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    Home » Recipes » Snacks

    Masala vada, Masal vadai step by step recipe

    April 30, 2012 by Raks Anand 90 Comments / Jump to Recipe

    masala vada

    Masala vada, learn how to make a flavorful, crispy outside, soft from inside masal vadai with step by step photos.

    I rarely make masala vada as I am not confident making these. In particular, we, in our families make plain paruppu vadai in which we don’t add garlic, mint leaves or even fennel. We make it in a different way, when compared to the tea shop version. So when ever I cross any tea shops, the smell of these masal vadais will be mesmerizing. I will keep wondering what could be the flavor factor.

    Once, one of my grandpa bought a masal vadai in Chidambaram Bus stand tea shop. Obviously, I loved it a lot. Was very young then, only around 12 or something, still remembering that vadai. In particular, it was as big as our palm size and had lots of onion and veggies too like carrot, peas. Superb vadais.

    masal vadai

    Secret for a flavorful masala vada

    After I started cooking only made few times, but the paruppu vadai version. Once, I asked one of my friend about the flavorful perfect masala vada recipe. She said, pudina(mint leaves) and crushed garlic and fennel does the magic. So tried few times that way and loved the flavor! Finally, I made it to blog the recipe. Vj doesn't like fennel so I reserved some batter for him without fennel.

    Fennel seeds, ginger garlic and mint makes the magic.

    How to make the most flavorful, crisp vada?

    Firstly, soak chana dal (bengal gram) and grind it coarsely. Then mix with onion, chilli, herbs like mint, coriander, ginger and garlic along with spices to make the mixture. And, shape it as patties with thin outer edge and thick at the center. Finally, deep fry it few per batches to get soft inside, crispy outside masala vadai.

    Variations:

    • Use red chilli instead of green chilli.
    • Ginger garlic paste can be added instead of grinding fresh.
    • Skip ginger or garlic and use only one in either of it.

    GOES WELL WITH

    • Masala chai
    • Filter coffee
    • Coconut chutney

    RELATED POSTS

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    masal vadai
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    5 from 1 vote

    Masala vada

    Masala vada, learn how to make a flavorful, crispy outside, soft from inside masala vadai with step by step photos.
    Course Snack
    Cuisine Indian
    Prep Time 15 minutes
    Cook Time 20 minutes
    Soaking time 3 hours
    Servings 20
    Cup measurements

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup Chana dal/ kadalai parupu
    • 1 tablespoon Rice flour/ raw rice
    • 1 Onion
    • 5 Green chillies Medium spicy
    • 1 teaspoon Fennel/ soambu
    • 2 tablespoon Coriander leaves chopped
    • 2 tablespoon Mint leaves
    • Salt - as needed
    • 1 sprig Curry leaves
    • 1 inch Ginger piece
    • 5 Garlic cloves
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Soak chana dal for 3 hours. First grind ginger, garlic, chillies and fennel coarsely.
    • Then drain chana dal completely and add it in two batches and grind coarsely. Not too smooth not very coarse too. Refer picture. Few chana dal can be whole, no issues.
    • Mix finely chopped onion, coriander, mint, salt, rice flour and curry leaves.
    • Heat enough oil in kadai.
    • Keep a bowl with water and wet both hands. Make equal sized balls first for uniform sized vadas. Shape each ball to flat patties of medium thickness. Edge thin, thicker in the middle just like how a turtle shell would be looking.
    • Deep fry in hot oil until golden in colour, flipping once in between.
    • When you drop oil, heat should be high. Simmer after you drop all vadas and cook in medium flame until done.
    • Drain in paper towel. Repeat to finish.

    Notes

    • If we dont soak for enough time, vada may turn hard and too crisp.
    • Rice flour or sooji can be added to make crisp. Its optional too.
    • If using rice, soak along with dal and grind along.
    • You can also replace ginger and garlic with Ginger garlic paste.
    • Grinding ginger and garlic coarsely adds a unique kind of flavour.
    • You can even add a ¾ teaspoon of garam masala.
    • If you dont like garlic you can omit and add asafoetida ¼ tsp.
    • No need to add excess water while grinding.
    • Red chillies can be replaced for green chillies.
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    Masala vada step by step

    1. Soak chana dal for 3 hours. First grind ginger, garlic, chillies and fennel coarsely. 1-grind
    2. Then drain chana dal completely and add it in two batches and grind coarsely. If adding rice, you should add along. Not too smooth not very coarse too. Refer picture. Few chana dal can be whole. masala-vada-dal
    3. Mix finely chopped onion, coriander, mint, salt, rice flour if adding and curry leaves.3-mix
    4. Heat oil in kadai meanwhile. Keep a bowl with water and wet both hands. Make equal sized balls first for uniform sized vada. Shape each ball to flat patties of medium thickness. Thick middle and thinner edge resembling the turtle shell. masala-vada-shape
    5. Deep fry in hot oil until golden in colour, flipping once in between. Always cook in medium flame to ensure even cooking and golden colour. When you drop oil, heat should be high. Simmer after you drop all vadas and cook in medium flame until done. Drain in paper towel. 5-fry

    Notes

    • If we dont soak for enough time, vada may turn too crisp.
    • Rice flour or rice is to make crisp. Its optional too. If using rice, soak along with dal.
    • You can also replace ginger and garlic with Ginger garlic paste.
    • Grinding ginger and garlic coarsely adds a kind of flavour.
    • You can even add a ¾ teaspoon of garam masala.
    • If you dont like garlic you can omit and add asafoetida ¼ tsp.
    • No need to add water while grinding.
    • Red chillies can be replaced for green chillies.

