Paush Vada

Ingredients

• ¾ cup Black-eyed chickpeas (lobia)
• ½ cup Green moong or black split urad
• ½ cup Moth dal (dew bean)
• 1 tsp Black peppercorns
• 1 tbsp Coriander seeds
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds (jeera)
• ½ tsp Carom seeds (ajwain)
• 1 tsp Kasoori methi
• 1 inch Fresh ginger, grated
• 1–2 Green chillies, chopped
• 2 tbsp Fresh coriander, chopped
• ¼ tsp Turmeric powder
• ½ tsp Red chilli powder
• to taste Salt
• ¼ tsp MSG
• Hot oil – for mixing and frying

Method of Preparation

Chef Ajay Chopra

1. Soak the Lentils

   Wash and soak the black-eyed chickpeas, green moong and moth dal in water for 5–6 hours or overnight. Drain well.

2. Grind the Mixture

   Coarsely grind the soaked dals together without adding much water. The mixture should remain thick and coarse rather than smooth.

3. Prepare the Masala

   Crush the black peppercorns and coriander seeds in a mortar and pestle or grinder. Add them to the dal mixture along with cumin seeds, ajwain, kasoori methi, ginger, green chillies, coriander, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, salt and MSG. Mix well.

4. Add Hot Oil

   Heat some oil until very hot. Pour a spoonful of the hot oil into the dal mixture and mix thoroughly. This helps the Vadas become crisp.

5. Shape and Fry

   Heat oil in a kadai for deep frying. Take small portions of the mixture, shape into flattened Vadas and carefully slide them into the hot oil. Fry over a medium flame until golden brown and crisp.

6. Serve

   Drain on absorbent paper and serve hot with chutney or curd.