Masala Vade

 Masala vade is basically fritters made from chana dal. Recipe is fairly easy.  You can skip onion and increase other masala if making for festivals. 

Happy Ugadi! 

Ingredients

Chana Dal - 2 cups (makes 50-60 medium sized ambodes)

Urad dal - 2 tbsp

Rice flour - use as needed - more or less half cup

Onion - 1 finely chopped

Cilantro - a small bunch finely chopped

Dill leaves - a small bunch - finely chopped

Masala 

Green chillies -  around 6 - as required 

Ginger - a big piece

Garlic - 1-2 cloves - or more if you like it - I generally skip this

Cinnamon - a small piece

Cloves - 2

Fennel seeds - around 1 tsp - add according to your preference

Mint - 3-5 leaves for mild flavor - optional

Method 

Wash and soak chana dal and urad dal in sufficient water for at least 2 hrs, ideally 4 hrs. Drain the water completely. This is very important. 

In a mixie, grind ‘masala’ ingredients without adding any water. 

Add drained dal to the mixie, and pulse 2-3 times. Do not add water. Scrape the sides and pulse again. You should get a semi coarse mix. It is okay if some dal in not crushed. Take this out in a mixing bowl. Grind the remaining dal. Grind in small batches for better results. Add salt, finely chopped onion, cilantro and dill leaves. Mix well. Now add little rice flour, around 2 tbsp at a time, and mix well. The mix should come together and you should be able to mould it into vada shape easily. If it is breaking apart easily, add more rice flour. Be careful not to add too much rice flour, otherwise Vadas can become chewy. 

Make vada shaped balls from the dough. Deep fry in medium heat until both sides are nicely browned. 

Recipe Reference - “https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2YVNQmaDSA”