    Serve hot with tea/coffee and mint chutney or coconut chutney as side dish for vada.

    masala-vada-recipe
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sudha Sabarish

      April 30, 2012 at 12:41 pm

      Crispy and yummy vadai.Its perfect to have with hot tea.

      Reply
    2. Lubna Karim

      April 30, 2012 at 12:43 pm

      The magic in making these vada's is all in grinding....one of my fav vadai's...loks perfect, crunchy and yum.....

      Reply
    3. jeyashrisuresh

      April 30, 2012 at 12:57 pm

      Varsha is a great fan of this vadai. Neatly explained and it's quite tempting

      Reply
    4. Shanthi

      April 30, 2012 at 1:05 pm

      Crispy and yummy, my favourite, my grandpa used to buy 50 nos. of this for me.

      Reply
    5. Shanthi

      April 30, 2012 at 1:13 pm

      Perfect shape and color..my fav vadai

      Reply
    6. Preeti Kashyap

      April 30, 2012 at 1:29 pm

      My fav with tea raks! Love it!

      Reply
    7. Sharmilee! :)

      April 30, 2012 at 1:35 pm

      Looks so crispy and perfect....I love this so much feel like grabbing that plate..Beautiful clicks!

      Reply
    8. Tina

      April 30, 2012 at 1:43 pm

      Sooo crispy and crunchy vada..

      Reply
    9. Anu

      April 30, 2012 at 1:59 pm

      Yum and crunchy snack. Perfect for evening.

      Reply
    10. Ramya

      April 30, 2012 at 2:16 pm

      they look so crunchy and perfect

      Reply
    11. savitha ramesh

      April 30, 2012 at 2:54 pm

      Mom used to prepare it this way.love the clicks.

      Reply
    12. S.Menaga

      April 30, 2012 at 2:54 pm

      vadai looks sooo crispy,never add rice flour or rava tthis vadai...next time will try out it...

      Reply
    13. Laavanya

      April 30, 2012 at 3:15 pm

      I love the crunch & flavor of these vadais...

      Reply
    14. Ramya Bala

      April 30, 2012 at 3:27 pm

      crunchy vadas raji 🙂

      Reply
    15. faseela

      April 30, 2012 at 3:41 pm

      super yummy snack....

      Reply
    16. Aruna Manikandan

      April 30, 2012 at 3:52 pm

      wow...
      looks crispy and delicious raji
      lovely clicks as usual 🙂

      Reply
    17. M D

      April 30, 2012 at 3:57 pm

      Lovely crisp clicks 🙂 Brilliant snack for a rainy evening!

      Reply
    18. Hari Chandana

      April 30, 2012 at 4:01 pm

      Awww... Looks absolutely perfect and inviting.. awesome job dear 🙂
      Indian Cuisine

      Reply
    19. Aarthi

      April 30, 2012 at 4:03 pm

      vadai looks so flavourful and yummy

      Reply
    20. Kousa's Kitchen

      April 30, 2012 at 4:35 pm

      //Once, one of my grandpa bought a masal vadai in Chidambaram//

      luks like my place is famous for Masal vadai :)...

      Still now making only paruppu vadai, will try your masal vadai.Lovely clicks!!!

      Reply
    21. Chitra

      April 30, 2012 at 4:43 pm

      Lovely clicks. I tasted this vadai in one of the tea shops nearby my mom's place , i wud say its the most perfect vadai. I too never tried with mint & fennel becoz of sen 🙂 . this must be gr8.. will make it atleast for myself 😉

      Reply
    22. Hema

      April 30, 2012 at 5:06 pm

      Those vadais make me hungry, as you say, the smell that you get while crossing a vadai shop is simply too good..

      Reply
    23. Recipe world

      April 30, 2012 at 5:13 pm

      Vada looks so tempting! I was eager to know the recipe after seeing the 'coming up next' pick 🙂 Nice presentation dear..

      Reply
    24. Satrupa

      April 30, 2012 at 5:39 pm

      These vadais are perfect for the Bangalore weather now. Made to perfection ........ lovely clicks too. Makes me hungry 🙂

      Cheers,
      Satrupa

      http://satrupa-foodforthought.blogspot.com

      Reply
    25. Suja Manoj

      April 30, 2012 at 5:50 pm

      Crispy and delicious snack..yum

      Reply
    26. radha

      April 30, 2012 at 6:37 pm

      This is yummy looking. Even I took some time to master making these vadas - they used to split when I dropped them in oil, but I think I finally have got it right. But the addition of mint and fennel is new and should try it the next time and win brownie points at home!

