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.
- Dal Vada – The classic version with a crispy, crunchy texture.
- 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.
Step by Step Photo Guide Above
Ingredients
For Soaking Chana Dal
- ½ cup chana dal – 120 grams (husked and split bengal gram)
- 1 cup water – for soaking
More Ingredients
- ⅓ to ½ cup chopped onions – 60 grams onions or 1 medium-sized onion
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger or 1 inch ginger – optional
- ½ to 1 teaspoons chopped green chilies or 1 to 2 green chillies
- 10 to 12 curry leaves or 1 sprig
- 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves
- ½ teaspoon rock salt (edible and food grade) or white salt – add as per taste
- oil for deep frying, as required
Instructions
Soaking chana dal
- Rinse chana dal for a couple of times in water.
- Soak the lentils in 1 cup water for 2 hours.
- Drain the soaked lentils very well. There should be no water in the soaked dal.
Making dal vada mixture
- Then add the soaked lentils in a mixer-grinder or blender.
- 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.
- If you add water, then it becomes difficult to shape them. If you are not able to grind at all, then add 1 to 2 tablespoons water.
- Now take the coarsely ground chana dal in a bowl.
- Add chopped onions, green chilies, curry leaves and chopped coriander leaves. You can also add chopped ginger.
- Season with salt. Mix very well. Check the taste and add more salt if needed.
- Now make small or medium sized balls from the mixture.
- Flatten them and place them on a plate or tray.
- You can use a banana leaf or plastic sheet or a ziplock bag to place the shaped vada.
Frying Parippu Vada
- Heat oil for deep frying in a kadai or pan on medium heat.
- Check the oil temperature by dropping a small portion of the batter in the oil. If it comes up steadily & quickly, the oil is hot enough for frying.
- Now carefully slid the prepared dal vada in the hot oil.
- Fry them for a couple of minutes and then turn over with a slotted spoon and fry the other side. Lower the flame while frying if the oil becomes too hot.
- Fry till they become golden and crisp. When the onions on the crust of the vada, look golden, this means the dal vada is done.
- Place them on kitchen paper towels to get rid of extra oil.
- Fry the remaining dal vada this way in batches.
- Serve the dal vada hot with coconut chutney or tomato ketchup.
Nutrition
Spicy Masala Vada
Ingredients
Method
- Rinse the chana dal for a couple of times in water.
- Then soak them in enough water for 2 hours.
- Later, in a blender or mixer-grinder, add dry red chili (deseeded and halved), fennel seeds, coriander seeds and black pepper. Grind the spices coarsely.
- Drain the soaked chana dal very well. Then add the chana dal to the mixer-grinder or blender in which the spices were coarsely ground.
- Grind the dal coarsely. Some whole chana dal should be there in the mixture.
- Do not add water while blending. If you add water, then it becomes difficult to shape them. If you have difficult blending them, add 1 to 2 tablespoons water.
- Remove the ground chana dal in a mixing bowl.
- Add chopped onions, green chilies, ginger, curry leaves, coriander leaves, asafoetida and salt as per taste.
- Mix very well.
- Shape to medium sized vadai. Make medium sized balls and then flatten them. If you are not able to shape vadai, then add 1 or 2 tablespoons of rice flour in the mixture.
- Heat oil for deep frying in a kadai or pan.
- Let the oil become hot on medium-flame.
- 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 vada.
- Carefully and gently place the vadai in hot oil.
- When one side becomes pale golden, turn over with a slotted spoon and fry the other side.
- Fry until the masala vada becomes golden and crisp. Remove them with a slotted spoon and place on kitchen paper towels to remove extra oil.
- Serve these spiced masala vada with coconut chutney.
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!This Dal Vada recipe post from the archives first published in June 2015 has been republished and updated on 2 August 2022.
Hi Dassana
Your dal vada recipe sounds very tempting and has so many great reviews as well.
Can I follow the same receipe and make the vadas in air fryer?
