Dal Vada (Yellow Split Peas Fritters) (Edit recipe)

Dal Vadas, a popular street food in India, are these savory, spiced, crispy fritters that everyone loves and enjoys with a cup of tea. In different parts of India, these fritters are made using one or more varieties of lentils (most commonly with split chickpeas aka Chana Dal), spices and herbs. I have modified the traditional recipe to make it Whole30 compatible by using Yellow Split Peas (Matar dal) and added Spinach for some nutrition boost. This recipe is also Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten-free, Dairy-free and Plant-based Whole30 compatible!

2 hours and 20 minutes

20 minutes

Difficulty:

Intermediate

Show nutritional information

This is our estimate based on online research.
Calories:	476
Fat:	29 g
Carbohydrates:	39 g
Protein:	16 g
Cholesterol:	0 g
Sodium:	1100 mg
Fiber:	17 g
Sugars:	6 g
Calculated per serving.

by Priyanka Nadkarni

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 cup Yellow Split Peas
2 cups Water, for soaking
1 cup Spinach, chopped
1 whole Onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp Cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp Mint Leaves, chopped
1 whole Jalapeño, de-seeded and chopped
1 pieces Ginger Root, 1 inch, washed, peeled & grated
0.25 tsp Turmeric Powder, Primal Palate
0.5 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Ground Cumin, Primal Palate
1 tsp ground Coriander, optional
2 tsp Salt
0.5 cup Avocado Oil, for frying

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Process

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Note, these instructions are written assuming the standard serving size, since you have modified the number of servings, these steps may need to be modified for best results

Thoroughly rinse yellow split peas in water and soak them in twice the amount of water for 2 hours.
Then drain the water and coarsely grind the yellow split peas in a blender, preferably without adding any additional water. There should be some whole yellow split peas in the mixture for the crunchy texture, so do not grind it fine. If unable to grind, add 1 tbsp of water at a time to the blender.
To this ground yellow split peas, add spinach, cilantro, mint, jalapeno, (swap with green chilies if you like it spicier) and spices (paprika, turmeric, ground cumin, ground coriander) and salt. Add any other veggies or leafy greens of your choice now.
Mix well and refrigerate the mixture for half an hour.
When chilled, shape into fritters preferably using your hands.
In a deep pan, heat oil on medium heat.
Shallow fry the fritters, couple of minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through.
Remove them on absorbent kitchen towels to get rid of extra oil.
Serve them hot with your favorite dipping sauce; I used ketchup and my cilantro-mint chutney. Enjoy!

Notes

1. Feel free to sneak in additional veggies (preferably with low water content) into these fritters. Just grate them, season with salt and allow it to sweat for half an hour. Squeeze out and discard the liquid, and then add the vegetable. If using leafy greens such as kale or chard, chop and add them directly. 2. Other aromatics to add - If you have these on hand, Ground toasted fennel seeds powder and curry leaves make a wonderful addition.