Masoor Dal Vada
Crunchy Masoor Dal Vada are super addictive red lentil fritters. They're quick, easy to make, and disappear fast.
Ingredients
- 1 cup masoor dal (red lentils)
- 0.5 medium onion
- 1.5 inches ginger
- 2 green chilies
- 0.25 cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 0.5 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 0.25 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 0.25 teaspoon red chili powder
- 0.5 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons rice flour
- 4 tablespoons cooking oil
Instructions
- Wash 1 cup masoor dal (red lentils) thoroughly under running water. Place the washed dal in a bowl, add enough fresh water to cover it by 2 inches, and soak for at least 30 minutes, or up to 1 hour.
- While the dal is soaking, prepare the other ingredients. Peel and finely chop 0.5 medium onion. Peel 1.5 inches ginger and roughly chop it. Wash 2 green chilies and roughly chop them. Wash 0.25 cup fresh cilantro leaves and chop them.
- Drain the soaked masoor dal completely. Transfer the drained dal to a food processor or blender. Add the roughly chopped 1.5 inches ginger and 2 chopped green chilies to the food processor as well. Grind the mixture to a coarse paste, adding 1-2 tablespoons of water ONLY if necessary to get the blades moving. Do not make it too smooth or watery.
- Transfer the ground dal mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add the finely chopped 0.5 medium onion, 0.25 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, 0.5 teaspoon cumin seeds, 0.25 teaspoon turmeric powder, 0.25 teaspoon red chili powder, and 0.5 teaspoon salt. Mix everything well with your hands until all ingredients are evenly combined.
- Add 2 tablespoons rice flour to the dal mixture. The rice flour helps with binding and gives a crispier texture to the vadas. Mix it thoroughly into the dal mixture.
- Heat 4 tablespoons cooking oil in a large non-stick pan or skillet over medium heat. To form the vadas, take a small portion of the dal mixture (about 1.5 tablespoons), flatten it gently between your palms into a disc shape (about 0.25 inch thick and 2 inches in diameter).
- Carefully place 4-5 vadas into the hot oil, ensuring not to overcrowd the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until they turn golden brown and crispy.
- Remove the cooked vadas from the pan and place them on a plate lined with paper towels to drain any excess oil. Repeat the process with the remaining dal mixture, adding more oil if needed.
- Arrange the hot Masoor Dal Vadas on a serving platter and garnish with 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro leaves and 2 lemon wedges. Serve immediately with green chutney or ketchup.