What is it I need to do more for making the vadas in air fryer so that it comes out as good as when it’s deep fried?
Thank you!
Yes of course! Shape them into round patties. Don’t make them thick. Spread or brush oil all over and air fry.
Use a moderate temperature of 180 degrees Celsius or 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Air-fry for 15 minutes or until they look crispy and golden.
Half way while frying (say after 7 or 8 minutes), remove the basket tray from the air-fryer and flip each dal vada with a spatula. Brush oil again on the top if you prefer and continue to air-fry until golden.
Made the spicy version of Masala vada today. Doubled the recipe. Before I completed frying, half were already eaten! Everyone loved it. Came out excellent, just as we get in restaurants. Thanks!
Great to know and thanks for sharing the lovely feedback Bina. Welcome.
I made it today, half of it disappeared even before I finished the whole batter!!?
Amazing recipe, easy to follow. Thanks for sharing.
Lovely and thanks for letting me know. Thanks for the feedback too. Welcome.
If baking instead of frying do you the what temperature and time limit should be used? I can’t wait to try your recipe. Looks amazing!
you can bake at 180 degrees celsius in a preheated oven. time taken will depend on the oven type. so an approx 15 to 25 minutes can be the time for baking.
Hi, I made this vadas by adding grated coconut as we don’t eat onion & garlic & the vadas turned out very tasty. Everyone just loved the vadas. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe as your recipes are always easy & best to make.
thanks neha for positive views 🙂 and you are welcome.
welcome neha. you can easily skip the onion and garlic. grated coconut is a good addition. thanks for sharing this as well as the feedback on the masala vada recipe.
You can also add soya herbs (sabaski soppu)… With cilantro
thanks for sharing this suggestion 🙂
Respected Ma’am, I tried this vadas without mixing onion as we don’t eat onion and garlic. I made little variation by adding fresh grated cocunut and little baking soda. The vadas turned out to be very tasty and soft. Thank you very much.
thanks vijay for this feedback. coconut can be added and also baking soda. thanks for sharing the variations you made to the masala vada recipe.
Very simple method and very delicious outcome 🙂
thankyou kinshuk
Can I grind the vada batter and keep in fridge for 2 days? And then take out, form into balls and fry…
you can do so. just let the mixture come to a room temperature and then fry. but what i have noticed with mixtures or chana dal or besan batters kept in the fridge, is that the taste changes after 1 or 2 days. so here too the taste will change.
it is very similar to my moms procedure, if my mom makes vada’s everyone in the surroundings will be interested to eat.
thanks suresh for sharing this bit about your mom. looks like your mom is very good in cooking 🙂
Thanks a lot. First tym I tried. It turned out well. I added spinach in this. It tasted gud.
glad you liked the masala vada sharada 🙂 thankyou.
Love your recipes. This one turned into a disaster for me, however! I followed it exactly. When I put the vada in the oil to fry, they just started to fall apart. I then again tried after adding some rice flour. Same result. What am I doing wrong? I added only 2 tablespoons of water after grinding because I could not make the vadas. Other than that, followed the recipe exactly. Thanks!!
too much of water in the mixture. 2 tbsp is fine when grinding. but i think 2 tbsp of water after grinding, has made the mixture thin. also the chana dal should be drained very well and added to the grinder. even a little bit of water when adding chana dal to the grinder, makes a difference. if you would have added more rice flour, the vadas would not have broken while frying. also the oil has to be hot. in oil which is not hot, the vadas can break while frying. hope this helps.
ITS YUMMY SIR PLEASE CAN YOU GIVE ALL YOUR RECIPES IN HINDI LANGUAGE
we are looking into the hindi translation.
Hey.. I have grind the dal in hand blender and did not add water but it’s very dry. Its very difficult to shape it or even fry it. It’s very very dry. What should I do. Pl help.
add 1 to 2 tbsp water and mix. you will be able to shape the vadas.
i like this
i love it
thankyou prushotham 🙂
Hi.
