Masala Vada/Mixed Dal Fritters

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Masala vada.... This is a popular South Indian snack traditionally made of chana dal(split bengal gram). Well, I am kinda gal who had a tad bit of rebel streak in her and sometimes(I say sometimes but my mom might not agree) like to go against the rules. So, I went a non-traditional route and made my vadas with mixed dals and lots of mint and coriander leaves. I luv luv luv mint flavor.
This recipe I am sharing today is inspired by mom's with twists of my own. The speciality of masala vada is that they have deliciously crunchy exterior and even more delicious soft interior, just like me ja ja ja ja. Enjoy!

Ingredients

4 Green Chillies chopped finely
3/4 cup finely chopped Onion
pinch of baking powder
1/2 tbsp cumin seeds
1/2 cup Besan/Chickpea flour(use as needed only if batter is runny or watery just to tighten up the batter)
Coriander Leaves and Mint leaves finely chopped( I love mint and coriander leaves and so used 1/2 to 3/4th cup chopped of each leaves. Adjust per your tastes or skip altogether)
Oil for deep frying

For Grinding

1 Cup Urad Dal
1/2 cup Moong Dal(I used combination of whole moong dal and skinless moong dal)
1/2 cup Chana Dal
4 Green Chillies
Small piece of ginger
Salt

Method

Soak Urad Dal, Moong Dal and Chana dal in water overnight or atleast for 4 to 6 hours. Drain the water completely. Set aside fistful of soaked dals in a bowl. Take rest of the dals, ginger, 4 green chillies and Salt in a blender and blend to coarse paste(Do not make into a smooth paste).
Now add saved dals from earlier and rest of the ingredients to the batter except for Besan. If the batter is runny or watery, then add besan to bring the batter to a consistency for it to be able to made into patties for deep frying. Check and adjust salt per your taste. The batter should look like this.
Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan or kadai. For making these fritters you can use your hands or use polythene cover or plastic grocery bag or wet cotton cloth. Wet the cloth or polythene sheet or grocery bag with your hand very lightly. Now wet your hand, take a small ball of batter onto the grocery bag and pat into round shape.
Drop gently into hot oil and fry on each side till golden brown(may be 4 to 5 minutes per side).
Take them out and drain them on a paper towel. These vadas need no side dishes and can be eaten by themselves hot or cold. 
The above measurements yields around 40 vadas.
Deep fried might be little unhealthy but these snacks are packed with proteins and fiber. Give it a try...


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