Parippu Vada

Something you can’t escape in Seattle are the rains and there’s nothing more perfect on a damp evening than sitting in your patio munching on these crunchy Parippu vadas with a cup of hot tea. Even without the rains, they can be great to nibble on while reading your favorite book. These vadas gain their popularity from the south Indian chai kadas (tea shops) where they are most sought for.

Ingredients

Channa Dal: 1 cup

Toor dal: 1/4 cup

Red onions (finely chopped): 3 tablespoons

Ginger (finely chopped): 2 teaspoon

Green chillies (finely chopped): 2-3

Curry leaves (torn into pieces or whole leaves): One sprig

Asofetida: a pinch

Salt to taste

Oil to fry

Soak the channa dal and toor dal separately in water for 2 hours at least. Drain out the water completely and grind the toor dal into a fine paste and keep aside. Similarly drain the water and coarsely grind the chana dal and now mix both the ground paste with a spoon. Add the chopped onions, ginger, chillies, curry leaves, salt and a pinch of asofetida. You could run the mixer one final time to bind all the ingredients well, but make sure it does not turn into a smooth paste.

Make small balls out of this paste and flatten them in your palm to make small discs. Heat some oil in a deep pan and fry these discs until golden brown and crisp. Tastes best when served hot with regular ketchup or any kind of coconut chutney.