Masala Vada (Paruppu Vadai) is a spicy and crunchy evening snack. It is easy and simple to make in 20 minutes apart from a soaking time.
A Crunchy Evening Snack:
Masala Vada or Paruppu Vadai is a delicious and crunchy evening snack. I make this masala vada during cold rainy or snowy days. This vada is a perfect evening snack with a cup of tea.
Channa dal with fennel seeds, cinnamon stick and green chilies together makes a yummy snack. This vada is a popular snack in South India; almost every roadside snack shops sell it. My little kid Aldrich would also love this crunchy snack.
Smart Cooking Tips:
A perfect masala vada depends on the consistency of its batter. So I am sharing the smart tips for How to grind the channa dal for masala vada?
- Soak channa dal for at least 5 hours. It helps to grind the dal quickly.
- Grind the channa dal coarsely like I shown in the above picture. If you grind it to a smooth paste, then the vada will become soft and not crunchy.
- Avoid adding water for grinding channa dal, if you add water, it will become difficult to bind and form a shape.
- Grind the ginger, green chilies, red chilies, fennel seeds and cinnamon stick to a coarse paste first. After that add channa dal and grind together. Because if you grind all together first, then the red chilies and spices remain as it is without grinding, and it will spoil the vada taste.
- Make small patties and deep fry it in a medium flame until it becomes crispy and crunchy.
Easy Finger Food for Parties:
Masala Vada is a tasty and crunchy finger food for parties. Apart from soaking channa dal for about 5 hours, it is easy and simple to make in less than half an hour.
Grinding channa dal also easy, you can grind it using a grinder or mixer. You can even grind the channa dal with spices like fennel seeds, cinnamon, ginger, green chilies, red chilies and keep it in the refrigerator a day before the party.
Before a party, you can just add chopped onion, make patties and fry it. It helps to reduce the effort and serve the vada hot and fresh for your guests.
More Indian Evening Snacks
Masala Vada (Paruppu Vadai) is a spicy and crunchy evening snack. It is easy and simple to make in 20 minutes apart from a soaking time.
- 2 cup CHANNA DAL
- 0.50 tbsp FENNEL SEED
- 1 no GREEN CHILIES
- 2 no DRY RED CHILIES
- 1 tsp GINGER GRATED
- 1 inch CINNAMON STICK
- 1 cup ONION CHOPPED
- 2 cups OIL (for deep frying)
- 0.25 tsp HING OR ASAFOETIDA
- 1 tsp SALT
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Soak the channa dal in cold water for about 5 hours and drain the water completely.
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Grind fennel seeds, cinnamon stick, green chilies, red chilies, ginger to a coarse paste first.
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Add channa dal and grind it together with spices to a coarse paste (this step helps to blend and mix the spices with channa dal without staying as it is or getting stuck in between while grinding.
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In a medium bowl add grounded channa dal mixture, chopped onion, salt, hing (asafoetida) and mix well.
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Divide the batter into small portions and roll it into the ball shape. Press in between the palms and make a patty.
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Deep fry it in a medium flame until the color changes into golden brown.
How to Serve Masala Vada?
Serve Masala Vada with a cup of tea as an evening snack.