Masala Vada (Street Style)

5 from 5 votes

Masala Vada are spicy and crunchy fritters made with bengal gram, onions, herbs and spices like fennel seeds, coriander seeds, dry red chilies and black pepper. These South Indian vegan fritters are a popular street style tea-time snack with a crisp texture and bold flavor.

Prep Time2 15

Cook Time20

Total Time2 35

Course: Snacks

Cuisine: South Indian

Diet: Vegan

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Servings: Masala Vada

Calories: 71kcal

Author: Dassana Amit

Ingredients

For Soaking Lentils

½ cup or (120 grams) chana dal (husked & split bengal gram)
water – for soaking chana dal, as required

Whole Spices

1 to 2 dry red chilies – deseeded and halved
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
½ teaspoon coriander seeds
¼ teaspoon black peppercorns

More Ingredients

¼ cup or 1 small onion – finely chopped
½ to 1 teaspoon or 1 to 2 green chili – chopped
1 teaspoon or 1 inch ginger – finely chopped
9 to 10 curry leaves – finely chopped
2 to 3 tablespoons coriander leaves – chopped
1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
salt as required
oil – for deep frying, as required

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Instructions

Preparation

Rinse the chana dal for a couple of times in water.
Soak them in enough water for 2 hours.
Drain the soaked chana dal very well and set aside.

Making Masala Vada Mixture

In a blender or mixer-grinder, add dry red chili (deseeded and halved), fennel seeds, coriander seeds and black pepper.
Grind the spices to a coarse mixture.
Next add the soaked chana dal to the mixer-grinder or blender in which the spices were coarsely ground.
Grind to a coarse mixture. Some whole or partially crushed chana dal should be there in the mixture for a crunchy texture.
Do not add water while blending as it can make the mixture loose and difficult to shape. If you have trouble blending, then add only 1 to 2 tablespoons water.
Remove the ground chana dal mixture to a mixing bowl.
Add chopped onions, green chilies, ginger, curry leaves, coriander leaves, asafoetida and salt according to taste.
Mix very well.

Shaping & Frying

Shape the mixture into medium-sized vadai. Make medium-sized balls first and then flatten them slightly.
If you are unable to shape the masala vadai, add 1 to 2 tablespoons rice flour to the mixture.
Heat oil for deep frying in a kadai or pan on medium heat.
To check the oil temperature, add a small portion of the mixture to the oil. If it rises steadily and quickly, the oil is ready for frying.
Carefully slide the vadai into the hot oil.
When one side becomes light golden, gently turn over with a slotted spoon and fry the other side.
Fry until the masala vadai become crisp and golden.
Remove with a slotted spoon and place on kitchen paper towels to absorb excess oil.
Fry the remaining masala vada in batches and do not overcrowd the pan.
Serve the street style masala vada hot with coconut chutney or coriander chutney.

Notes

Grind the chana dal coarsely for the best crunchy texture.
Do not make a smooth or fine paste.
Do not add water while grinding the lentils unless absolutely needed.
Drain the soaked chana dal very well before grinding to avoid a loose mixture.
Fry the masala vada on medium to medium-high heat for even cooking and crisp texture.
If the mixture feels loose, add 1 to 2 tablespoons rice flour to bind it.
You can adjust the spice level by increasing or reducing the green chilies and dry red chilies.
The recipe can easily be doubled or tripled for larger servings.

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