Masala Vada – Masala vada is crispy, deep fried tea time snack from South India. Its traditionally made with chana dal but today I am sharing the masala vada recipe made with toor dal.
Traditionally masala vada is made with chana dal and ground spices. Its popularly called paruppu vadai in Tamilnadu.
I have made few variations by replacing chana dal with tuvar dal and added fresh herbs like dill (called sabsige soppu in kannada) and coriander leaves.
Vada is popularly made during festivals as a part of the meal or as Neivedyam. It’s also enjoyed as a tea time snack. A hot of cup masala chai and vada is a great combination to enjoy for your evening snack. If you want have something sweet with your vada, any of these five sweets ( video) which can be made in 15 minutes and under.
This Masala Vada with Toor Dal is
- crispy from outside and soft inside
- a gluten free and vegan recipe
- perfect tasty snack to eat with your evening tea or coffee.
What can I replace toor dal with?
You can replace toor dal with chana dal. You can use a combination of chana dal and moong dal.
Can I skip onion?
You can certainly skip onion. Onion adds moisture and makes the vada soft from inside. If you are skipping onion, the vada will be still tasty but will be slightly firm. A good substitue for onion will be adding ½ tea spoon of fennel seeds.
What if I cant find dill?
You can replace dill with mint. or just use little more chopped fresh coriander leaves.
How can I serve Masala Vada?
Masala vada cane be served with coconut chutney or ginger chutney or with tomato sauce (ketchup).
Few other Vada recipes from my blog
green moong dal vada
If you are looking for steamed recipe, try Steamed Toor Dal Dumpling
How about some some sweet to accompany the masala vada, the do try my collection of 5 Indian sweets that can be made in under 15 minutes.
How to make Masala Vada with Toor Dal ( step by step pictures)
1) Wash the toor dal few times and soak the dal with water for atleast two hours.
2) Drain the dal using a strainer. Leave the dal in the strainer for few minutes till all the water drains off.
3) Keep a handful of dal on the side and transfer the rest of the dal, green chily and ginger in a mixer. Pulse few times to get a coarse mixture. Do not add any water while grinding. Take a small portion of the mixture and try to form a ball. If it falls a part, pulse it few more times.
4) Transfer the ground dal mixture in to bowl. Add the onion, coconut, dill, curry leaves, coriander leaves and salt.
5) Mix all the ingredients well. If you feel the mixture is too wet, add little rice flour to get the right consistency.
6) Take a small portion of the mixture and make a round ball. Flatten it by gently pressing with in your palms.
7) Drop the vadas in oil, which is on medium flame. Fry the vada on both sides until golden brown. Make sure the oil is in medium flame while frying.
8) Transfer the vada on to a tissue to remove nay excess oil. Repeat making the rest of the vadas. Serve the masala vada with coconut chutney or ketchup. 
Masala Vada | Toor Dal Vada Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup toor dal (tuvar dal)
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 4 green chilies or to taste
- 1 inch ginger
- ⅓ cup freshly grated coconut
- 3 tbsps dill, finely chopped
- 3 tbsps coriander leaves, finely chopped
- few curry leaves, chopped
- salt to taste
- oil to deep fry the vada
Instructions
Soaking the dal -
- Wash the toor dal with plenty of water. Soak the dal in water for at least 2 to 3 hours.
- Adter 3 hours, drain the dal and leave the dal in the colander for few minutes. It’s important that the toor dal doesn’t have any water in it.
Grinding the dal -
- Take a handful of the dal and set aside. Now add the rest of the dal, ginger and green chilly to a mixer or food processor.
- Pulse it few times to get a coarse mixture. Do not make a puree.
- Take a small portion of the mixture and try to form a ball. If you can form a ball then it is the perfect texture. If not pulse the mixture couple more times.
- Transfer the ground dal in to a big bowl. Add that handful of the dal which was set aside, chopped onion, dill, curry leaves, coriander leaves and salt. Mix well.
Frying the vada -
- Take a small portion of the mixture and make a round shape and flatten it slightly.
- Deep fry the vada in oil in low-medium heat until golden and crispy. Turn the vada on both sides to cook evenly.
- It’s important to fry the vada slowly, if not the vada will be raw from inside.
- Enjoy the vada with coconut chutney and some hot chai.
Notes
Few Quick Snacks Recipes
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