Masala Vada Recipe - Paruppu Vadai - Chana Dal Vada Recipe with Stepwise Photos (2024)

Home » Snacks » Masala Vada (Chana Dal Vada)

(13 Votes and 16 Comments)

Snacks, South Indian

हिन्दीગુજરાતી

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Masala Vada, a crispy and savory deep fried fritter made from chana dal and spices, is a popular street food of South Indian cuisine. It is also known as Paruppu Vadai in Tamilnadu. Besides chana dal, the other important ingredient in masala vada which plays a major role for its flavorful taste is onion. However if you want to make it without onion, add fennel seeds for the flavor (*read tips section). Process for making chana dal vada is very simple and takes very less time except for the time required for soaking the chana dal. If you are craving for something crispy and crunchy, then make this vadai and your taste buds will not stop thanking us.

Masala Vada Recipe - Paruppu Vadai - Chana Dal Vada Recipe with Stepwise Photos (1)

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Preparation Time:

2 hours 20 minutes

Cooking Time:

20 minutes

Serves: 2 servings (8 vadas)

Print Recipe

Cooking Measurements

Masala Vada (Chana Dal Vada) Recipe In Hindi (हिन्दी में पढ़े)

Masala Vada (Chana Dal Vada) Recipe In Gujarati (ગુજરાતી માં વાંચો)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Chana Dal (Bengal gram)
1 medium Onion, finely chopped
1 Green Chilli, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 inch piece of Ginger, finely chopped or grated (optional)
4-5 Curry Leaves, finely chopped
2-3 tablespoons finely chopped Coriander Leaves
Salt to taste
Oil, for deep frying

Directions:

  1. Masala Vada Recipe - Paruppu Vadai - Chana Dal Vada Recipe with Stepwise Photos (3)

    Transfer drained dal to the small jar of a mixer grinder.

  2. Masala Vada Recipe - Paruppu Vadai - Chana Dal Vada Recipe with Stepwise Photos (4)

    Grind until medium coarse texture. If required, scrape the sides and grind the mixture again. It should be okay if a few whole dal remains (this would give a nice chunky texture to vada). Don’t add water while grinding. if required, add only 1-2 tablespoons water.

  3. Masala Vada Recipe - Paruppu Vadai - Chana Dal Vada Recipe with Stepwise Photos (5)

    Transfer it to a medium bowl. Add finely chopped onion, green chilli, ginger, curry leaves, coriander leaves and salt.

  4. Masala Vada Recipe - Paruppu Vadai - Chana Dal Vada Recipe with Stepwise Photos (6)

    Mix all ingredients well. Mixture should not be very moist or dry. If the mixture is too crumbly and it’s difficult to make vadas from it as described in Step-6, then grind 1/4 cup mixture again until smooth and mix with the remaining mixture. If the mixture is too moist and it’s hard to shape vadas, add 2-3 teaspoons of rice flour or gram flour in the mixture.

  5. Masala Vada Recipe - Paruppu Vadai - Chana Dal Vada Recipe with Stepwise Photos (7)

    Grease your palms with oil and divide mixture into 7-8 equal portions. Take each portion of mixture, give it a round lemon like shape and flatten it a little by pressing it in-between your palms and give a pattie like shape. Place all vadas in a plate.

  6. Masala Vada Recipe - Paruppu Vadai - Chana Dal Vada Recipe with Stepwise Photos (8)

    Heat oil in a deep frying pan over medium flame. When oil is medium hot, slide 2-3 vadas in oil from the side of pan and deep fry them until golden brown and crispy.

  7. Masala Vada Recipe - Paruppu Vadai - Chana Dal Vada Recipe with Stepwise Photos (9)

    Transfer them to a plate on paper napkin. Deep-fry remaining vadas. Masala Vadas are ready to serve. Serve them hot with tea or coffee.

