Channa Dal Vada / Senagapappu Vadalu

Recipe Source: My Mom.

Makes:

Around 40 Vadas of cutlet size. But Mom makes big ones. If you make like my Mom you can make around 20 I guess.

Ingredients:

Channa Dal --- 1 Cup (250 ml)

Green Chilies --- 12 small ones
Ginger --- 3 inches piece
Onion --- 1/2 of the big one
Coriander Leaves --- 10-15 strands (chopped) (Optional)
Mint Leaves --- a few (Optional) (But gives a nice flavour to the vadas.)
Curry Leaves --- a few (chopped) (Optional)
Salt --- to taste
Besan / Chickpea Flour --- as required (to bind) (if required)


Pre-Requisite:

Clean and soak a cup of channa dal in water for atleast 2 hrs. You can soak it in water for about 2-4 hrs.

Before Soaking

After Soaking

Process:

• Drain the water from the channa dal with the help of a colander. Wait for 5 minutes.
• Add 1/5 th of the soaked channa dal to a blender and grind to a coarse paste by adding green chilies and ginger. Don't add water. I have grinded a cup of channa dal in 4-5 batches. So, grind little after little which makes the task simple and easy. If you blend all the channa dal it won't blend properly. Because you are not adding water to it. If you are having a food processor use that for grinding.
• Transfer the grinded stuff to a bowl.

• Chop 1/2 of the big onion into small pieces and coriander leaves / curry leaves / mint leaves and add that to the grinded channa dal. Add enough salt and mix well.

• Check whether you can make dumplings out of it. If there is excess water in the dal you can't make dumplings. So, add besan or chickpea flour to the grinded dal which acts as a binding agent. (My Mom don't use besan she does it like that only. But I couldn't do that, because this is the first time for me.) (I got this tip from Vahrehvah.)
• Mix well and make dumplings out of it. I made dumplings of cutlet size but my Mom makes big dumplings.

• Heat oil in a steel pan. (Try not to use non-stick pans.) When the oil is at right hot drop the dumplings gently to the heated oil.

• Fry till gloden brown and remove the vadas with holes ladle.

• Transfer the vadas to a paper towel.

• Serve hot. Tomato Ketchup goes well with this.

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