I tried ur masala vadas and they turned out so nicely.. My kids liked them a lot. Everybody else also…
Thank u so much for the simple n heart filling vadas.
great to know sarita your family loved the masala vadas. you are always welcome.
I made it today and those were awsome..
Thanks for posting recipes in simple format. That attracts beginners like me to enter kitchen n try new things.
Thanks again,
Deepika.
welcome deepika. glad to know this. thanks for sharing positive feedback.
Awesome preparation. The ingredients are perfect. Enjoyed preparing and indulging in.
We all loved the vadas. Very rarely the preparations found on websites work out perfect but this website is an exception. Thanks.
welcome sonali. nice to know this. thanks for sharing positive feedback on recipes.
Thanks a lot for us recepie.
Its Ramzan time and everyday need to prepare something chatpata, spicy and new snacks recepies for iftyari.
This recepie was really tasty we enjoyed it with tomato ketchup and imli chatni.
I made a few alterations in it
Instead of just black pepper I added 1pinch of garam masala and instead of only ginger I used ginger-garlic paste which was ready at home.
But overall the vadas was really very tasty.
thanks ashna for the positive feedback. the alterations you made are fine and will give a good taste to the vadas.
I made this
but made few alteration in the second step , I added few pods of garlic with skin.
i soaked the dhall for only 1 1/2 hour. Then I used food processor to grind the dhall.
if u want to make this quick soak the dhall in boiling hot water foe half an hour the vadas will be crispy only draw back in this is it sucks up oil .
vada swill be very crispier
thanks for the comment and sharing the garlic suggestion. garlic with skin will give a good flavor. hot boiling water works to soak the dal 🙂
This is awesome The process which described herein is really easy to understand. I shall try it within a few days and come back with my experience and test.
thanks kumkum.
Easy to make. Tasty as it looks. Read this recipe for the first time. Totally want to make it. Woah! I’m gonna check the blog everyday now. I hhave only one request to make. i am a 20 year old doing engineering. I hardly get time fir cooking but i am very intrested in cooking. So i keep looking for easy recipes which i can cook in little time so i can do what i love! So I request you to upload more such easy recipes. And I really loved the masala vada recipe. surely gonna try it. Kuddos. 🙂 🙂
thanks a lot bhavika.
This blog is awesome. I have tried many recipes and all of them are very gud. This is very helpful.. 10 on 10 .. very happy
thanks ruchi for sharing positive review on recipes.
Hi dassana,
Recently , I came across your blog and I must say I just love . I normally have queries on logic of cooking steps required n ingredients used . Your well explained recepies take care of my queries . Photos step by step are so helpful , infact much better than watching videos …..keep up your good work ……
Puja
thanks puja for sharing positive feedback. nice to know that you liked the recipes presentation.
thanks for the recipe di …. I m surely gona gv it a try today itself … bdw what is the possible substitute for curry leaves as we get the dry ones here not the fresh one??
You can easily add the dry ones 🙂
Hi Dassana
Do you think it’s possible to make a non fried version of this vada in the aebleskiver pan?
I really love these vadas but want a quicker healthier option. Let me know if you think it’s worth a try! 🙂
supriya, you can make in this pan. you can also bake them.
Delicious snack!! I made them for the first and they came out very nice n crisp.. Thanks fr sharing!!! Do u have a recipe fr cheese balls also?
thats good to know ruchi. thanks 🙂 i did try making cheese balls and though they tasted damn good, but half of them burst in the oil while frying. cheese balls need to be fried at a certain temperature and the mixture should have a certain binding consistency. i am still trying and testing the recipe and will add if the recipe comes out very well.
Hi Dassana
Mouthwatering snack! Thanks for providing this recipe. I love the smell of masala vadi more than the taste. I am wondering if it would work if I use soaked whole chic peas (chana) instead of the split chana.
welcome rom. you can use soaked whole chickpeas. but grind the chickpea finely and not coarsely.