Dalwada | Moong Dal Wada is a crisp and delicious pakora made with split green moong dal.
Dalwada is a street food that we find on the streets of Gujarat. One can spot the Dalwada carts or shops at every nook and corner. During monsoon, one can see people standing in queues holding umbrellas waiting for their turn to buy these golden beauties. Crisp. Crunchy golden on the outside, and soft, spongy, fluffy inside. The Dalwada makes an excellent snack, especially during monsoon and winters.
Dalwada is simple to make at home too and requires a handful of ingredients. Split Moong Dal is soaked for 3-4 hours and then washed very well. Wash till just one-fourth husk is left. Grind the dal with garlic and green chilli and we have a batter that is ready to fry the Dalwadas.
Ingredients required to make Dalwada
Split Moong Dal: Split Moong Dal is made from mung beans that are hulled and split. We need to soak the dal for 4-5 hours.
Green Chilly: Green Chilly gives a wonderful zing to the Dalwada. Use as per your taste and the variety of chilly that you use. Either chopped or paste both work for the recipe.
Garlic: Garlic adds to the flavour of the Dalwada. Jains can skip this ingredient.
Coriander Leaves: Coriander Leaves add flavour and hue of brightness to the Dalwada.
Salt: Adds on to the flavour.
Oil for Frying: Any cooking oil that we use for frying will do.
For Serving
Onions: I prefer to use Red onions, but White Onions also work.
Green Chilly: Green Chilly is an add-on to this Dalwada. Use medium spiced chilly.
How to make Dalwada | Moong Dal Wada
Wash the dal thoroughly and soak in enough water for 4-5 hours. Make sure the water is 2-3 inches above the dal.
After the soaking time, rub the dal between your fingers, so most of the husk will come off.
Keep rubbing and massaging till 70% of the husk comes off.
Discard the husk and wash it once again with fresh water. Drain the excess water.
Add garlic, green chilli, and washed dal to a mixer grinder. Add salt to taste. Grind it to a coarse paste, adding water only if necessary.
While stirring the batter, heat the oil for deep frying on medium heat.
Gently drop about a tablespoon of batter into the hot oil, Do not overcrowd the pan. This will lower the temperature of the oil and the Dalwada will become oily and soggy.
Keep stirring and frying till they are crispy and golden. Remove onto a paper towel-lined plate. Similarly, fry the rest of them.
Now fry the green chilli and slice the onion. Serve hot and enjoy with a hot cup of tea.
Serving Suggestions
The Dalwada is best served hot. Serve them with sliced onions and fried green chilli. A cup of tea or coffee adds to the experience of enjoying the Dalwada.
Slit open a pav and sandwich it with a few of these hot Dalwada. Onions and fried green chilli again on to the flavour.
The Dalwada tastes amazing while it is hot, but trust me you will equally enjoy them at room temperature. The crunch will be lost, but the soft dalwada is yummy too.
Storage Suggestions
Dalwada is best consumed while it is fresh and hot. The piping-hot ones vanish in a jiffy. I have never had a chance to store them.
If you have some leftovers, just keep them in an airtight container box and place them in the freezer. Defrost and use an air-fryer to heat them.
The Batter can be stored as well. Place it in an airtight container box container and place it in the frig to be consumed the next day.
Pro tips to make spongy Dalwada |Moong Dal Wada
Soak Thoroughly: Soak the dal for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight.
Coarse Grind: Grind the dal coarsely for a better texture.
Aerate the Batter: Whisk the batter well to incorporate air and make the Dalwada fluffy.
Thick Batter: Keep the batter thick. A runny batter will result in a soggy Dalwada.
Moderate Heat: Fry the Dalwada over medium heat. Too high heat will burn them, while too low heat will make them oily.
Enjoy your homemade Dalwada!
I made these Dalwada for a Chaat Board that I served for a tea party, with chaat items like Tikki Chola, Palak Dahi Wada and Dahi Papdi Chaat.
If you travel to Gujarat and feel like eating piping hot Dalwadas, head on to Ambica Dalwada. They serve the best ones available on the streets.
This is an updated post with better content and pictures.
