Masala Vadai (Lentil Dumpling) | Cooking With Kin #2#

I still look at the confirmation email she sent me and wonder, "Huh! Did she say YES to me?! Really?" I've been a big fan of her simple and beautiful blog. Her beautiful food photographs just make you wanna cook (or eat!) that very moment. I can't tell you the number of times I've filled my hungry stomach just looking at her Kebabs, Pink Cutlet, Lasagna, Mysore Pak and so many other delicacies!

I have tried recipes like Dum Aloo and Batata Vada from her blog. And today, I am really delighted to have her do a guest post for my CWK Series. Folks, please welcome the founder of Bake Fest & Dish it Out; the Rajnikanth of the blog-world :-D - Vardhini Koushik of Zesty Palette! *trumpets*

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This is a guest post for Kavitha who blogs at Edible Entertainment. She recently started a new series "Cooking with Kin" and I am thrilled to be part of the same. Her blog features a wide variety of posts with detailed explanation and if I have to describe her in one word, it would be "bubbly". :). She always shows that excitement and enthusiasm in her comments and in her posts. She hosts a lot of events and also takes part in a lot. She does have a lot of energy :)

Masala Vadai is a snack that is favored by most people. It is deep fried, but you can also make a healthy version of it using the kuzhi paniyaram pan. There is hardly any difference in taste between the two methods. I am going to explain both the methods here. Have you'll bought the paniyaram pan yet?

Healthier version..

RECIPE
(Printable Recipe)
Ingredients
1 cup channa dal soaked for 2 hours (Kadala Paruppu)
4 red chillies (Adjust to taste)
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
2 garlic cloves
Salt
3/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
Oil to deep fry

Method
Soak channa dal and red chillies for 2 hours.

Take the dals and red chillies in a blender along with garlic, fennel seeds and salt

Grind coarsely.

To the ground dal add onions.

Add coriander leaves.

Mix well.

Take a small portion of the mix.

Flatten to form a vadai.

Deep fry in hot oil.

Vadais are done when they are brown on both sides.

Healthy Alternative
A healthy alternative to the deep fried version is to use the kuzhi paniyaram pan. Heat the pan and add 1/4 tsp oil to each groove. Place a small portion of the dal mix in the groove.

Flip over after a couple of minutes or so and let the other side cook. Healthy vadai ready.

This is the low fat alternative and see it does not look too different :)

And this is the deep fried version.

ENJOY!