Parippu Vada or Chana dal fritters along with a cup of tea on a rainy day, I would call this nothing but pure joy…
Why do I always get the craving for fried snacks the moment I see rain drizzling down? Sipping hot coffee or tea, crunching into the fried snacks, and gazing at the rain; I love to multi-task when it rains. The warmth of summer is fading away quickly and I am not yet ready to change my wardrobe to winter clothes. It’s been raining heavily lately and my craving for fried snacks grew stronger and stronger. A few days ago, I succumbed to my craving for these fried lentil fritters or parippu vada.
Parippu Vada is one of the popular evening snacks in South India. After a tiring day at work, munching these fritters along with a cup of tea would uplift anyone’s mood. It’s crunchy, slightly spicy and did I say irresistible?
Well, this is the South Indian-style Falafel 🙂
Parippu Vada or Chana Dal (Lentil) Fritters
Makes: 12
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- Chana dal or yellow split peas- 1 cup
- Onion, minced (red or yellow onions)- 1
- Green chilies, chopped small- 2
- Curry leaves, chopped- 2 sprigs
- Ginger, minced- 2-inch slice
- Asafoetida (optional)- 2 pinches
- Chili powder- 1/2 tsp (optional)
- Fennel seeds- 1/2 tsp
- Salt- 3/4 tsp
- Oil- for deep frying
Instruction
- Soak the chana dal in water overnight or for at least 3 hours.
- Drain the water from the chana dal through a strainer & rinse the dal under running water.
- Keep aside 1 tbsp of the soaked chana dal.
- In a blender, grind the soaked and drained chana dal to a coarse paste.
- Add only very little water while grinding- a few tablespoons and don’t make it into a smooth paste, it should be a coarse paste.
- To a large bowl, add the ground chana dal, 1 tbsp soaked chana dal, minced onion, minced ginger, chopped curry leaves, chopped green chilies, asafoetida, fennel seeds & salt.
- If you want the fritters to be spicy, add 1/2 tsp chili powder to the mixture.
- Combine the mixture well.
- Make small patties out of it and flatten it between the palm of your hands.
- If you find the mixture is not binding well, you can add 2 tbsp rice flour & mix well.
- Place a frying pan over medium heat, and add enough oil for deep frying.
- Gently slide the patties into the hot oil.
- Fry over medium heat till both sides turn golden brown in color.
- Don’t fry over high heat, the inside will not cook well.
- Transfer to a paper towel.
- You could serve the fritters on plantain leaves.
- Enjoy while it’s hot along with tea or coffee. Crunchy goodness.
Tips:
- If by any chance the ground chana dal mixture doesn’t hold well into balls, add 1 to 2 tbsp of rice flour.
- If you don’t have asafoetida you could skip it, however, adding it would give a nice aroma to the fritters.
- Adjust the spice level according to your needs.
- Any leftover fritters can be wrapped in plantain leaves and refrigerated. Microwave it before serving, the plantain leaf would give a nice aroma to the fritters.
- Chana dal or yellow split peas- 1 cup
- Onion, minced (red or yellow onions)- 1
- Green chilies, chopped small- 2
- Curry leaves, chopped- 2 sprigs
- Ginger, minced- 2-inch slice
- Asafoetida (optional)- 2 pinches
- Chili powder- ½ tsp (optional)
- Fennel seeds- ½ tsp
- Salt- ¾ tsp
- Oil- for deep frying
- Soak the chana dal in water overnight or for at least 3 hours.
- Drain the water from the chana dal through a strainer & rinse the dal under running water.
- Keep aside 1 tbsp of the soaked chana dal.
- In a blender, grind the soaked and drained chana dal to a coarse paste.
- Add only very little water while grinding- a few tablespoons and don't make it into a smooth paste, it should be a coarse paste.
- To a large bowl, add the ground chana dal, 1 tbsp soaked chana dal, minced onion, minced ginger, chopped curry leaves, chopped green chilies, asafoetida, fennel seeds & salt.
- If you want the fritters to be spicy, add ½ tsp chili powder to the mixture.
- Combine the mixture well.
- Make small patties out of it and flatten it between the palm of your hands.
- If you find the mixture is not binding well, you can add 2 tbsp rice flour & mix well.
- Place a frying pan over medium heat, and add enough oil for deep frying.
- Gently slide the patties into the hot oil.
- Fry over medium heat till both sides turn golden brown in color.
- Don't fry over high heat, the inside will not cook well.
- Transfer to a paper towel.
- You could serve the fritters on plantain leaves.
- Enjoy while it's hot along with tea or coffee. Crunchy goodness.
•If you don't have asafoetida you can skip it, however adding it would give a nice aroma to the fritters.
•Adjust the spice level according to your needs by adding less green chilies & chilli powder.
•Any leftover fritters can be wrapped in a plantain leaf & refrigerated. Microwave it before serving, the plantain leaf would give a nice aroma to the fritters.