Dal Vada / Lentil Fritters

Nuts free, gluten free, dairy free, vegan, and super delectable appetizers.

Dal Vada or lentil fritters are delicious Indian appetizers. These fritters can be eaten as a mid-day snack on any beautiful rainy day, cozy winter evenings, or in any pleasant weather. It goes really well with raw onion, fried green chili, cilantro chutney / dip, mint cilantro chutney / dip, or nice hot tea / coffee. These fritters can also be eaten as a part of very elaborate meals.

Dal Vada are basically lentil fritters made with split mung (moong) dal (lentils). Although fried, protein content of these fritter is really high. 

Preparation Time : about 4- 6 hours

Cooking Time : about 20 – 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup split Mung dal (yellow lentils)

1 cup split Mung dal (green lentils)

1 table spoon of grated ginger

1 table spoon of grated garlic

1 cup of chopped cilantro (optional)

1 or 2 green chili (depending on your taste)

Salt to your taste

2 teaspoon of cumin powder (optional)

2 teaspoon of black pepper powder (optional)

Water

Oil for frying

Recipe

• Combine the lentils. Wash the lentils properly and soak them well in water for at least 4 – 6 hours.
• Drain the lentils, transfer the lentils into blender.

• Add all the other ingredients to the blender
• Add water quarter cup at a time, start blending, add little more water if the ingredients are not blending well.

• Keep the consistency of the batter very thick
• Once the batter is ready

• Prepare the frying pan, heat up the oil, once the oil is hot enough for frying, transfer the lentil batter with a table spoon or a regular spoon at a time in frying pan, and fry them properly on both sides on a medium flame.
• Fry them well on medium low flame so that batter inside the fritters is cooked well.

• Fritters should be medium brown in color.
• Line a metal plate or tray with tissue papers.

• Once fritters are fried and ready transfer them on the tray lined with tissue papers, so the extra oil is soaked in tissue papers.
• Fritters are ready to eat.

To watch the step by step videos of this recipe click below:

Tips

• If you do not have both kinds of split mung lentils you can use any one of these lentils. You can also use any other lentils that you have at home and follow the same recipe.
• Green lentils are basically mung lentils with cover which are more fibrous and yellow lentils are mung lentils without covers.
• These split mung lentils have very high protein content and are better in digestion compared to other lentils.
• These lentils are easily available in any Indian store.