Masala Vada Recipe, Masala Vadai, மசாலா வடை

السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته

Masala Vada recipe, masala vadai a very popular South Indian snack, especially in Tamil Nadu is really a delight to eat. With all the spices in the masala vada recipe, the flavors and the aroma is just amazing.

You would find the Masala Vada being sold at every corner of the streets in India. Different regions have different flavors.

I remember going to the nearby hotel with my Dad to buy some hot Masala vadas and bondas in Chennai when I was a kid.

Though at that time, I was more fond of the Bonda than the Masala Vada. My love for it grew when I developed a taste for spicy food. And there was no looking back ever since.

This Masala Vada recipe is a definite keeper. The masala vada recipe is especially tasty during the rainy season. We use to relish that in Chennai, the capital of the south indian state of tamil nadu.

Eating hot masala vada during the cold weather was such amazing feeling. But now, as you know, I live in a desert without the least chance of rainfall, I convince myself that the masala vadas tastes best when eaten in a cool air-conditioned room. 😀

All these snacks are reserved either for weekends or during Ramadan iftar time. Eating this along with the traditional Ganji, another popular dish from chennai, made out of rice and dal, will be a sure hit among everyone. You can even eat it with rice and dal. Or with Idli and sambar like the tradition tamil nadu breakfast.

And add in some Palal Pakora too from the Krish Recipes and it will be pure bliss.

 

Let’s get started with the Masala Vada recipe, masala vadai

This is how I make it, there might be many variations to it, some call for more ingredients, some less, but this is exactly how I love my masala vada recipe. I wouldn’t like to add or remove any one of the ingredients from it.

Ingredients for Masala Vada recipe, masala vadai

• 2 cup bengal gram/chana dal
• 2 whole red chili
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 inch stick cinnamon
• 2 large onions, finely sliced
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 green chili, finely chopped
• 4 tbsp coriander leaves/cilantro, finely chopped
• handful of curry leaves/kadi patta, finely chopped
• salt to taste
• oil for frying

Method for Masala Vada recipe

• Soak chana dal/bengal gram in  water for about 4 hours or overnight.
• Grind red chili, pepper, cumin seed and cinnamon to a fine powder in a coffee grinder.
• Now add the chana dal in a food processor and grind to a coarse paste without adding water.
• Add the ground powder, sliced onion,turmeric powder, chopped green chili, chopped coriander leaves, chopped curry leaves and salt and mix really well.
• Heat oil in a kadai on medium flame and make a disk from the dal by making a ball and pressing firmly between your palms.
• Drop this in the hot oil one by one and fry until golden brown on both sides. Your masala vada is ready to be served.

Additional Notes:

• If you find it difficult to hold the mixture together to make a disk, add some besan/gram flour to it. Or alternatively grind half the mixture really smooth and the other half coarse and mix it together. 
• Do not cook on high flame as the masala vada will be cooked on the outside and still be raw inside.
• Always soak for atleast 4-5 hours, if you don’t, then the masala vadas will turn out to be very hard. 

Until next time,

Love,

Fareeha

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