Coconut Masala Vadai

This was supposed to be a Sunday post got delayed and I felt I should just go ahead anyways. I know coconut in a masala vada sounds different and so were we when Amma had first made it.Not sure if she saw this in some tele or if its from her handbook. We have already made this couple of times, and every time we make it, everybody liked it a lot. So it was really worth recording how this is made.

Coconut Masala Vada

Ingredients Needed:

Coconut, fresh grated -1 cup
Chana dal - 1/2 cup
Green Chilies - 2 -3 medium
Ginger - 1"
Fennel Seeds - 1/2 tsp

For the vada
Curry leaves handful
onions - 1 medium
coriander leaves handful
Oil for deep frying
Besan - 2 - 3 tbsp as required for binding

How to make the Coconut Masala Vada

Wash and soak the chana dal for an hour. Drain it completely before grinding.

Wash and finely chop the coconut meat.

First run it in the mixer to a coarse paste

Then add the channa dal, green chilies, ginger to the coconut and pulse it to a coarse paste. The mix should be ground well, yet not so much as a paste.

Finally add the fennel seeds and pulse it couple of times. Idea is to blend and not grind the fennel seeds.

Transfer to a bowl, add curry leaves, coriander leaves and finely chopped onions. Mix everything well. For binding the batter, add besan as required and adjust salt.

Heat a kadai with oil, pat down as small discs and deep fry on both sides.

Drain on a kitchen towel and serve hot