Ingredients

• 250g - Bengal gram dal
• 1 big - onion (finely chopped)
• 5 pearls - garlic, peeled
• 4 - green chillies
• 2 inches - fresh ginger, cleaned and peeled
• 1/2 cup - finely chopped fresh coriander leaves
• 1/2 cup - finely chopped mint leaves
• 1/2 cup - finely chopped dill leaves
• 2 inch stick - cinnamon
• 1 tsp - cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp - salt
• oil

How to Make Bengal Gram Masala Vada

• Soak Bengal gram dal for one hour.
• Chop onion and herbs and keep aside.
• Grind 2 tbsps of the soaked dal with ginger, garlic, green chillies and cinnamon into a smooth paste.
• Drain the remaining dal and add it to the paste and run the mixer for a minute to get a thick and coarse batter without adding water.
• Mix the batter evenly with a spatula and run the mixer for a few more seconds if necessary.
• It is fine if some dal is still left uncrushed.
• Scoop out the dal mixture in a bowl and mix in the chopped herbs and onion, salt and cumin seeds.
• Heat oil in a kadai.
• Make a small ball out of the batter and flatten it on your palm into a vada, and slide it into the hot oil.
• Vadas can be cooked in batches of six or eight depending on the size of the kadai.
• Do not disturb until you see a colour change around the vada.
• Gently flip the vadas and cook on the other side.
• Cook until the vadas become a golden reddish brown in colour on all sides.
• Take them out using a perforated ladle and drain them on a paper towel.