Masala Vade/ Aambode

Masala vada is a popular snack item in South India and is also part of any festive spread. It has 2-3 variations and our favorite one has onions, ginger & garlic and hence more moist, crispy and a flavour-bomb.

I have such fond memories of my girls sneaking into the kitchen to eat the raw dough before it’s fried. Even in their 20’s and 30’s they still come, steal a handful of dough, any chance they get.

INGREDIENTS

FOR GRINDING:

  • Chickpea Dal/ Chana/ Bengal Gram Dal : 1 measure/paavu (~250 gms)

    Soak for about 2 hrs and then drain completely in a colander. Good to spread it on a cloth for 15-20 min, to drain water.

  • Green chillies : 6-8 (alternatively can be diced and added along with onion) 

  • Ginger : 1 inch piece 

  • Garlic : half bulb, peeled (optional)

  • Cinnamon : 1 inch piece

  • Cloves : 3-4

Salt : 1 tsp/ to taste

Oil for deep frying : as needed 

Onion : 1 large, Finely diced

Dil leaves : 1 cup, finely chopped

Curry & Coriander leaves : 1/2 cup, Finely diced 

Mint : 1/2 cup finely chopped 

You could add all three greens or 1-2 of them 

Preparation time :

30- 40 minutes (with soaked dal)

METHOD

  1. In a dry blender, first dry grind the masala ingredients

  2. Add portions of Chana dal and blend to a coarse paste/powder and transfer in to a large bowl. Do not add water while grinding.

    **Let there be some whole dal as well, as it is integral to the texture of the vada. The paste has to have some blitzed dal, a few halved dal and some whole Dal.

  3. Add onion and other greens and mix well. You could taste the mix and adjust the taste. If needed add salt and 1-2 diced green chillies as well.

  4. Meanwhile, heat oil in a wok. Make lemon sized balls, flatten them in your palm (make them thinner to make it crispy) and fry on medium heat. If you have sufficient oil, the vadas can be layered one above the other, but make sure they turn golden on the lower side, before you turn them, else they may break.

  5. Serve hot with chutney or tomato sauce, or tastes great as is!

    TIPS : You could store the vada mix without adding onion and greens in the refrigerator for a few days. Add onion and greens before frying. But make sure to bring the dough to room temperature before use, otherwise the vadas turn out unfavorable dark brown in color when fried.

Variations : 

  1. Vadas are also prepared by grinding red chillies, hing (asafoetida) with Dal and mixing with grated coconut before frying. This vada can be stored for a few days. 

  2. Green chillies can be partly replaced with red chillies. About half tsp of turmeric can be added

INFORMATION

  • Vegan Friendly - Yes 

  • Keto Friendly - Yes

CALORIES :

Deep-fried, hence not the lightest on calories. A 40 g Vada equals ~100 Cal.

NUTRITIONAL VALUE:

  • Chickpea has high seed-protein content (nearly 20 %) and hence has potential as a valuable meat substitute.

Health Benefits :

  • Legumes (dals) are rich in protein and hence help build immunity and health. They are rich in B-group vitamins, iron, calcium, phosphorous, zinc and magnesium. Good sources of folate, which is essential for women of child-bearing age. Good source of antioxidants and low in saturated fat.

  • There are many herbs in masala vada, adding to a lot of medicinal values.

ORIGIN:

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum), also called Garbanzo bean in the Americas, Hamaz in Arabic countries, Nohud or Lablabi in Turkey, Shimbra in Ethiopia; originated in South-West Asia and is one of the most widely grown pulses.

WATER FOOTPRINT (is litres of water needed to produce the food) :

Lentils : ~ 6000 L/kg 

UPCYCLE/ RE-USE TIPS: 

  • The masala vada mix without onions and greens can be refrigerated for later use. Bring the mix to room temperature before frying, else the Vadas will cook unevenly and look kind of charred instead of golden brown. 

  • Excess masala vada mix can also be used to make Nucchina Unde (steamed dal dumplings, a recipe will be added soon)  by adding grated coconut and steaming them. GREAT for calorie counters!

DID YOU KNOW :

  •  Chickpeas are one of the earliest cultivated legumes, dating back to roughly 7,500 years old; even before pottery was invented.  

    India is the major producer of chickpea accounting for ~64% of chickpea production as of 2016-17. 

REferences:

https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-1-4419-0465-2_2324

https://toriavey.com/the-history-science-and-uses-of-chickpeas/

https://waterfootprint.org/media/downloads/Report47-WaterFootprintCrops-Vol1.pdf

Hope you try making this delicious year-round snack, leave your comments below or your own recipes and tips for this dish!

SNACKSPadmini SudarshanaCRISP, SNACK, PROTEIN, KETO, VEGAN, SPICYComment