Traditional Tamil meal is incomplete without masala vada. These split-chick-peas fritters are mostly prepared during festivals people serve these fritters as offering to gods or its normally prepared to celebrate any special occasion at home. Only few people add dill leaves but 90 percent bengalurean tamils add the dill leaves for flavor and taste. I am updating this blogpost with new pics and video.
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Ingredients:
1 Cup Chick peas (channa dhal/ kadalai paruppu)
1 Cup Dill leaves (Finely chopped)
1/2 Cup Coriander leaves (Finely Chopped)
1 Large Onion (Finely Chopped)
1/2 Cup Mint leaves (Finely chopped)
1 Inch Ginger
8 to 10 Green Chillies
1 Inch Cinnamon stick
3 Cloves
3 Cardamom pods
1 Tbsp Fennel seeds
Oil for frying
Salt to taste
Method:
Wash the dhal thrice. Cover the dhal with water and allow to soak in water for 1/2 hour to 45 minutes.
The dhal should double in size. Using a colander drain excess water allow the dhal to sit in the colander for 15 to 20 minutes before grinding. Excess moisture should drain and the dhal must remain dry if not the batter might turn soggy after grinding.
In a mixer jar (I use a small mixer jar to grind such batter fast) add the chillies, ginger, and fennel seeds along with cinnamon, cloves and cardamom grind to form a coarse paste please do not use water.
Once the masala has ground to coarse paste add a small portion of soaked dhal grind to form a coarse paste without adding water. This way the masala paste will get ground into a fine paste.
Follow the same step and grind the entire batch of dhal into a coarse paste without adding water reserve in a mixing bowl.
Add finely chopped onion, dill leaves, coriander and mint leaves to the batter mix well till all ingredients are distributed evenly.
Heat oil on medium flame in a kadai/wok and start making even roundels out of the batter.
Once the oil reaches smoking point place it on low flame. Moisten hands with water flatten the roundels.
Gently drop the flatten vada in hot oil. Flip each side every minute fry till golden brown drain excess oil place on paper towel. It took me 10 minutes to fry a batch of 7 vadas. Serve hot with rasam and rice or for chai...Enjoy...??
Tips:
Add salt to a portion of batter before frying.
Always check the heat level in the chilly before use sometimes it might be very hot. add chillies according to taste.
If we add salt to the entire batter onion tends to shed out water and the batter will get soggy.
Old pics from this blogpost