Paruppu Vadai

 

   

I love eating Paruppu Vadai but it has been a long time since I ate them. I used to buy them in my hometown from Indian stalls when they were just out from the oven. They are hard to find where I am staying now. They are delicious with the different tastes coming from the dhal, curry leaves, onions, dried and green chilies, jintan putih (cumin) and salt. Fried till golden brown, the vadai are crunchy on the outside and soft inside. Now that I know how to make them, I am definitely going to make them very often. The process is easy. It is only that we have wait for the dhal to be softened; I soaked them overnight so that they are easy to grind.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dhal
• 1 big onion, chopped into small pieces
• 3 sprigs of curry leaves, sliced finely
• 3 dried chilies, cut into small pieces
• 2 green chilies, cut into small pieces
• 1 tsp jintan putih, washed
• 1 tsp salt
• Cooking oil

Method:

• Wash the dhal and soak it overnight.

• The next day, remove and set aside 2-3 tbsp dhal.

• Grind the rest of the dhal till they are fine.  (If you have a powerful grinder, you need not add water to the dhal. If you are using a blender, add some water to make it easier to blend the dhal. However, you need to sieve the blended dhal to remove the water.)

• Transfer the ground/blended dhal to a bowl.

• Add the onion, curry leaves, dried and green chilies, jintan putih and salt to the bowl.

• Heat up a kuali or pan with cooking oil.

• Shape the batter round and flat and drop it into the hot oil. (Do not move it initially; instead let it cook to hold its shape.)

• Once the bottom has turned golden brown, flip it over to deep fry the other side till it turns golden brown.

• Scoop out the vadai onto kitchen towel to soak up excess oil.

• Repeat the process till all the batter has been used up.

• Best served hot.