Paruppu Vadai
Veg
Vegan
Crispy, flat lentil fritters made from a coarsely ground paste of chana dal (split chickpea) soaked and blended with red chillies, fennel, onion, and curry leaves — fried until deeply golden and crackling. The temple prasadam fritter of Tamil Nadu, offered at weddings and temple celebrations; denser and crunchier than medhu vadai, paruppu vadai is also sold at every South Indian tea stall as an evening snack.
Cuisines
Chettinad
Tamil Brahmin
Kongunadu
Madras
Udupi
Andhra
Best for
Snacks
Breakfast
Recipe
Prep: 15 min
Cook: 30 min
Total: 45 min
2-3 servings
Ingredients
| 1 cup | chana dal (split chickpeas) |
| 2 tablespoons | toor dal (split pigeon peas) |
| 2 tablespoons | urad dal (black gram) |
| 1 teaspoon | fennel seeds |
| 3 | dried red chilies |
| 1 medium | onion, finely chopped |
| 2 | green chilies, finely chopped |
| 1 tablespoon | ginger, grated |
| 1 handful | curry leaves, chopped |
| 2 tablespoons | coriander leaves, chopped |
| 1 pinch | asafoetida |
| 1 teaspoon | salt |
| as needed | oil for deep frying |
Instructions
- 1 Wash the chana dal, toor dal, and urad dal together and soak them in water for 2 hours.
- 2 Drain the water completely and grind the dals with fennel seeds and dried red chilies into a coarse paste without adding water.
- 3 Transfer the ground paste into a mixing bowl.
- 4 Add chopped onion, green chilies, ginger, curry leaves, coriander leaves, asafoetida, and salt to the paste. Mix well.
- 5 Heat oil in a deep frying pan over medium heat.
- 6 Take a small portion of the mixture and shape it into a flat round disc.
- 7 Carefully slide the shaped vadai into the hot oil.
- 8 Fry the vadai in batches until they are golden brown and crispy on both sides.
- 9 Remove the vadai from the oil and drain them on a paper towel to remove excess oil.
- 10 Serve hot with coconut chutney or sambar.
Tips
Ensure the oil is hot enough before frying to prevent the vadai from absorbing excess oil.