How to make tasty Parippu vada / Dal vada?

This article is about the preparation of the tasty as well as mouth watering south Indian dish 'Parippu Vada or Dal Vada'. It is a famous south Indian recipe which is used as a snack in evenings. parippu vada + Puvan pazham (a type of banana) + A cup of black tea is one of the famous combination in Kerala.

Parippu Vada

Vada is a traditional south Indian food. They are commonly prepared in homes as well as a typical street food in India and Sri Lanka. Vada is a high caloric snack, So it is used as evening snack in India. In South Africa Vada is known as Vades. When the malayalies hears about vada, the first thing that comes to the mind is the pictures of small tea-shops on the roadsides with people sitting in small benches with a cup of tea and a plate of parippu vada. The bond between parippu vada and malayalies are very bigger than we think. The communist party in Kerala serves parippu vada and tea for all the members in special occasions. There are so many types of vadas available in Kerala, parippu vada is the most crispier among the all. This vada is very tasty as well as mouth watering and it is very easy to make them too. So let's see how to make Parippu vada.

Main Ingredients

Chana Dal - One cup

Dry red chillies - 2-4 Nos

Ginger - 1.5 inch piece

Curry leaves - 1 spring

Shallot - 12 Nos

Cooking oil - 1 cup

Salt - To taste

Method

Soak the Dal in clean and neat water for 2 hours and drain it.

Chop ginger, dry chillies, shallots and curry leaves very finely.

Grind Dal without adding water to a paste form (Not too smooth).

Mix the chopped ingredients and salt to the pasted Dal and stir thoroughly.

Make eight equal sized balls with the mixture(first make the ball round and then press it with your palms)

Take a deep bottomed pan and pour enough oil into it and heat it. When the oil is hot enough, reduce the heat and deep fry the vadas in it until the both side becomes golden brown color. Serve it with a black tea and enjoy.

Tips

Shallots can be replaced by onions and red chilies by green chillies.

Wet your hands during making the mixture into rounds. It will prevent the mixture from sticking into your hands. If you want to make your vadas more crispy make them into thin discs than thicker ones. The heat should be on a medium. If the oil is too hot the vada will turn into dark brown quickly without cooked inside.

It is better to make small sized vada as such it gets cooked very well. You can use coconut oil for more taste. The water should be very well drained otherwise you can't make it to the perfect shape. If you want to make your Vada more crispy, fry it till the vadas becomes dark brown.

If you want to make your Vada more tasty, try to use small types of seeds (ellu) with it. If your are going to make vadas for a large quantity, chopped veggies and the pasted Dal must be kept in the refrigerator separately (not mixed). Only mix them at the time of the preparation.