Tips and Variations:

  • Don’t add water while grinding the dal.
  • Do not deep-fry vadas on high flame otherwise they will turn dark brown fast and remains uncooked from inside.
  • Place mixture in refrigerator for 15-20 minutes before making vadas in step-5. This would make crispier masala vada.
  • Grind 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds (saunf), 1/2 teaspoon dry coriander seeds (dhaniya ke bij), 5-6 black peppercorns (sabut kali mirch) and 2 garlic cloves together and add it to the crushed chana dal mixture for extra flavor.

Taste: Crisp crust with soft inside.

Serving Ideas: Serve this Paruppu vada as an evening snack with tea/coffee or with green chutney and tomato ketchup. It can also be served as a side dish with south Indian meal.

Author: Foram

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16 Comments

Oct 20, 2021 by Geeta shashi

Excellent and easy to follow.

Apr 04, 2021 by Ashley

Great recipe, followed all instructions and they came out wonderful and tasty. Could not get them as perfect looking as yours though! Next time :) Thank you!

Jun 17, 2020 by Casey Chew

I gonna try this and thanks for the clear and wonderful recipe! Good job!

May 09, 2020 by Mohammed Ameen

Thanks.. just did it yesterday. Turns out awesome but I missed out on the salt so felt the missing piece.. overall was great.

Apr 28, 2020 by Vinot

Hi ,Can we soak the dall overnight?

Response: Yes, you can soak the dal overnight.

Feb 27, 2020 by Hetal

Very good recipe.. thank you.

Dec 13, 2019 by Gayatri P

Nice recipes. Also I suggest try Gujarati Moog Dal Vada recipe Thank you.

Mar 04, 2019 by Kate

Great recipe. They came out amazing and delicious. The only deviation in my prep was that I used red lentils. The consistency was on point and I was really surprised they did not come apart in the pan as this was my first time making these. They tasted exactly as the ones I tried in a Sri Lankan restaurant a few months back. Highly recommend!

Oct 20, 2018 by Pallavi

Can I shallow fry the vadas instead of deep fry?

Response: Yes, you can shallow fry them.

Aug 12, 2018 by Jabeen

I love how you present your blog. I wanted to know how to make moongdal vada. I believe it's a popular street food in Ahmedabad.
Would you be able to help with this?

Response: Yes Jabeen, moong dal vada is a popular street food in Ahmedabad. We will definitely try to upload the recipe of moong dal vada very soon.

Apr 19, 2018 by Suneetha Gottam

Super...I want this kind of recipes.

Mar 20, 2018 by Sonia

Can we leave the bad a mixture overnight in the fridge and cook them the next morning?

Response: Yes, you can do that.

Sep 05, 2017 by Eash Malhotra

Can we fry batata vada in mustard oil or it will be good in coconut oil?

Response: Don't fry batata vada in coconut oil or mustard oil as they have the specific smell. Use any oil which has less smell like canola oil, sunflower oil or peanut oil.

Aug 09, 2017 by SuvarnaTara

So delicious. It came out very nicely. Thanks team.

Tara

May 30, 2017 by Kulsum Petiwala

Can we cook the daal in cooker and prepare it, if we are in a hurry.

Response: No, it will change the taste of vada.

Mar 29, 2017 by sanchari banerjee

Can we do this without onion?

Response: Yes, you can make this without onion.

Masala Vada Recipe - Paruppu Vadai - Chana Dal Vada Recipe with Stepwise Photos (2024)

FAQs

What is masala vada made of? ›

So masala vada translates to a fried snack made with lentils and spices. These are made by coarsely grinding soaked chana dal or bengal gram. Then spices, onions & herbs are added to the dough. This dough is then shaped to small disc or patties & deep fried.

What is the difference between masala Vada and Medu Vada? ›

Masala Vada Also known as Chana dal vada, these are deep fried fritters made of spicy tur dal mixture. The ground dal gives the vada a beautiful chewy and grainy taste as opposed to the spongy medu vada.

What is Vada Paruppu in English? ›

Chana dal is also known as Bengal gram in english. So obviously Dal Vada is also called as Chana Dal Vada. It is also known as Parippu Vada in Malayalam and Paruppu Vadai in Tamil. The word parippu or paruppu means lentils.

