🫓 Crispy & Tasty Parippu Vada (Tea-Shop Style Chana Dal Fritters)
Learn how to make crispy and delicious tea-shop style Parippu Vada (Chana Dal Fritters) at home with this super easy method! By blending everything together quickly and adding whole dal for extra texture, these crunchy fritters absorb zero extra oil and make the ultimate evening tea-time snack.
Ingredients
Method
- oak and Drain: Soak 2 cups of chana dal for 2 to 3 hours, then drain all the water completely.
- Reserve some Dal: From the drained dal, set aside 4 tablespoons of whole dal separately to mix later for a nice crunch.
- Coarse Grind: Transfer the remaining dal into a mixer jar along with chopped onion, green chillies, ginger, curry leaves, and deseeded dry red chillies. Add salt as needed. Pulse it coarsely—do not make a smooth paste.
- Mix Everything: Transfer the coarse mixture to a bowl. Add the reserved 4 tablespoons of whole chana dal and a pinch of asafoetida (kayam powder). Mix everything well together.
- Shape the Vada: Take small portions of the mixture, roll them into balls, flatten them slightly on your palm to form traditional vada shapes (do not make them too thick).
- Fry: Heat oil well in a pan. Gently drop the vadas into the hot oil and fry on a low-to-medium flame. Fry them slowly until they turn to a nice golden brown color on both sides, ensuring they cook well inside without getting too hard. Remove from oil and serve hot with tea!
Video
Notes
Dal Soaking: Soak the chana dal for at least 2 to 3 hours so it grinds to the right texture. Make sure to drain all excess water completely before grinding.
Coarse Grinding: Do not grind the dal into a smooth paste. Pulse it just enough to keep it coarse and textured.
Reserved Dal: Adding a handful of unground whole dal to the mixture gives an authentic bite and great texture while eating.
Frying Flame: Always fry on a low-to-medium flame so the inside cooks thoroughly while the outside turns golden and crispy without burning.