Thavala Vadai | Mixed Lentil Fritters

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Thavala Vadai – A festive special fried food prepared with mixed lentils, rice and with coconut but without any onion or garlic. Honestly, we don’t need any occasion to make this recipe. Crispy on the outside and soft inside, this vadai an anytime perfect recipe. Today I am happy to share my mom’s Thavala vadai recipe. Read further to check the detailed recipe with stepwise pictures.  Jump to Recipe

Festive food is incomplete without vadai and payasam. Be it for Varalakshmi Vratham or Vinayakar Chaturthi or Diwali or Karthigai, vadai, and payasam is a must and in our household, we always prepare the festive food without any onion and garlic, and that includes the vadai too.

Usually, I prepare paruppu vadai (even though this thavala vadai is super easy) for these occasions as vaandu likes that. This summer I got a chance to celebrate Garuda Panchami and Varalakshmi Vratham in India, and my mom prepared Thavala vadai for this two nonbu and guess what, vaandu and my niece gobbled these vadais. :-)

Then as usual as I got the recipe from my mom and prepared it for Vinayakar Chaturthi and Karthigai Deepam. During Karthigai Deepam, I was able to click the pictures, and here I am sharing the same. :-) And this is the scrumptious lunch that I prepared for the Karthigai Deepam. Follow me on IG for my day to day recipes.

Both paruppu vadai and this thavala vadai has pretty much the same ingredients but the proportions(check the notes) are entirely different and of course the way of making too. I love the fact that we don’t need to shape these vadas. All we need to do is scoop some batter using a spoon and pour it into the hot oil.

Without any further ado, here is the super delicious and straightforward thavala vadai.

Thavala Vadai | Mixed Lentil Fritters

A festive special fried food prepared with mixed lentils, rice and with coconut but without any onion or garlic.

Ingredients:

• Urad Dal – 2 tbsp
• Channa Dal – 2 tbsp
• Toor Dal – 2 tbsp
• Rice – 2 tbsps
• Moong dal – 1 tbsp
• Grated Coconut – 3 tbsp
• Curry leaves – 10 leaves
• Chopped Cilantro – 2 tbsp
• Turmeric Powder – 1/4 tsp
• Hing – 1/4 tsp
• Green Chili – 1
• Red chili – 1
• Ginger – 1-inch piece
• Water – 2 tbsps + 2 tbsps + 1/4 cup (or as required)
• Besan/Kadalai Maavu – 1 tsp
• Salt – 1 tsp heaped
• Oil for frying
• To Temper:
• Oil – 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Steps:

• Wash the toor dal, channa dal, urad dal and rice and let it soak along with red chili and green chili for at least one to one and half hours.

• Similarly, wash the moong dal and let it soak separately.

• After 1.5 hours, drain the water and grind it along with turmeric powder, hing, and ginger. Sprinkle some water while grinding. I used only 2 tbsps of water while grinding.

• Take this ground vada batter in a wide bowl.

• Add two more tbsps of water to the mixer jar and rinse it. I added one tsp besan and mixed in the mixer jar itself.

• Add this besan water to the vada batter. Then add the drained moong dal, salt and curry leaves.

• Now in a tempering pan, heat the one tsp of oil and once it is hot add the mustard seeds. When they splutter add the same to the vada batter. Then add the coconut and cilantro as well.

• Mix them all

• Add 1/4 cup of water and mix again.

• The consistency should be like as shown in the picture. It should be thick but still in pouring consistency.

• Meanwhile, heat the oil for frying the vada.
• Once the oil is hot, take a ladleful of batter and slowly pour in the oil.

• Let it fry for 40 seconds and flip and let it cook until the bubble ceases and it turns crispy.
• Make the vadai with remaining batter similarly.
• That’s it. Thavala Vadai is ready. Serve hot with chutney and tea or coffee.

Notes:

• The steps might sound lengthy, but all you need to do is soak the lentils and rice. Grind them, add the remaining ingredients, temper, and fry.
• The proportion formula is – you need to take an equal amount of channa dal, urad dal, toor dal and rice and half the amount of moong dal. You can adjust other ingredients as per your preference especially the salt and chili.
• Grated coconut and soaked moong dal adds a distinctive texture and do not skip them.

Thavala Vadai | Mixed Lentil Fritters

A festive special fried food prepared with mixed lentils, rice and with coconut but without any onion or garlic.

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Prep Time: 2 hrs

Cook Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 2 hrs 20 mins

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Indian, South Indian

Servings: 4

Author: Srividhya G

Ingredients

• Urad Dal - 2 tbsp
• Channa Dal - 2 tbsp
• Toor Dal - 2 tbsp
• Rice - 2 tbsps
• Moong dal - 1 tbsp
• Grated Coconut - 3 tbsp
• Curry leaves - 10 leaves
• Chopped Cilantro - 2 tbsp
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Hing - 1/4 tsp
• Green Chili - 1
• Red chili - 1
• Ginger - 1-inch piece
• Water - 2 tbsps + 2 tbsps + 1/4 cup or as required
• Besan/Kadalai Maavu - 1 tsp
• Salt - 1 tsp heaped
• Oil for frying

To Temper:

• Oil - 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Instructions

• Wash the toor dal, channa dal, urad dal and rice and let it soak along with red chili and green chili for at least one to one and half hours.
• Similarly, wash the moong dal and let it soak separately.
• After 1.5 hours, drain the water and grind it along with turmeric powder, hing, and ginger. Sprinkle some water while grinding. I used only 2 tbsps of water while grinding. Take this ground vada batter in a wide bowl.
• Add two more tbsps of water to the mixer jar and rinse it. I added one tsp besan and mixed in the mixer jar itself.
• Add this besan water to the vada batter. Then add the drained moong dal, salt and curry leaves.
• Now in a tempering pan, heat the one tsp of oil and once it is hot add the mustard seeds. When they splutter add the same to the vada batter.
• Then add the coconut and cilantro as well.
• Mix them all and add 1/4 cup of water and mix again.
• The consistency should be like as shown in the picture. It should be thick but still in pouring consistency.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil for frying the vada.
• Once the oil is hot, take a ladleful of batter and slowly pour in the oil.
• Let it fry for 40 seconds and flip and let it cook until the bubble ceases and it turns crispy.
• Make the vadai with remaining batter similarly.
• That's it. Thavala Vadai is ready. Serve hot with chutney and tea or coffee.

Notes

• The steps might sound lengthy, but all you need to do is soak the lentils and rice. Grind them, add the remaining ingredients, temper, and fry.
• The proportion formula is - you need to take an equal amount of channa dal, urad dal, toor dal and rice and half the amount of moong dal. You can adjust other ingredients as per your preference especially the salt and chili.
• Grated coconut and soaked moong dal adds a distinctive texture and do not skip them.

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