What are the four types of Vada? ›

Sabudana vada is another variety of vada popular in Maharashtra, made from pearl sago. Thavala vada, a vada made with different types of lentils. Keerai vada (spinach vada) is made with spinach-type leaf vegetables along with lentils. Batata vada (potato vada).

Why is my vada not crispy? ›

If the oil is not hot enough or if the urad dal is over soaked, vada can absorb lot of oil. Also if the lentils are ground too long in a wet grinder, the batter can become feather light and vadas can soak up a lot of oil. So ensure you don't oversoak the lentils, grind them just until light and fry the vada in hot oil.

What is Parippu Vada made of? ›

Parippu Vada is a form of fritters made with lentils, usually chana dal (Bengal Gram or Split Chickpea Lentils) and toor dal(Split Pigeon Peas). These lentils are first soaked for a few hours, ground coarsely, and then mixed with finely chopped onions, ginger, green chilies, and curry leaves.

Why does vada taste bitter? ›

If you refrigerate it and make vada later, there will be more moisture in the batter, it will ferment and it will soak up a lot of oil and just not work. It can turn slightly bitter too.

Why does urad dal vada burst while frying? ›

If any, please elaborate it. The urad dal has to be ground into a fairly stiff paste, to enable it to be shaped into the desired doughnut shape before it is placed in the hot oil. When the uncooked vada touches the hot oil, the outer surface is quickly cooked and becomes less impermeable to the hot oil.

What is the name of chana dal in English? ›

The chickpea or chick pea (Cicer arietinum) is an annual legume of the family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. Its different types are variously known as gram or Bengal gram, chhana, chana, or channa, garbanzo or garbanzo bean, or Egyptian pea.

What is the English name for dal parippu? ›

There are 4 main dal varieties (paruppu/lentils) which form the back bone of Indian, especially south Indian cooking. They are Toor Dal, Moong Dal, Urad Dal and Chana Dal. These are used as core ingredients in main course dishes and in spice mixtures with which the main dishes are prepared.

What is Chana Ko dal in English? ›

Split chickpeas (Chana Dal), split pigeon peas(Toor Dal) and Split peas can be used interchangeably.

Why do we put holes in vada? ›

Hole in vada/doughnut is to make it cook uniformly along its layers. The oil fills along the concentric layers to cook them uniformly from either end. If there isn't one then the middle part will turn out to be raw or the outside part will be overcooked.

Which vada is good for health? ›

5 Amazing Health Benefits Of Black Gram | Black Gram Recipe | Medu Vada. Black gram is a rich vegetarian source of many key nutrients like protein, potassium, calcium and iron. Also known as urad dal, it can be found in a wide range of healthy and tasty mains and sides.

Is vada healthy or junk? ›

Vada is a popular Indian snack food that is made from lentil flour and is often deep-fried. While it is true that deep-fried foods are generally considered unhealthy and can be high in calories, vada can still be part of a balanced diet when consumed in moderation.

Is masala vada good for health? ›

Protein-rich: Masala vada is primarily made from lentils, which are an excellent source of plant-based protein. Protein is essential for building and repairing tissues, promoting healthy hair and skin, and supporting various bodily functions.

What is the origin of masala Vada? ›

Masala vada or chana dal vada is a traditional Indian fritter originating from Tamil Nadu. Although there are variations, this tea-time snack is usually made with a combination of chana dal, onions, ginger, curry leaves, fennel seeds, dried red hot peppers, vegetable oil, and salt.

What is the difference between masala Vadai and falafel? ›

The complete vada is almost crispy on all sides and crunchy inside. Falafel is fluffier inside because of the use of baking powder. Masala Vada is generally deep fried (can also make steamed Masala vada) while falafel recipe can be either deep fried or oven baked.

What is the difference between vada and idli? ›

Idlis are a popular, sort-of-staple food in the South Indian states. Vada is a savoury, fried snack. To many, it may look like a fried version of doughnuts. Vadas are of several types made of legumes (pigeon pea, chickpea, black gram, green gram), potatoes and sometimes even with curd (dahi vada).

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