Parippu vada/Dal Vada

Yet another favorite tea time snack. This is one of the default items which would be present in small tea shops and thattu kadas in kerala and the smell of these freshly fried vadas bring water to my mouth . It can be made with either toor dal or channal dal. I used channa dal.

Ingredients

Channal dal  -1 cup soaked in water for atleast 2 hours

Onion minced - 2 cups

Green Chillies  - 3 tablespoons finely chopped

Ginger - 2 tablespoons  finely chopped

Salt - to taste

Curry leaves  - 2 sprigs finely chopped

Oil  - 3 cups for frying

Method

Soak the dal in water for at least 2 hours. Once the dal is soaked and ready, it  would be around 2 cups. Drain it and make sure there is no water left out. You can either cut onions/green chillies/ginger or put all these items in food processor and chop till the pieces are small. Put  dal also in the mixer/food processor and  grind until a coarse mix is formed. Remove the mix leaving around 1/4 cup in the food processor itself. Grind it to a fine paste. This helps the mix from breaking apart while frying. Mix all the ingredients and make sure all the items are incorporated well. Make small balls the size of the lemon . Take each ball and place it in one hand and with the other hand flatten it to a round shape. 

Heat oil in a deep pan and when the oil is hot, gently transfer the vadas and deep fry them until both sides are golden in color. Remove them from oil and place them on a paper towel so that excess oil is absorbed. Serve hot with tea.