Masala Vada – Delicious & Crispy Paruppu Vadai is the deep fried lentil mixture mixed with onions, curry leaves, coriander, ginger and chillies. Its an excellent tea-time snacks. 
Masala vada recipe / dal vada recipe – A popular South Indian snack made using bengal gram i.e chana dal, mixture of spices added to the roughly grounded chana dal mixture to make these crispy vadai.
Paruppu vadai /dal vadai recipe is my all time favourite snack during my school days or even now.
CRISPINESS INSIDE, CRUNCHY OUTSIDE… Making it really perfect. I always make this vada mixture and store it in the fridge and and use it for next 2 to 3 days. I usually serve as a tea time snacks, a crunchy bite with a sip of hot tea. This is all you need for a perfect evening.
Give a try to this recipe and let me know how its turned out!!
What You'll Find in This Post (Show all)
Why this Recipe works:
This masala vada is so crunchy.
Extremely easy to make! pantry ingredients.
Can be served as snacks or sides.
How to make Masala Vada/Paruppu vadai with step by step pictures:
Tips to make the best masala vada/paruppu vada:
Soak the channa dal for 2 to 3 hours is a must.
Do not add water to grind the channa dal, the moisture in channa dal is enough to grind a mixture.
Grind a channa dal to a coarse mixture.
For more flavours add chopped mint leaves and coriander leaves.
Carefully slide the masala vada and turn over using a slotted spoon. Deep fry the masala vada over a low-medium flame until they are golden brown and perfectly crisp.
Flatten the masala vada in your palm to get a crispy masala vada. If the masala vada/paruppu vada is dense it won’t turn out crispier.
FAQ:
How do you served masala vada or Paruppu vada?
This is best served as a snacks with hot tea. You can also serve a sides for simple Rasam rice or curd rice.
How long can I store masala vada/dal vada mixture?
Masala vada mixture can be refrigerator for 3 to 4 days in an properly stored air-tight container.
I cannot shape my masala vada, how to fix it?
Add 1 or 2 tbs of rice flour to hold the shape.
Similar Recipes you would like to try:
- Classic Falafel Recipe
- Tender Coconut Sukke
- Cheesy Mashed Potato Balls
- Spicy Green banana Patties
- Egg Croquettes
- Andhra Mirchi Bajii
For All Starter Recipe: Starter/Snacks
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PrintMasala Vada/Paruppu Vada
Delicious & Crispy Paruppu Vadai is the deep fried lentil mixture mixed with onions, curry leaves, coriander, ginger and chillies. Its an excellent tea-time snacks.
- Prep Time: 120 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 3 1x
- Category: Appetiser, Appetizer, Starter, starter/snacks
- Cuisine: Indian, south Indian
Ingredients
- 1 cup Channa dal
- 2 Onions
- 1 Green chills
- 2 sprigs Curry leaves
- 1 tsp Salt
TO GRIND:
- 5 Dry Red chiliies
- 1 inch Ginger
- 6 Garlic
- 1 tbs Fennel seeds
Instructions
PrepWork:
- Firstly soak channa dal for 2 hours, then drain out the water and keep them ready to grind.
- Finely chop the onions, green chili and curry leaves, keep them ready to be mixed.
Procedure:
- Grind dry redchillies, fennel seeds, garlic and ginger to a coarse paste.
- To a same blender, add drained channa dal and grind to a coarse mixture
- Grind all channa dal in batches and collect them in mixing bowl.
- To a channa mixture add chop onions , chillies and curry leaves. Gently mix them.
- Check for salt.
- Heat up some oil to deep fry,When the oil is ready, Take a lemon sized ball, lightly pat them in your palm( refer pictures) gently drop them in oil.Using a slotted spoon, turnover for 3 to 5 mins
- Fry the Vadas till its turns out golden and crispy
Notes
Tips to make best masala vada/paruppu vada:
1.Soak the channa dal for 2 to 3 hours is must.
2.Do not add water to grind the channa dal, the moisture in channa dal is enough to grind a mixture.
3.Grind a channa dal to a coarse mixture.
4.For more flavours add chopped mint leaves and coriander leaves.
5.Carefully slide the masala vada and turn over using slotted spoon.Deep fry the masala vada over a low-medium flame until they are golden brown and perfectly crisp.
6.Flatten the masala vada in your palm to get a crispy masala vada. If the masala vada/paruppu vada is dense it won’t turn out crispier.
Update Notes: This post was originally posted in 2014 but was rewritten and republished with new photos and step by step instructions and tips in July of 2019.
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Nithya i wanted to eat this chaana vaada for such a long time! thanks to you I have the recipe now! 🙂 your sites looks amazing! keep up d good work! will let u know how it turns up 😛
Hello manisha! Thank you so much for your encouraging words!! yup!! do try and pls let me know how it turned out!!
I see you’ve got high quality content.
Hi can I deep freeze this batter and use it later
Hi Sindhu, Yes! You can deep freeze the batter. Store in a freezer-safe container.
Hi Nithi! I love Masala Vadai. Can I make a big quantity, shape them, slightly fry them and then freeze? So when I want to eat the Vadai, I can just take out a few pieces from the freezer, thaw them and fry them.
Hope to hear from u soon. Thank u
Hi,
Yes! of course. You can lightly fry the vadai’s and then freeze them. Or you can mould into small balls, place on the cookie sheet, place the cookie sheet in the freezer and allow the masala vada to frozen and store them in an airtight container lined with parchment paper. This way it lasts for 3 months in the freezer.
Thank You for stopping by!