Oil for deep frying
Recipe:
Wash and soak the Bengal gram in water fully immersed, for about 2 hours.
Drain the water and transfer the Bengal gram to a blender along with garlic, fennel and salt. Grind it to a coarse paste, without adding any water (*Refer Notes). It is alright if there are some whole dals present after grinding. It will give a nice crunch to the vadais.
Transfer it to a pot/bowl. Add chopped onion, green chillies and curry leaves. Mix them all together.
For making the vadai/vada, take a small amount of the dal mixture in your hand make it into a small ball and press it between your palms lightly. Repeat the process until all the mixture is done.
Heat oil in a deep bottomed vessel on a medium flame. Once the oil is hot enough, drop as many vadais/vadas in oil based on capacity (*Refer Notes).
Fry them till they turn golden on both sides, flipping in between. Take them out and drain the excess oil in a tissue. Repeat the process for frying the remaining vadais/vadas.
Serve hot Paruppu Vadai/Masala Vada with tea or coffee.
Notes:
- To check if the dal is soaked and ready to be ground, try splitting it in between your thumb and index finger. If it splits, you are good to go.
- There is no need to add any water while grinding. If it is too hard to grind, then add just 1 or 2 spoons of water. If you add too much water, it might be difficult to shape the vadais.
- To make sure that the oil is hot enough, drop a small pinch of the mixture into the oil. If it comes up immediately, the oil is hot and you can start frying the vadais.
- The number of vadais that can be fried at a time depends on your vessel’s capacity. Make sure there is enough room to flip the vadais.
- For increasing the spice level, add 5-6 red chillies while grinding the dal.
