Parippu vada - Kerala fritters with Bengal gram

Kerala parippu vada with Bengal gram - Crispy and spicy lentil fritters from Kerala with step by step photos and video.

Parippu vada or lentil fritter is a famous tea-time snack of Kerala. Not only in Kerala, you will find its different versions in other south Indian states also. Traditionally, parippu vada is made with toor dal or chana dal. But the chana dal version is tastier than the prior one. The soaked and ground lentil is mixed with various spices like green chilies, shallots, curry leaves etc.

Parippu vada or Lentil filter has been my all time favorite tea time snack since my childhood. My father used to bring this crispy hot lentil vada's from our nearby tea shop run by Suresh chettan. I have never had such a tasty parippu vada from anywhere else, perfectly thin and crisp. Whenever I try to make parippu vada, I always want to get the same crispiness and thickness as he does. I think, I succeed in this to some extend. But still I always love to eat Suresh chetan's parippuvada whenever I go home.

As I already mentioned, parippu vada is made with soaked lentil either split chick peas or pigeon peas. Both are equally tasty, but for beginners, it will be better to try with spit chickpeas which is called kadala parippu in Malayalam, and chana dal in Hindi. The success of making parippu vada lies in its grinding and you can gain perfection though the following few steps.

Today's recipe which I am sharing here, is the Kerala version of parippu vada. There will slight change in the case of ingredients from place to place, but truly, you should have tried this at least once, you will love it. Best combination of parippuvada is black tea as you know well...😋

Parippu Vada Recipe| How to make Kerala parippu Vada at home | How to make crispy and tasty lentil fritters at home

Parippuvada

Tasty Kerala teatime snack made with lentil and spices

Preparation time: 2 hours | Cooking time: 30 minutes | Total time: 2 hours and 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup split chick peas or 1 cup pigeon peas
6 shallots
2 to 3 green chilies
1 " piece ginger
2 spring curry leaves
4 to 5 garlic cloves
Salt to taste
oil for frying

How to make parippu vada - video

Kerala parippu vada with step by step photos

The preparation of Kerala parippu vada is so easy, but some critical point you have to follow correctly. Making crispy parippu vada is not a big deal, you can do it with proper grinding and proper frying.

Before making parippu vada, you have to soak lentil in enough water. The water should be at least one inch above the lentil and should cover the lentil completely. You can use either split chick peas or pigeon peas. Soak it for not more than two hours, the chick peas will absorb water and will increase its size.
Parippu vada - Lentil in water
After the soaking time, wash the chickpeas in running water till the water runs clear and keep it in a colander till all the excess water leaves. The chick peas will absorb a handsome amount of water but will still remain hard. Do not forget to remove all the excess water before you grind, otherwise the parippu vada will spit while frying.
Parippu vada - Soaked lentil
Transfer the entire content into a mixer jar along with some shallots, green chilies, ginger, garlic and half of the curry leaves.
Parippu vada - Lentil with green chili, shallots and curry leaves
Grind into a coarse mix. I used medium sized grinding jar for this purpose not the smaller one to get the right consistency.
Parippu vada - Batter consistency
Transfer this content into a clean bowl and add curry leaves and salt. Mix well.
Parippu vada - Batter with curry leaves and salt
Now make small lemon sized balls and gently flatten between your palm so that you get a perfect parippuvada shape. It should have a thicker center and a thinner edges.
Parippu vada - Shaped batter
Fry in hot oil until the fritters turn crisp. Once you put parippuvada in oil, reduce the flame to medium, so that the inner part of the vada also cook perfectly and forms a perfect outer crispy layer. Never fry on high heat, if done so the outer portion will turn dark quickly leaving the inner part uncooked.
Parippu vada - fritters frying in oil
Flip after a few minutes when the lower side, turn golden brown. Cook the other side also. Once the fritters turn crisp, and brown, remove from oil.
Parippu vada - Cooked fritters
Serve hot with a glass of hot black tea. Enjoy 😊😊😊
Parippu vada with kadala parippu