Moong dal vada aka moong dal bhajia is an amazing recipe for pakoda which is vastly popular in India, especially during Monsoon. It has got the perfect crispy outer layer and is fluffy from the centre. This deep-fried fritter is the amalgamation of yellow lentil paste, ginger, green chillies and some spices which are deep-fried in small portions. Moong dal vada is a perfect companion for evening snacks with a cup of tea. It is one of the most frequently served Indian snack recipe too along with green chutney at many parties and ceremonies.
Table of Contents
About the recipe
Tips and Suggestions
Health Benefits of Moong Dal
Frequently Asked Questions
How to make Moong dal vada (step wise photos)
Recipe Card
Indian snack recipe
Indian snack recipe is one of the significant parts of Indian cuisine which has been winning millions of hearts for ages. Countless dishes are prepared every day by street vendors, stalls, restaurants, hotels and home cooks. Recipe for pakoda plays a major role in Indian snack recipe.
Huge range of Indian snacks recipes are fried items and pakora is one of the most reliable items among them. It can be prepared in many ways, using paneer, lentils paste, chicken, fish and different vegetables like potatoes, capsicum, brinjal, spinach, cabbage and many more. Though it is a very simple dish, but its simplicity makes it more popular among people. Moong dal vada is always an exclusive collection of pakora recipe Indian for their unique and extraordinary taste.
What is Moong dal vada?
Moong dal vada is a crazily popular Indian snack recipe which is prepared with a handful of ingredients and gets prepared within half an hour. It is frequently prepared in every Indian house, especially during the monsoon and winter seasons. The name of the recipe itself tells about the recipe.
The word ‘Moong dal’ means ‘yellow lentils’ which is the most popular and beloved vegetable around the world. On the other hand, ‘Vada’ means ‘deep fried fritters’. Vada aka bhajia is the Hindi name of fritters. Pakoda is one of the most popular Indian street food which is prepared in myriad ways using different ingredients.
The recipe for moong dal bhajia has always been one of my favourite Indian snacks recipe since childhood. I have grown up eating this crispy delight. I still remember how I and my elder brother used to ask my mom to prepare different varieties of recipe for pakoda during monsoon. Nothing can beat the charm of garma garam pakoras with a hot cup of tea on a rainy afternoon. Of course, the addition of little gossip can convert these moments into beautiful memories.
Moong dal bhajia is very simple and easy to make. It only requires a few handfuls of ingredients to get prepared. All the ingredients used for the recipe are easily available in any Indian grocery shop. The best part of the recipe is that you can prepare it in larger batches without investing any extra time and effort. So, moong dal bhajia are one of the most popular options as an appetizer or snack for occasions like small parties, family get together etc.
This recipe for moong dal vada is a full-proof recipe and nothing can go wrong with it. I have included all the tips and tricks to prepare perfectly crispy pakoda in a single attempt. It is a huge hit in my family and they always ask me to prepare it during monsoon along with some green chutney.
Tips to prepare perfect Moong dal vada
- Always soak the moong dal aka yellow lentils for at least 5 hours or overnight. It is very important to soak the dal properly for perfect vada.
- Grind the dal to a slightly grainy paste using a minimal amount of water.
- The consistency of the dal batter should be like a thick cake batter.
- Beat the batter after grinding for 1-2 minutes in a circular motion to make it airy. This step helps to give you cottony soft and light fritters after frying.
- Always go for deep frying the fritters. Shallow frying does not work here.
- Fry the fritters in medium flame till golden in colour. Over-cooking may make the vada hard in texture.
- Don’t fry them on low flame or else the fritters will absorb lots of oil and on high flame they may not get cooked from the centre.
Moong dal vada with step-by-step photos and instructions have been provided in the ‘Instructions’ section. If you follow the steps carefully, you will get the perfect crispy potato pakora. But before directly jumping into the recipe, let me share a few interesting facts about the core ingredient ’moong dal’.
Health benefits of Moong dal (yellow lentils)
- Moong dal is rich in nutrients.
- It is rich in vitamins, minerals, fibre and protein.
- Its high levels of antioxidants reduce many health diseases.
- It is very healthy and preferable for pregnant women and toddlers for its easily digestible quality.
Frequently asked Questions
How to make Aloo pakoras crispy?
The addition of a small portion of rice flour into the besan batter makes the pakoda crispier.
Can I use baking soda in the gram flour batter?
Yes, of course. Many people use baking soda to make the batter fluffier. But I personally don’t like the taste and flavour of baking soda. So, I did not use it.
Why has my Moong dal vada soaked so much oil?
If the pakoras are added to the oil when oil is not hot enough or fried for a longer duration in low flame, they would absorb more oil.
How to eat Moong dal vada?
