Dal Vada – Crisp White Lentil and Onion Fritters

For someone who claims to like seasonal living, I am probably seventy percent there. Spring and Fall have my name written all over them, and I can get behind early summer and soft snowy winter days. Now for the chilly bleak winter days, I have Dal Vada. These white lentil and red onion fritters are an easier take on the classic variation – Medu Vada.

I created this recipe at a time, my culinary skills were more rudimentary and time on hand was shorter.

The Story of Dal Vada

Right after the clock changes in March, there is that time of anticipation. You can see green things peeking out of the soil, but often it is winter’s last hurrah. This week ended up being just that. However, even trapped in a cold day there are moments to savor and celebrate.  We love all things fritter able in this house. And, thus I created these Dal Vadas. And while I always add in the red onions, I add in shredded cabbage and other vegetables that I have on hand as well. The kids are happy with it, since the flavors camouflage the veggies.

What is a Dal Vada

Fritters on the Indian table come in all shapes, sizes and names. In North India the most common type of fritter is a pakora and in the South it is a vada.

This recipe is my simplification of the classic medu vada. It has the same flavors, but is fuss free. I just drop it into the oil, without much shaping.

These simple fritters are almost everything that one can hope for in a snack, and if I did not fry them, I would delete the word almost. They get done in a flash, crisp, spicy, tasty, versatile, vegan and gluten free. I made them with or without turmeric, while not a huge difference in taste, they get a nice rich color from turmeric, if however you do not have any around you can just leave them out.

A simple concoction carried over from my childhood, these fritters work for me on busy evenings, simple events with a wine on the side and the left-over fritters can actually be tossed into a light curried sauce.

A note on the lentils, batter consistency and cooking oil

The word Dal means lentils. So, the Dal Vada is made with split white lentils know as urad dal. If you do not have these on hand, you can use yellow split moong lentils.  These lentils should ideally be soaked for 3 or 4 hours to overnight. However, if you are in an absolute rush, pour boiling water and soak them for 30 minutes. You will be in business.

I use a good grape seed or light olive oil for frying them and a nice wide frying pan, which allows me to complete them in two batches.

How to Enjoy Your Vada

In our household, we are happy enjoying our vadas as is. Maybe dunking them in ketchup. Hey that is a bona fide thing. We Indian’s use ketchup for almost anything. However, to go a more classic and proper route, a coconut chutney can be made and used.