Dalwada | Moong Dal Wada
Equipment
- Mixer/ Grinder
- Mixing Bowl
- Kadai / Wok / Pan
- Slotted Spoon
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Split Moong Dal
- 2-3 Green Chillies
- 3-5 Cloves Garlic
- Coriander Leaves
- Salt to taste
- Oil for Frying
To Serve with
- Green Chilly
- Red Onion
Instructions
- Wash the dal thoroughly and soak in enough water for 4-5 hours. Make sure the water is 2-3 inches above the dal.
- After the soaking time, rub the dal between your fingers, so most of the husk will come off.
- Keep rubbing and massaging till 70% of the husk comes off.
- Discard the husk and wash it once again with fresh water. Drain the excess water.
- Add garlic, green chilli, and washed dal to a mixer grinder. Add salt to taste. Grind it to a coarse paste, adding water only if necessary.
- While you are stirring the batter, heat the oil for deep frying on medium heat.
- Gently drop about a tablespoon of batter into the hot oil, Do not overcrowd the pan. This will lower the temperature of the oil and the Dalwada will become oily and soggy.
- Keep stirring and frying till they are crispy and golden. Remove onto a paper towel-lined plate. Similarly, fry the rest of them.
- Now fry the green chilli and slice the onion. Serve hot and enjoy with a hot cup of tea.
Notes
One of my friends made these at a baby shower party..I am yet to make these vadas..We simply loved these.
Those fried green chilies are mouthwatering.. Nice wada
was searching for this recipe. Thanks. Bookmarked
Totally YUMMY..I love it..Delicious.
Aarthi
http://yummytummy-aarthi.blogspot.com/
Feel like munching some,super crispy daalwada..
One more temptin recipe feel like take some from there….
Padma
http://www.plantainleaf.blogspot.com
very tempting vadas.. too good
Looks so inviting Vaishali. And i love your idea of taking the pics of the vadas on a newspaper sheet and the tea glass in the background. It just adds to the street food effect!
Superb texture Vaishali. Its so tempting.
Ongoing Event: MurariAnniversary-Giveaway-2012
You are feeding me my MIL's dishes this week. Incidentally she has spent all her life except the last 10-15 years in gujarat. Yours look good and tempting.
very crispy and tempting daal vada..loved the presentation too 🙂
Yummy. I learnt them from my Gujarathi neighbor. 🙂
One of my favorite winter street food. In Rajasthan you will get this in almost all the bus stands. I add whole coriander seeds also.
Nice presentation.
That's so tempting!..can't resist for sure..:)
OOOhhh…so tempting .
I love these. Thanks for sending your recipe to My Legume Love Affair.
Dal wada looks delicious.
delicious looking dal vada looks wonderful
That looks super crispy and tempting!
I love dal vadas. Something so amazingly comforting about them, and reminds me so much of home.
Thank you for linking up to Sweet Heat, I am looking forward to including this in the round up!
I half expected tuvar dal based recipe – this moong dal is such a delight – i have never tasted this yet – but i can imagine the flavors of green chilli , garlic on a rainy day. And that platter is already on my dream to do list.
I usually make Dal wada with Toor dal / Channa dal – use of whole moong with skin here is a great idea. I am thinking can tweak this with a little roasted rava / rice flour added so I can fry them in the airfryer for the hubby and me who are off fried treats 🙂 It wont be the same but I love the twist for a great protein snack here, Vaishali
Kalyani , its the split moong dal – not the whole moong . You can make these in appe pan or even in an air fryer . They taste really good .
Alternatively you can even steam these to make great dhoklas .
I love making the moong dal wada as it is loaded with protein and so easy to make as well. Crispy on the outside and soft inside. In South, we always make the dal wada with chana dala and toor dal combination. This is one more version that I make these days.
These are so sinful and delicious Vaishali…I make these when I am bored making the regular chana dal vadas…and not to mention these tastes equally good..
I have never tried making vada with green mung. Always used yellow ones. This is interesting with that loads of garlic flavor. I will definitely try it. Just comment on the other post saying dal wada is inviting and now I have the recipe.