Moong dal vada is mostly served as an evening snack or appetizer with some green chutney or tomato ketchup or simply you can sprinkle some chaat masala on it. It can even be served as an afternoon snack with a cup of hot tea.
How to make Moong dal vada?
To prepare moong dal vada, first, wash the moong dal aka yellow lentils 2-3 times and then soak it for at least 5 hours or overnight. It is very important to soak the dal properly for perfect moong dal vada. Next day, drain the excess water from the dal and wash it one more time.
Transfer the moong dal into a jar of a grinder and add green chillies, diced ginger and a little bit of water. Grind it to a slightly grainy paste. Use a minimal amount of water during the time of grinding the dal.
Then transfer the paste into a large bowl and add cumin seeds, salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, crushed black pepper and coriander powder into it. Beat the batter in a circular motion for 1-2 minutes with a fork to make it airy.
Now put a pan on the flame and add enough oil to deep fry the vada or fritters. Check the oil by dropping a small portion of the batter into the oil. If it floats, then the oil is ready.
Wet your hand in the water and pour small portions of the fritters into the oil. Wetting hand resists the batter to stick to your hand. Don’t overcrowd the pan and fry the fritters over medium to medium-high flame till golden brown in colour. Drain the excess oil and transfer them to a tissue-lined plate for some time to absorb excess oil. Repeat the process and fry all the pakodas.
Many pakoda recipe have already been shared in my previous posts. You can check a few of them like
Paneer pakoda
Palak pakoda
Capsicum Bajji
Cabbage Pakoda
Dhaniya patta pakoda
Aloo pakoda
..And Many more…
Ingredients:
1 cup = 250 ml
- 1 cup Moong dal aka yellow Lentils
- 1 inch Ginger, peeled and diced
- 1-2 green Chilli
- ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon red Chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon crushed black Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Coriander powder
- Salt to taste
- Oil to deep fry the fritters
Instructions:
- Wash 1 cup moong dal aka yellow lentils 2-3 times and then soak it for at least 5 hours or overnight. It is very important to soak the dal properly for perfect moong dal vada. Next day, drain the excess water from the dal and wash it one more time.
- Transfer the moong dal into a jar of a grinder and add 1-2 green chillies, 1 inch diced ginger and a little bit of water. Grind it to a slightly grainy paste. Use a minimal amount of water during the time of grinding the dal.
- Transfer the paste to a large bowl.
- Add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, salt, ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon red chilli powder, ½ teaspoon crushed black pepper and ½ teaspoon coriander powder into it. Beat the batter in a circular motion for 1-2 minutes with a fork and mix all the ingredients.
- Now put a pan on the flame and add enough oil to deep fry the vada or fritters. Check the oil by dropping a small portion of the batter into the oil. If it floats, then the oil is ready.
- Wet your hand in the water and pour small portions of the fritters into the oil. Don’t overcrowd the pan and fry the fritters over medium to medium-high flame till golden brown in colour.
Note: Wetting hand resists the batter to stick to your hand. - Drain the excess oil and transfer them to a tissue-lined plate for some time to absorb excess oil. Repeat the process and fry all the pakodas.
Serving Instruction
Transfer the moong dal vada to a serving plate. Serve the hot pakoda immediately to enjoy its perfect crisp. Sprinkle some chaat masala on the top of the pakodas. Serve it with green chutney along with a cup of tea to enjoy your evening snacks.
Ingredients
1 cup = 250 ml
- 1 cup Moong dal aka yellow Lentils
- 1 inch Ginger, peeled and diced
- 1-2 green Chilli
- ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon red Chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon crushed black Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Coriander powder
- Salt to taste
- Oil to deep fry the fritters
Instructions
- Wash 1 cup moong dal aka yellow lentils 2-3 times and then soak it for at least 5 hours or overnight. It is very important to soak the dal properly for perfect moong dal vada. Next day, drain the excess water from the dal and wash it one more time.
- Transfer the moong dal into a jar of a grinder and add 1-2 green chillies, 1 inch diced ginger and a little bit of water. Grind it to a slightly grainy paste. Use a minimal amount of water during the time of grinding the dal.
- Transfer the paste to a large bowl.
- Add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, salt, ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon red chilli powder, ½ teaspoon crushed black pepper and ½ teaspoon coriander powder into it. Beat the batter in a circular motion for 1-2 minutes with a fork and mix all the ingredients.
- Now put a pan on the flame and add enough oil to deep fry the vada or fritters. Check the oil by dropping a small portion of the batter into the oil. If it floats, then the oil is ready.
- Wet your hand in the water and pour small portions of the fritters into the oil. Don’t overcrowd the pan and fry the fritters over medium to medium-high flame till golden brown in colour. Note: Wetting hand resists the batter to stick to your hand.
- Drain the excess oil and transfer them to a tissue-lined plate for some time to absorb excess oil. Repeat the process and fry all the pakodas.
