Masala Vada (Crispy Lentil Fritters)
Coarsely ground chana dal mixed with onion, fennel, green chili, ginger and curry leaves, shaped into patties and fried until crunchy and golden. South India's favourite tea-time snack.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Grind roughly
Drain the soaked lentils well. Set 2 tablespoons aside, then grind the rest with the dried chilies and fennel seeds, without adding water, into a rough, crumbly paste (not smooth).
- 200g minus 2 tbsp (about 190g)
- 2 dried red chilies
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
✅ Done when: mixture is crumbly and holds together when pressed, not a smooth paste
Mix
Add the reserved whole dal, onion, green chilies, ginger, , cilantro and salt to the ground paste and mix well with your hands until evenly combined.
- 2 tbsp reserved whole dal
- 1 onion
- 2 green chilies
- 1 tbsp ginger
- 15
- 3 tbsp cilantro
- 1 tsp salt
- all ground paste from step 1
Shape
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Fry
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Grind roughly
Drain the soaked lentils well. Set 2 tablespoons aside, then grind the rest with the dried chilies and fennel seeds, without adding water, into a rough, crumbly paste (not smooth).
- 200g minus 2 tbsp (about 190g)
- 2 dried red chilies
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
✅ Done when: mixture is crumbly and holds together when pressed, not a smooth paste
Mix
Add the reserved whole dal, onion, green chilies, ginger, , cilantro and salt to the ground paste and mix well with your hands until evenly combined.
- 2 tbsp reserved whole dal
- 1 onion
- 2 green chilies
- 1 tbsp ginger
- 15
- 3 tbsp cilantro
- 1 tsp salt
- all ground paste from step 1
Shape
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Fry
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The Story Behind the Dish
Known as paruppu vadai in Tamil and ambode in Kannada, masala vada is a staple at South Indian tea stalls and temple festivals.
Unlike the soft medu vada, it's coarse and crunchy, studded with whole lentils and fragrant with fennel and curry leaves.
⭐ Why It's Famous
Crunchy, aromatic and protein-rich, masala vada is the perfect monsoon snack with hot coffee.
💡 Fun Fact
Keeping a few whole soaked lentils in the mix is the trick for extra crunch in every bite.
Tamil Nadu & Karnataka
13.08°N, 80.27°E
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