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Appetizers & Snacks South Indian

Masala Dal Vada/Lentil Fritters

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Masala Dal Vada/Lentil Fritters

Masala Dal Vada/Lentil Fritters is a popular snack from South India. It is very similar to Falafel. Instead of chickpeas, chana dal is used in this recipe. These fritters are my absolute favorite. If you ever visit Tamil Nadu, you will find this snack being made at every corner of the street. It’s like the Vada Pav of Bombay. Trust me, every street vendor makes it delicious. In fact there are temples down there who even serve this as prasadam ( a religious offering to god. It is normally consumed by worshipers after worship.) without adding onions of course along with Traditional Curd Rice. There is something about eating the prasadam in the temple premise. It always tastes different and somehow even more delicious. Masala Dal Vada is our fixed evening snack whenever we visit our hometown in South India.

Masala Dal Vada/Lentil Fritters

There are so many wonderful memories attached to this snack. My grandma used to make it for all the kids in the house as an evening snack. We used to land up eating so much that we would have no space in our stomach for dinner. Her Masala Dal Vadas were truly mouthwatering and world famous in our family. They always turned out perfect. Same goes with my mom as well. She too like grandma make the perfect dal vadas. I have never been a fan of Medu Vada (another famous snack from South India). So whenever my mom made medu vada for the family, she would make a small batch of dal vada for me. I would not even touch the medu vada but finish all the dal vada by myself. Knowing very well that I loved only this vada, she would always make it for all special/festive occasions. All of us at home would gorge on it shamelessly.

Masala Dal Vada/Lentil Fritters

Fast forward to today, I still love eating them. In fact, I had ensured that we serve this vegetarian snack in our wedding as well for all our guests. This was also one of the first dishes my MIL made for me. She knows it’s my favorite so always lands up making this snack for me every now and then. Moving to the US has been interesting in many ways, however I miss the pleasure of just sitting back and enjoy meals cooked by my mom/MIL or aunts. Here, since it’s just me and KR, we only have to cook by ourselves and eat it too. That gets quite monotonous and boring sometimes. Now, thankfully due to my blog, I experiment a lot with food and try out new dishes. That is what keeps me going. 

Masala Dal Vada/Lentil Fritters

Last week, we had our monthly Ladies Social night where the women from our community gathered at a neighbor’s house for some fun and frolic. It was also a potluck party. So we all had to get something. I was sure that I wanted to take something Indian as all the ladies here love Indian food. While thinking of what to cook, I suddenly remembered these dal vadas. It had anyways been many months since I had made them. So I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to do so. Bearing in mind the American palate, I decided to keep the spice levels low so that all could enjoy it. I was positive that all would love this appetizer. 

Masala Dal Vada/Lentil Fritters

The recipe is super easy. Soak chana dal for 2-3 hours at least. Strain and grind to a coarse paste along with dried red chillies, salt and asafoetida. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Add onions and cilantro. Mix it all together. Shape them into small balls and flatten them a bit. Heat oil for frying and fry the balls till they turn golden brown. 

Masala Dal Vada/Lentil Fritters

Strain them out in paper towels and serve them hot with some green chutney or ketchup. 

Masala Dal Vada/Lentil Fritters

These Masala Dal Vada/Lentil Fritters are utterly delicious. I usually enjoy them as is, without any sauce or chutney. They taste just great. The taste enhances with every bite you take!

Masala Dal Vada/Lentil Fritters

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Author Priya Lakshminarayan

Ingredients

  • 2 cups chana dal
  • 4-5 dried red chillies
  • Salt as required
  • Pinch of asafoetida
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 3/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • Oil for frying

Instructions

  • Soak chana dal for 2-3 hours at-least. Strain and grind to a coarse paste along with dried red chillies, salt and asafoetida. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Add onions and cilantro. Mix it all together. Shape them into small balls and flatten them a bit. Heat oil for frying and fry the balls till they turn golden brown.
  • Strain them out in paper towels and serve them hot with green chutney or ketchup.

Notes

You can make the vada without adding onions too.
Tried this recipe?Share your creation by tagging me @Cookilicious on Instagram with the #cookiliciousveg

Masala Dal Vada/Lentil Fritters is an Indian savory dish made with split Bengal gram and spices. Extremely delicious and super easy to make. That evening at the Ladies Social, this dish was an instant hit. Some ladies still did find it hot for their palate, however packed some for their spouses who love hot Indian food. I had made around 40 dal vadas and they were all gone within minutes. Thankfully I had saved some for KR back home. After getting back home, when I told KR that I needed a newspaper as a prop to take pictures of the fritters, he surprised me with the printout of “The Daily Prophet” and I was elated. I loved his idea to use this as a prop. Harry Potter seems to be devouring my Masala Dal Vada/Lentil Fritters as much as I was! 🙂

Masala Dal Vada/Lentil Fritters

If you do try this recipe, please do share it with your friends on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. This will keep me motivated to develop more interesting recipes. Click a pic and post it with the hashtag #cookiliciousveg . I would love to see your pictures on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter!


32 Comments

Comments

  1. Gayatri P says

    December 13, 2019 at 9:31 am

    Nice recipes. Also I suggest try Gujarati Moog Dal Vada recipe Thank you.

    Reply
    • Priya says

      December 13, 2019 at 10:13 am

      Thanks.. I have made them too..it on the blog 🙂

      Reply
  2. Anubhavijay says

    November 27, 2018 at 8:35 am

    Meaning of asafoetida

    Reply
    • Priya says

      November 27, 2018 at 12:28 pm

      hing.. 🙂

      Reply
  3. Anne @ Domesblissity says

    November 8, 2016 at 10:48 pm

    Gosh I love your recipes Priya. This one looks particularly delicious and one I think my kids might eat. Thanks so much for sharing at Thriving on Thursdays last week. I’m featuring this post at tomorrow’s party.

