Dal Vada | Masala Vada | Parippu Vada

Dal Vada also known as Parippu Vada or Masala Vada are savory, spiced, crunchy fritters that are a popular street food in South India. Gluten-free and vegan. There are many ways to make Chana Dal Vada. Here I share two awesome recipes to make Masala Vada. I have been making these for years now having learnt it from my mother.

1. Dal Vada – The classic version with a crispy, crunchy texture.
2. Masala Vada – Robust and made with more fragrant spices.

Both these recipes taste great and you can make any of them according to your preference. The method of making both the recipes are almost the same. The only major difference is the addition of more spices in the second recipe of Masala Vada that gives a more complex flavor and taste.

What is Dal Vada made of

Dal Vada is made with chana dal. Chana dal are derived from brown chickpeas that have been husked and split. They have a lovely nutty taste and flavor. Chana dal is also known as Bengal gram in english.

So obviously Dal Vada is also called as Chana Dal Vada. It is also known as Parippu Vada in Malayalam and Paruppu Vadai in Tamil. The word parippu or paruppu means lentils.

Aromatics like onions, herbs and spices give a lovely flavor and taste to Dal Vada. No wonder it is a popular and favorite South Indian snack. These are crispy, crunchy, tasty and make for a great tea time snack.

While growing up, dal vada used to be one of our favorite snack. My mom used to make these crispy fritters as an evening snack. These are also my Dad’s favorite tea-time snack.

Our visits to South Indian cities and towns, would always have us relishing piping hot, crispy dal vada on the streets.

I love to have parippu vada with coconut chutney or tomato ketchup or red chilli garlic chutney. These are so good and addictive that you cannot stop at one.

The taste of the classic chana dal vada is completely different from the masala vada. You need to try both to find the difference.

Note: The recipe requires you to have a coarse mixture of the lentils which does include whole chana dal in it. If you have any family member with dental issues, then grind the batter finely. After frying the chana dal does become very crunchy, so not advisable for someone who has dental issues like root canal treatment done or gum related issues.

How to make Dal Vada

Chana dal has to be soaked and then ground. So yes, you have some prep work of soaking the lentils. Lets begin!

Soak Chana Dal

1. Rinse ½ cup chana dal for a couple of times in water. Soak them in 1 cup water for 2 hours.

Tip: Do not soak for longer than 2 hours as this would not give a crispy and crunchy texture to the dal vada.

2. Drain the soaked chana dal very well. There should be no water in the soaked dal.

3. Add the soaked chana dal in your trusted blender or mixer-grinder.

4. Without adding any water, grind to a coarse mixture. Some whole chana dal should be there in the mixture. I have not added any water while grinding.

Tip: If you add water, then it becomes difficult to shape the chana dal vada. If you are not able to blend at all, then add 1 to 2 tablespoons water and then blend.

Make Dal Vada Mixture

5. Now take the coarsely ground chana dal in a mixing bowl.

Add the ingredients listed below:

• ⅓ to ½ cup chopped onions
• 1 or 2 green chilies or ½ to 1 teaspoon, chopped
• 10 to 12 curry leaves, chopped 
• 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves

You can also add 1 inch ginger that has been finely chopped.

6. Season with salt as required. I have added ½ teaspoon edible rock salt. If you use any other salt, then add accordingly and as per your taste.

7. Mix very well. Check the taste and add more salt if needed.

8. Now make small or medium sized balls from the mixture.

9. Flatten them and place them on a plate or tray. At times, I flatten them slightly thin which makes them very crispy and crunchy. But it needs some skill and experience.

If you are unable to make them thin, then it is fine. You can still get a crisp parippu vada.

You can also use a banana leaf or plastic sheet or a ziplock bag to place the shaped vada. I often use a steel plate.

Fry Chana Dal Vada

10. Heat oil for deep frying in a heavy kadai or wok. On a medium flame heat the oil. Check the oil temperature by dropping a small portion of the batter in the oil. If it comes up steadily and quickly, the oil is hot enough for frying.

Tip: Use oil with a high smoke point for deep frying. For frying dal vada, sunflower oil, peanut oil, safflower oil, avocado oil are some good choices.

11. Now carefully slid the prepared dal vada in the hot oil.

12. Fry them for a couple of minutes and then turn over with a slotted spoon and fry the second side. Lower the flame while frying if the oil becomes too hot.

Tip: Add the number of parippu vadai depending on the size and capacity of the kadai. Do not overcrowd the kadai.

13. Fry until they become golden and crisp. When the onions on the crust of the dal vada, look golden or caramelized, this means they are fried well.

14. Once they are nicely crisp and golden, then remove them with a slotted spoon.

15. Place them on kitchen paper towels to get rid of extra oil.

16. Fry the remaining dal vada this way in batches.

17. Serve Dal Vada hot.

What to serve with Chana Dal Vada

• Coconut Chutney: In South India, parippu vadai is classically paired with coconut chutney. This combo is truly delish and awesome.
• Coriander Chutney: When I run out of coconut, I pair dal vada with coriander chutney or mint chutney. Trust me, dal vada tastes nice with these green chutneys as well.
• Tomato Ketchup: This is one of my favorite condiment to go with paruppu vadai. It is unconventional I know, but we simply like it. My growing up years have mom serving us dal vada with ketchup on occasions and till today it is one of my favorite food pairings. If you are not a fan of ketchup, the even this tangy Tomato Chutney tastes good.
• Lunch or Dinner: Parippu vada can also be served as side snack with a South Indian meal of sambar, rice, rasam, veggie stir fries. You can also make a no onion variation of parippu vada to serve in a festive platter or meal.

