Paruppu vadai

This week end some of my friends came. So I wanted to prepare something very traditional other than the usual sambhar, rasam, chicken stuff. So I made puliyotharai, curd rice, paruppu vadai, payasam, appalam and mor milagai. Everyone enjoyed the food and I am very happy . Paruppu vadai is my dad's favourite. It is also called as aama(i) (tortoise) vadai because of it's shape and masala vadai because of the addition of  masala items to it. When I was working in MKU we use to go for tea break to a nearby small tea shop. A cup of tea and this vadai is a wonderful treat amidst those working times and those are also the time for hot, hot gossips . I thoroughly enjoyed those times. When we travelled to USA my periyamma prepared these vadai. Hers are one of the best I have ever tasted. The vadai I made yesterday turned out to be a very tasty, golden, crispy treat.

Ingredients

Channa dhal- 1 cup

Moong dhal- 2 handfulls

Onions- 2 nos

Garlic- 4 pods

Ginger- 1/2 inch piece

Coriander leaves

Green chilli- 5 nos

Saunf- 2 tspns

Coriander powder and chilli powder- 1 tspn

Asafoetida a pinch

Oil and salt

Method

Soak channa dhal and moong dhal for 40 minutes. Make sure you soak them only for short duration. Never soak them more than an hour. Soaking them longer makes the vadais imbibe more oil. So the final product turns out to be very soft and oily. Grind the soaked dhal into a coarse paste with enough salt and a pinch of asafoetida. Try not to add water when grinding. But if you need water add very little. The batter should be thick and you should be able to make aamai shape out of it.  Before grinding take a handful of dhal and keep aside. Now cut the onions, green chillies, garlic, ginger and coriander leaves into tiny pieces. Then mix these cut items with the coarsely ground batter along with soaked, unground dhals, 2 tspns of saunf (fennel seeds), coriander powder and chilli powder. When you cut and mix the masala items with batter the entire place starts to smell of fresh masala. Then take small amount of ground batter in your hand and mould them into the shape as shown in the picture. Heat oil in a kadai and when it is hot enough drop the shaped vada batter in it. Remove them from oil when they turn golden in colour. Fry the remaining batter in batches. Tasty, crispy vadai will be ready to serve.

Taste enhancing tips: Do not soak the dhal for more than an hour. Use moong dhal for grinding as well as for adding to the ground batter. This makes the vadai more crispier. All the above mentioned masala items (ginger, garlic, saunf)  makes the vadai very falavourful so do not miss them. Try to make small vadais so that you can be sure that the inner portion is also cooked well when the vadais turn golden in colour. Happy cooking!!! and enjoy your week end .