    Anne @ Domesblissity

    Reply
    • Chef@Cookilicious says

      November 11, 2016 at 4:43 pm

      Thanks Anne! 🙂

      Reply
  4. Miz Helen says

    November 7, 2016 at 7:23 pm

    Thanks so much for sharing your amazing Fritters with us at Full Plate Thursday!

    Miz Helen

    Reply
  5. Marilyn Lesniak says

    November 4, 2016 at 9:10 pm

    Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe at the #RecipeSharingParty! I hope to see you next week. Pinned and Yummed. Please visit #OverTheMoon on Sunday, #WonderfulWednesday or #ThursdayFavoriteThings for more sharing fun! Don’t forget to Comment your link #’s so I can be sure to visit and you get a chance to be featured!

    Reply
  6. Janet Vinyard says

    November 3, 2016 at 10:13 am

    What a great looking appetizer! I would probably need to reduce the heat for me but it still looks tasty! Thanks for sharing your recipe and the story behind them. Your photos are great, too! Blessings, Janet

    Reply
  7. Theresa Huse says

    August 4, 2016 at 5:53 pm

    Thanks for sharing your yummy looking appetizer at the #InspirationSpotlight party. Pinned & shared.

    Reply
  8. Kim says

    August 2, 2016 at 10:15 pm

    I’ll be giving these a try! I love fritters as a general rule and can’t wait to try them with lentils! Thanks so much for linking up with us at You Link it We Make It!

    Reply
  9. Karly says

    August 1, 2016 at 12:51 am

    I am excited to try these fritters! Thanks for linkin’ up with What’s Cookin’ Wednesday!

    Reply
  10. Carol@blueskykitchen says

    July 31, 2016 at 9:58 pm

    My mouth is watering. Looks delicious and different. Thank you for sharing at Your Inspired Design Link Party.

    Reply
  11. Miz Helen says

    July 29, 2016 at 10:21 pm

    Just pinned this awesome recipe and can’t wait to make it. Thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday and have a great weekend!
    Miz Helen

    Reply
  12. Teresa says

    July 29, 2016 at 11:00 am

    Sounds yummy, I haven’t had lentils in years…Thank you for sharing. Added to The Really Crafty Link Party Pinterest board.

    Reply
  13. CJ Huang says

    July 28, 2016 at 2:54 pm

    I’m liking that Harry Potter background. 🙂 And these fritters sound so flavorful too – kinda like an Indian falafel!

    Reply
  14. Jess says

    July 28, 2016 at 12:56 pm

    What a neat recipe!

    Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!

    Reply
  15. Janet Vinyard says

    July 27, 2016 at 8:43 pm

    I love falafel so I’m sure I’d like this too! Thanks for sharing the instructions. Your photos are amazing! Blessings, Janet

    Reply
  16. Tina Dawson | Love is in my Tummy says

    July 27, 2016 at 7:07 pm

    Between medu vada and a masala vada, I’m definitely a masala vada person! Love the crunch and the flavour of channa dal!You make me hungry, girl!

    Reply
  17. Sarah @ champagne tastes says

    July 27, 2016 at 6:45 pm

    Oh yum- this sounds fantastic!

    Reply
  18. Alison's Allspice says

    July 27, 2016 at 5:55 pm

    I love Indian food, your recipe looks so easy to follow. Thanks for providing links to some of the ingredients you use! I found your link at What’s Cookin Wednesday!

    Reply
  19. Evi says

    July 27, 2016 at 4:12 pm

    Oh my, these look amazing! I definitely need to make these.

    Reply
  20. Cindy Gordon (Vegetarian Mamma) says

    July 27, 2016 at 2:58 pm

    These look delicious! I am always looking for fun apps to make for at-home date nights! This looks like a winner!

    Reply
  21. Mal says

    July 27, 2016 at 2:34 pm

    I’m starving and these look amazing!!!

    Reply
  22. Diana Johnson says

    July 25, 2016 at 3:01 pm

    These look delicious! I’ve never heard of dal vada before, but I’d love to give them a try.

    Reply
  23. Suchi @elegantmeraki says

    July 25, 2016 at 2:34 pm

    I will have it with a cup of tea please. Looks delicious!!

    Reply
  24. Molly Kumar says

    July 25, 2016 at 2:29 pm

    These Masala Vada looks so delicious! We love having them with a hot cup of tea and absolutely perfect for an evening snack!

    Reply
  25. peter @Feed Your Soul Too says

    July 25, 2016 at 1:54 pm

    We just love the flavors of India in our house. This is such a fun recipe. We would be dipping until there were none left!

    Reply
  26. Karyn says

    July 25, 2016 at 1:51 pm

    A very delicious recipe, with beautiful photos to go with

    Reply
  27. Edye says

    July 25, 2016 at 12:22 pm

    What a yummy look recipe! Gorgeous photos 🙂

    Blessings,
    Edye | http://gracefulcoffee.wordpress.com

    Reply
  28. Aish Padihari says

    July 12, 2016 at 12:56 pm

    Drooling. Miss eating vadas.

    Reply
  29. Marette @ Floradise says

    July 7, 2016 at 1:30 pm

    These look delicious! I am pinning this so I can make these this month! I can’t wait!

    Floradise: http://www.maretteflora.com

    Reply

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