About Spicy Masala Vada

These Masala Vada are spicy and crunchy vegan fritters made with bengal gram and spices like fennel seeds, coriander seeds, dry red chillies and black pepper. They are also a popular tea time snack in South India.

I had got requests for Masala Vada and it was time I added this favorite South Indian snack. Usually I prepare the lesser spiced Masala Vada (stepwise photos above) which has a fewer spices and herbs than this one.

The method of making Masala Vada is similar to Falafel Recipe. Instead of ground white chickpeas, chana dal is added here. The spices and herbs added in Masala Vada are also different than what is included in falafel.

I prefer to add both red as well as green chilies in Masala Vadai. But you can add either of them. If only using dry red chilies, then add two red chilies instead of one.

You can also add grated coconut and use some tuvar dal (pigeon pea lentils) with the chana dal.

Usually I serve Masala Vada with our evening tea or coffee and at times with coconut chutney or tomato ketchup.

How to make Spicy Masala Vada

Soak Lentils

1. Rinse ½ cup chana dal (split and husked bengal gram) for a couple of times in water. Then soak in enough water for 2 hours.

Tip: For a quicker option, you can heat water. Switch off the heat. Soak them for an hour.

2. In a blender or mixer-grinder, add the following whole spices:

• 1 to 2 dry red chillies, halved and seeds removed
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• ½ teaspoon coriander seeds
• ¼ teaspoon black peppercorns

3. Grind the spices coarsely.

4. Drain all the water from the soaked chana dal. Then add the soaked lentils to the blender in which the spices were coarsely ground.

5. Blend the lentils coarsely. Some whole chana dal should be there. No need to add water while grinding. I did not add any water.

Adding water will make the batter have a medium or thin consistency and it becomes difficult to shape it. If at all you find it difficult to blend, then only add 1 to 2 tablespoons water.

6. Remove the ground dal in a mixing bowl.

Make Spicy Masala Vada

7. Add the below listed ingredients to the ground lentils:

• ¼ cup chopped onions
• ½ to 1 teaspoon chopped green chilies
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
• 9 to 10 curry leaves (finely chopped)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves
• 1 pinch of asafetida
• salt as per taste

8. Mix thoroughly.

9. Shape to medium sized vada. Make medium sized balls and then flatten them.

Tip: If you are not able to shape vadai, then add 1 or 2 tablespoons of rice flour to the ground lentils to thicken the mixture slightly. You can flatten the masala vadai more and make them thin.

10. Heat oil as required in a kadai (Indian wok) or a pan.

11. Let the oil become hot on medium heat. Add a tiny portion of the masala vada mixture in the hot oil. If it comes up gradually and quickly on the surface of the oil, you can begin frying.

12. Gently and carefully place the masala vada in the hot oil.

13. Let one side become light golden and then turn them over with a slotted spoon. Then fry the second side. If the oil becomes very hot, then reduce the heat.

14. Fry until masala vada turns crisp and golden. Turn each vadai a couple of times for even frying.

15. Remove them with a slotted spoon and place them on kitchen paper towels to remove extra oil. Use up the entire masala vada mixture to shape and fry as shown in the steps above.

16. Serve these spiced masala vadai hot with coconut chutney.

Expert Tips

• No onion: During Hindu festival or fasting days, onions and garlic are not added in the food we make. If you plan to make dal vada on such occasions, then you can easily omit adding onions. Remember to add a generous pinch of asafetida to mimic the onion flavors.
• Soaking: Avoid soaking chana dal for more than 2 hours. Soaking them for a longer time will not make them crispy and crunchy.
• Consistency: The consistency of the ground mixture is thick and coarse. Do not make it fine, superfine or runny. If the batter becomes flowing, then add some rice flour to thicken it.
• Shaping: A thick mixture helps to shape into neat flat round shaped vada. For super crispy texture, flatten them more.
• Herbs and spices: I suggest to add all the spices and herbs mentioned in the recipe for the best authentic taste and flavor.
• Frying temperature: The right frying temperature is 180 degrees to 190 degrees Celsius. Since all of us do not have deep fry thermometers to check the temperature, we can still gauge the hotness of oil. Add a small piece of the ground dal vada mixture in hot oil. If it bubbles, comes up quickly and steadily, the oil is ready for frying. If it stays at the bottom of the pan, the oil is not hot enough. If it comes up too quickly and fast, the oil is very hot.

More Tips

• Scaling: You can easily scale the recipe and halve or double the recipe.
• Baking: I would not suggest to bake masala vada. I did try baking them and the results were not that good.
• Gluten-free option: To make a gluten-free version, skip the asafetida or add gluten-free asafetida.

This Dal Vada recipe post from the archives first published in June 2015 has been republished and updated on 2 August 2022.