My latest halt in Kerala left me disappointed as i found the new development of modern Shaw/Gupta Bhel Puri stalls overtaking traditional chayakadas’. Though I’m not complaining but I sure missed my favourite Parippu Vada’ and the cup of black tea.
Overview
I am sure all my Malayalee friends will understand and sympathize with my situation. Though for others , Parippu Vada is the most loved malayalee snack. Generally made of toor daal ,though one can even use channa daal.
Communists thrived on this for generations. Be it on a rainy day in your balcony or an evening get together of friends, Parippu Vada serves the purpose.
Though for us Malayalees, Parippu Vada is a very well known food item. I’ve often met people who have never even heard of this wonderful snack and were curious to try. Even a large number of my friends have asked me about the recipe. So i finally got together to jotting the whole of it down.
Ingredients
Daal – Toor Daal ( Channa Daal or dried yellow split peas can be used as replacement in case of non availability of Toor Daal) – around one cup.- Onion – One big onion, chopped very finely.
- Shallot – Around 15
- Fennel Seeds – one fourth of a teaspoon
- Curry Leaves – three or stems, chopped finely
- Salt – As per the taste and requirement
- Oil – Around one cup is enough
- Asafoetida Powder – one pinch.
- Red Chilli Flakes – one teaspoon
Before You Put On the Chef’s Hat
The vadas should be made small to medium in sizes for they are easy to cook, big ones seem to crumble when heat is applied. After soaking the daal in water, the water has to be drained out properly, if not, the batter turns more liquefied which the poses a problem in moulding it.
Even if you turn the batter runny by mistake, there is no need to throw it away. You can still get your Parippu Vada, just use spoon instead of dropping them into the oil. The authentic Malayalee taste is due to coconut oil which must be added for the authenticity but other oils work just as well.
The red chilli flakes, asafoetida powder and fennel seeds are added for experimentation and can be skipped. In case you want your vadas to be crunchy, fry it to for a longer duration. Make sure when you drop the vadas the oil is proper hot or else the vadas will crumble.
If you are one of those regular office going men, still love cooking and you want to have this after you get back from office, just make sure you keep the crushed daal and the vegetables separate until you get back . The liquid from the vegetables, makes the batter mushy.
Making Parippu Vada (Instructions)
Soak the daal in water for two to three hours depending on the daal you are using, Toor daal usually takes up about two hours.
Drain the water properly, usually a clean towel does the job while a semi permeable sheet of paper can also be used. The drainage of water forms an important part.
Put the dried daal in a mixer grinder and crush the daal, do not get the daal in a fine paste, just crush the daal for a little while.
All the ingredients barring the oil, asofeitida powder and the red chilli flakes, mix them together with the daal. The onion, curry leaves , shallot has to be chopped finely as mentioned earlier.
Blend the mixture well.
Add the red chili flakes, asafoetida powder.
Make small sized balls of the batter and flatten it in between your palms.
In the meanwhile, get the oil heated.
Drop each vada into the oil and watch them grow crisp and brown.
Fry it according to the level of crispness desired.
Around twenty five to thirty vadas should be ready to be served.
Ready to Serve
Your Parippu Vada is ready to be served with the classic black tea and in case you are feeling lucky bring on the Sulaimani black tea.
The love for this Malayalee delicacy runs through generations of Kerala and Keralites living in different parts of the world.
The fact that it is very obscure and less found doesn’t diminish the love for it.
Whether a Malayalee or not, it doesn’t matter, wherever from the world you hail. A cup of black tea and Parippu Vadas is going to make your day.
