Dal Vada, also known as moong dal fritter, is one of the most popular street foods in Gujarat. Dal Vada is one of those snacks that can be eaten any time of the day. This is my take on the authentic recipe and it is as close as it gets to the real dish. These Vadas are delicious, addictive, healthy, and very filling since moong dal has high fiber content. My weekend childhood memories include sitting with my whole family in India and eating these delicious Dal Vadas while enjoying each others company. There are so many wonderful memories attached to this snack. Fast forward to today, we still love eating them and I make it at least once a month. This was definitely one of the mouthwatering snacks that was missed when we moved to America and I have not seen one restaurant that sells this deliciousness, hence I had to figure out a way to make these at home.
This recipe is very quick, easy to make, and perfect appetizer for your parties! If you soak the lentils ahead of time they can be prepared in less than 30 minutes. You can prep the batter ahead of time and fry just prior to serving or you can even fry them ahead of time and serve within 1 hour. They will still stay nice and crispy on the outside.
Serves 4
[Per serving Calories 250, Fat 14g, Carbs 25g, Fiber 7g, Protein 9g]
Ingredients
1 cup Moong Dal (Split green gram lentil)
1-2 Ginger pieces
1 cup Moong Dal (Split green gram lentil)
1-inch Ginger piece
4-5 Green chilies (adjust to your spice level)
Oil for frying
Salt to taste (pepper – optional)
Method
Wash the split moong dal couples of times with water. Soak it for 4-5 hours in the water. Scrub the soaked lentils and wash multiple times. Remove excess green husks that float on the water. Remove excess water.
Grind the moong dal in the grinder with minimum water, add 1 tbsp of water at a time while grinding. Do not make the moong dal into very smooth paste, the mixture should be slightly coarse. Once you are done grinding it, keep it aside. The coarseness of the lentils will give you crunchy texture outside and you have to whip the batter with your hands to get air incorporated into the batter to get the soft texture inside. If you forget to do this step, you will have a nice crunchy outside but it will not be soft inside. Finely chop ginger and chilies and add it to the mixture. Add salt to taste.
Heat the oil in the pan for frying. When oil reaches medium temperature you are ready to fry the vada. Fry Dal Vada until light golden and it should have crispy layer outside but soft inside. Your Dal Vadas are ready! Serve with onions or fried green chilies.
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