Masala Dal Vada

Ingredients:

1 cup Bengal Gram/Split Chickpeas/Chana Dal
2-4 Dry Red Chillies (Adjust as per taste)
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
2-3 springs Curry Leaves
¼ tsp Hing/Asafoetida
Salt to taste
Oil for Deep Frying

Method:

1. Wash chana dal or split Bengal grams 2-3 times to remove impurities and soak it in 3 cups of water for 2-4 hours.
2. Drain all the water from soaked lentil and keep it aside until needed.
3. Break the dried red chillies into 2-3 pieces and place them in the bottom of a mixer grinder jar or food processor along with curry leaves. Next add the chana dal, cumin seeds, hing and salt to taste and press the pulse button few ties to get a rough paste without adding any water. Don’t worry if there are few whole lentils left as they will add crunch to the vadas.
4. Remove from the mixer grinder into a mixing bowl and mix them well. You should easily be able to shape them into small balls without crumbling.
5. Heat oil for deep frying in a pan or kadai on medium flame. While the oil is getting heated, shape the vadas for deep frying.
6. Pinch small lime sized balls and roll them into round balls. Flatten it gently by pressing them in between palms or fingers to make about 2-2½ inch round discs.
7. Drop these discs into hot oil and fry them in batches of 4-6 on medium flame until they turn golden brown in colour, about 2-3 mins.
8. Remove from the oil with slotted spoon and place them in a plate lined with kitchen towel to remove excess oil.
9. Serve these delicious Masala Dal Vada hot or at room temperature on their own with hot cup of coffee or tea. You can also serve them with any chutney, tomato ketchup or sauce of your choice and enjoy!