Dal Vadaદાળવડા
Coarsely ground chana and moong dal, spiced and deep fried. On a wet evening in Gujarat, these appear alongside tea and fried chillies as reliably as the rain itself.
Ingredients
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- 1 cup chana dal and ½ cup moong dal, soaked 4 hours
- 1 tsp ginger-chilli paste
- 1 onion and coriander, finely chopped
- Curry leaves, a pinch of asafoetida, ½ tsp turmeric
- Salt and a pinch of soda
- Oil for deep frying
Method
- Grind the soaked dals coarsely with as little water as possible; you should still see grains.
- Mix in the ginger-chilli paste, onion, coriander, curry leaves, asafoetida, turmeric and salt.
- Add the pinch of soda last and whisk lightly.
- Drop spoonfuls into medium-hot oil and fry until golden.
- Serve hot with fried chillies, chutney and tea.
Tips
- A fine paste gives heavy vadas; keep it coarse.
- Salt just before frying, or the batter turns watery.
Storing and reheating
Dal vada are at their best straight out of the oil. Once cool they hold for a day in a covered bowl, but never in an airtight box, where the trapped steam softens them. To crisp them again, give them five minutes on a tawa or in a 180C oven. The fridge turns them hard and rubbery.
What you can swap
- No moong dal? Use all chana dal; the vada come out a little denser but crisper. A quarter cup of urad dal keeps the inside soft.
- If you do not eat onion, use half a cup of finely shredded cabbage or chopped fenugreek leaves instead, with an extra half teaspoon of fennel seeds.
- To skip the soda, whisk the ground dal by hand in one direction for five minutes. It traps enough air to give the same lightness.
- No ready ginger-chilli paste? Pound an inch of ginger with two chillies in a mortar. The quantity is too small for a mixer to catch anyway.
What to serve with it
The classic Gujarati monsoon evening snack, eaten with fried chillies, raw onion and strong masala chai. In Saurashtra they are packed with chutney for journeys and picnics, and they also turn up on the snack platter at weddings and family functions.
Mistakes to avoid
- Do not crowd the kadai. Too many at once drops the oil temperature and the vada soak up oil; six or seven at a time is plenty.
- Do not fry on high heat. The outside darkens while the dal inside stays raw. Keep the heat medium and give them time.
- Do not drop them in as thick lumps. Flatten each spoonful slightly as it goes in, or the middle never cooks through.
- Do not mix the chopped onion in and then wait. Onion leaches water and the batter starts to run, so fold it in shortly before frying.
Questions people ask
Why are my dal vada raw in the middle?
Either the oil is too hot or the vada are too thick. Lower the heat to medium and flatten them a little. Each one needs eight to ten minutes; if they go golden almost immediately, the oil is too hot.
Can I soak the dal overnight?
Not in hot weather, when it sours and gives the vada a fermented smell. Four hours is enough. If you must soak overnight, keep the bowl in the fridge and change the water in the morning.
Can these be made in an air fryer?
Yes, at 180C for twelve to fourteen minutes, brushed with oil and turned once. They taste good, but you will not get the ragged crisp edges that deep frying gives.
