Masala Vada / Vade

Vade in Kannada and Vada in some other Indian languages, is an Indian snack made from split Bengal gram ,crispy on the outside, soft inside.This particular snack was prepared at home only on festivals to accompany the several other delicacies for lunch. But i would never like it as a part of the lunch ,coz by then , it would have turned cold. I felt ,it tasted best when it was hot, so i would have it as soon as my mom would fry them , and ended up getting shouted at. Now since I am the one who cooks, I make them at my will and eat more than I serve :). Since it snowed here today and is really cold, I thought why not treat myself to this wonderful healthy snack.


Ingredients:

• 1 cup Channa dal( split Bengal gram)
• ½ inch Ginger chopped
• 5-6 garlic flakes
• 3 cloves
• 1 small piece cinnamon
• 1 large onion chopped fine
• 7 green chillies chopped fine(you can decrease or increase as per your choice)
• 2 tblspn Coriander chopped fine
• ¼ cup Dill( sabakki soppu) chopped fine(optional)
• 2-3 sprigs of coriander to grind
• ¼ tspn turmeric powder
• 1 Tblspn rice flour
• Salt to taste
• Oil for deep fry.

Procedure:

1. Soak the channa dal for about 2 hours and drain.
2. Keep aside one fistful of channa dal.
3. Grind the remaining channa dal along with the ginger, garlic,coriander, cloves and cinnamon.
4. Now add the channa dal kept separate , chopped green chillies, onion, dill, coriander , turmeric powder , rice flour,salt. Mix well.
5. Heat oil in a deep frying pan. Make lemon sized balls , pat slightly in your palm, and fry them in the oil until brown.
6. Serve hot along with the chutney of your choice although I devour them up just like that or along with my cuppa tea.

Note:The onions, green chillies and greens should be chopped very fine .
Do not add water while grinding . The paste needs to be thick.

Prep time : 25 mins. this excludes the soaking time.