Parippu vada/ Masala vadai

I'm going to a friend's house for a potluck dinner, she wanted some finger foods. I though these hot and spicy vadas would be a good option, as it's very cold in Denver right now.

Makes about 30 vadas

1 cup Chana Dal

1/2 cup Tuar Dal

2 tbsp Udad dal

4 Red chillies

Soak all of the above for 2 hours, then drain for an hour.

1 jalapeno chilli/ 3 green chillies

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 inch ginger

1/4 tsp hing

1 1/2 tsp salt/ or to taste

Add all the above ingredients to the blender and a ladle of the soaked dal.

Grind the dals in small quantities adding a couple of teaspoons of water if required.

It should be a coarse consistency with a few whole dals still visible.

1 red onion

a handful coriander leaves

Mince red onions and coriander leaves add to the ground mixture. Mix everything really well.

Heat oil. Add 1 tbsp of the hot oil in the ground mixture to make the vadas crispy.

Take a tbsp of the mixture and flatten it into a disc in the palm of your hand.

Carefully slip it into the hot oil, I fried about four or five at a time.

Fry till golden brown and crisp.

Drain on a rack with a cookie sheet tin under it.

This will prevent it from getting soggy, as it cools.

Don't grind the onion into the vada mixture this makes it watery.