Dal Vada ( Spicy Deep Fried Fritters)

Dal Vada (Spicy Deep Fried Fritters)

There are some days when all you want to eat is lots of snacks instead of your regular everyday meal..... and    in India, every state offers there own version of snacks depending on climate/availability of ingredients/likeness/etc and then there are some snacks which may originate from a particular state but are so famous that they are available all over India. Most of the snacks are deep fried and spicy/sweet. 
So this happened to be one of those MUNCHING days for me and I was in lot of confusion about what to make ????? Finally, decided upon "Dal Vada" (Fried Fritters), which I had originally consumed during my trip to Gujarat, India (Western Region). (One of a prominent feature of snacks in this region, is the usage of Besan (Gram Flour) or Chana Dal (Split Bengal Gram) along with lots of chilies & spices which result into variety of soft to hard, light to heavy snacks). 
Coming back to "Dal Vada", it is made using Chana Dal (Split Bengal Gram) and then deep fried which results in a slightly heavier snack for our tummy, Although I can't omit deep frying it however I'm adding a part of Moon Dal (Split Green Gram) to make it slightly lighter. (You can omit Moong Dal as per your choice)
Hope you ENJOY it as much as I did :)

Serves: 4

Serving Suggestion: Served as an appetizer along with choice of chutney OR ketchup. 

Tools: 

1 Medium nonstick wok

1 Medium Pot

Electric Grinder (Wet Grinding)

2 Medium Spoon

Serving Dish covered with paper towel.

Ingredients:

1 Cup Split Bengal Gram (Chana Dal)

¼ Cup Split Green Gram (Dhuli Moong Dal)

½ Cup Diced Onion

3 Green Chili – Deseeded and thinly chopped

¼ Cup Coriander Leaves – Thinly Chopped

1 Tsp Ginger Paste

2 Tsp Lemon Juice

2 Cups Water

½ Cup Oil - For Deep Frying

Spice Mix:

1 Pinch Asafetida (Hing)

2 Tsp Cumin Powder

1 Tsp Red Chili Powder

2 Tsp Salt – (Use as per taste)

Method:

In a medium pot soak split bengal gram and split green gram with 2cups of water for 2 hrs.

Drain water and using an electric grinder, grind the soaked dal mixture to a thick coarse mixture (ground enough to form lumpy dough) using little water.

To this mixture, add onion, green chili, coriander leaves, ginger paste, lemon juice, spice mix and evenly mix everything.

Heat oil in a nonstick wok on medium flames for frying.

Now there are 2 ways of shaping the mixture: (I’m using Method 1)

Method 1: You may pour the ground mixture into hot oil using spoons. At a time, a medium wok can accommodate 6-7 spoon full of fritters.

Method 2: Wet your hand using little water, take a small amount of ground mixture, shape it into a dumpling and drop it carefully into the hot oil for frying. At a time, a medium wok can accommodate 5-6  dumpling shaped fritters.

Scoop a spoonful of mixture (remove all the extra mixture on the edges of the spoon, giving it a spoon shape) and pour into hot oil using the other spoon. Cook for 1min and turn on the other side.

Cook fritters/vada on medium heat till both sides become golden brown, remove on paper towel to get rid of any excess oil.

Before serving, remove the paper towel, Serve Fritters/Vada Hot.