Parippu vadai
Parippu vadai (masala vadai): crunchy Sri Lankan split-pea fritters with onion, chilli and fennel
Parippu vadai are the crunchy, lumpy fritters sold from glass boxes on Sri Lankan trains and from carts along Colombo's Galle Face Green at sunset, often with a couple of fried prawns pressed on top; ours are the plain vegetarian kind, which are just as common. Soaked yellow split peas (kadala parippu) are coarsely ground with green chilli, onion, curry leaves and fennel, shaped into flat discs and deep-fried until craggy and golden, crisp outside and nubbly within. Eat them hot with a cup of plain tea or a spoonful of seeni sambol. They're different from South Indian medu vada, which are made with smooth black lentil batter. The common mistake is grinding the lentils to a smooth paste; leave plenty of whole and half peas for the crunch. Chef's tip: hold back about a quarter of the soaked peas and stir them in whole after grinding.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Drain 9 oz yellow split peas or chana dal very well in a sieve for 10 minutes; any water left makes the vadai soggy and spit in the oil. Set aside a quarter of the peas.
10 minStep 2: Put the rest of the peas in a food processor with 2 dried red chillies and 1 tsp fennel seeds and pulse in short bursts, without adding water, until coarsely ground like rough breadcrumbs, with some half peas still visible.
3 minStep 3: Tip into a bowl and mix in the reserved whole peas, 1 red onion, 3 green chillies, 15 fresh curry leaves, ⅓ oz fresh ginger, ¼ tsp ground turmeric and 1 tsp salt. Squeeze a handful: it should hold together. If it won't, pulse a third of it a little finer and mix back in.
Step 4: Heat 4 ¼ cups vegetable oil in a deep pan to 350°F over a medium-high heat; a crumb dropped in should rise and sizzle steadily within a few seconds, not burn.
8 minStep 5: Take a lime-sized ball, flatten it between wet palms into a disc about 6 cm across and 1.5 cm thick. Slide 4–5 at a time into the oil.
Step 6: Fry for 4–5 minutes, turning once, until deep golden brown and crisp, and the furious bubbling has calmed to a gentle fizz. Lower the heat a little if they colour too fast, or the centres will stay raw.
15 minStep 7: Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot. They stay crisp for a couple of hours and reheat well in a hot oven for 5 minutes.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 230 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 22 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does parippu vadai take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of red onion?
- White onion or shallots, same amount (soak raw onion in cold water for 10 minutes to soften it).
- What can I use instead of fresh curry leaves?
- Leave them out, or add a strip of lime zest (there's no true substitute).
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