Masal vadai | Channa dal vadai

Masal vadai is a very popular snack in South India. I like masal vadai more than medu vadai my all-time favorite. I like the flavor of fennel seeds in this. If the channa dal is soaked and the other ingredients are in handy, then masal vadai is so easy. First time I prepared and it came out really well more than what I expected. 

Let us see the method to prepare the masal vadai.

Ingredients:

Kadalai parupu / Channa Dal – 1 cup

Rice flour – 1 tbsp

Onion – 1 big size

Green chilies – 4 or as needed

Sombu / Fennel seeds – 1 tbsp

Curry leaves – 1 sprig

Coriander leaves – handful/ 2 tbsp

Ginger – 1 inch piece

Garlic – 4 to 5 cloves

Asafetida – a pinch

Salt as needed

Oil for deep fry

Method:

Soak 1 cup Channa dal for 4 hours.

After cooking all other items, finally you can start making vadai if you are doing for any festival, Pooja or guests.

Take green chilies, fennel seeds, ginger and garlic in a small mixer jar. Grind it to a coarse paste.

Drain water from the channa dal completely. Take it in the bigger jar and grind it to a coarse paste. Do not grind more. No problem if there are one or two whole dals.

Transfer the ground dal to a bowl. Add chopped onion, curry leaves, asafetida, coriander leaves and a tbsp. of rice flour.

Add the chili paste with fennel, ginger and garlic.

Add salt as needed and mix well. No need to add water

Take a kadhai and heat oil for deep fry.

Make small lemon size balls first from the mix. Try to make equal size balls to get equal size vadai.

Take each ball and make it flatten and put it into hot oil.

Simmer the flame and fry till it reaches golden color.

Drain and transfer to bowl.

Cook in batches repeating the same steps.

Note:

Use baby onion (shallots) instead of big onion for better taste.

If you feel the mixture is having more water, then add a tbsp. of besan / kadalai mavu and mix.