      Reply
    27. [email protected]

      April 30, 2012 at 7:22 pm

      chidambaram?? raks that is where I am from but settled here now..next time when u go there let me know, will tell my mom to get u the goodies..

      Reply
    28. Sushma Madhuchandra

      April 30, 2012 at 8:37 pm

      masala vadai looks tempting. We call it ambode in Kannada. I have the same plate got recently from Ikea 🙂

      Reply
    29. sangeetha

      April 30, 2012 at 9:01 pm

      wow...so temtping n yummy masala vadai...i use to add fennel seeds but not mint leaves,will try yours sometime 🙂
      Few weeks back when i was searching for your sambar sadham recipe, i thought that y u didn't post this masala vadai? n recently in Aruna's blog after reading your comment i got the answer 🙂 but today happy to see your perfect masala vadais...too tempting!

      Reply
    30. Now Serving

      April 30, 2012 at 11:01 pm

      suma dhool :p Love these anyday!

      Reply
    31. Premalatha Aravindhan

      May 01, 2012 at 12:11 am

      Delicious vadai,totally different version of masal vadai,sounds gud...will try next this way...love the click raji...amazing:)

      Reply
    32. Sumi

      May 01, 2012 at 1:27 am

      crispy and perfect 🙂 love it

      Reply
    33. Gayathri NG

      May 01, 2012 at 2:12 am

      We a;so use to make in same way, perfectly done dear...Flavorful n crispy n soft vadai!!

      Reply
    34. Home Cooked Oriya Food

      May 01, 2012 at 2:38 am

      awesome vada... love it...

      Reply
    35. Srimathi

      May 01, 2012 at 2:55 am

      Masal vadai is the best thing to have with tea. My friend gave me a similar recipe and I make it once in a while.

      Reply
    36. Shabitha Karthikeyan

      May 01, 2012 at 3:24 am

      Lovely masal vadai. Looks very crisp and homey. we do it the same minus the mint. Will add it next time.

      Reply
    37. Nagashree

      May 01, 2012 at 6:01 am

      Delicious, I would be happy if that plate just magically traveled to my table:-). Try adding 1/2 Tsp baking soda for crunchy and light masala vadas.

      Reply
    38. Rasi

      May 01, 2012 at 6:44 am

      very nice one.. i can almost smell the aroma.. kalakals 🙂

      Reply
    39. Vardhini

      May 01, 2012 at 12:34 pm

      Crunchy and perfect vadais Raks.

      Vardhini
      CooksJoy

      Reply
    40. PRIDERA

      May 01, 2012 at 1:42 pm

      This dish is called "AmboDe" in Karnataka .... loved the recipe

      Reply
    41. Priya

      May 01, 2012 at 2:27 pm

      Super crispy masala vadas,love it.

      Reply
    42. Nalini's Kitchen

      May 01, 2012 at 2:59 pm

      Crispy masala vadas,looks tempting...

      Reply
    43. malini

      May 01, 2012 at 4:46 pm

      nice and crispy vadas. here in banglore its raining and weather is perfect to make masala vadas to enjoy. yummyyyy.

      Reply
    44. Spice up the Curry

      May 01, 2012 at 8:02 pm

      masala vada looks fabulous

      Reply
    45. Sravs

      May 02, 2012 at 1:37 am

      Love them anytime !! Looks so Super crispy and yummy one !!

      Ongoing event
      CC:Mom's Recipe

      Reply
    46. Sathya Sankar

      May 02, 2012 at 2:18 am

      Delicious Vadas, crispy and very tempting!

      Reply
    47. Sangeetha Nambi

      May 02, 2012 at 4:37 am

      Gobble it @ anytime 🙂

      Reply
    48. Chandrani

      May 02, 2012 at 7:38 am

      Crunchy and yummy vada.

      Cuisine Delights
      My Monthly Event - Spotlight : "Healthy Breakfast Ideas".

      Reply
    49. Pavithra Elangovan

      May 02, 2012 at 11:44 am

      My all time favorite one .... way too tempting:)

      Reply
    50. [email protected] Relish

      May 02, 2012 at 5:53 pm

      You made me crave for these delicious and crunchy vadas now. Looks soooo tempting and superb.

      Reply
    51. Mahi

      May 02, 2012 at 9:56 pm

      I add fennel seeds, but never added mint in the masal vadai! Looks yum..perfect for the gloomy weather here! 🙂

      Raji, try making vadai with "பட்டாணி பருப்பு"..that paruppu will enhance the taste of the vadai, and in the shops they use that paruppu only!

      Reply
    52. Jay

      May 03, 2012 at 12:43 am

      how pretty n tasty!
      Tasty Appetite

      Reply
    53. Amina Khaleel

      May 03, 2012 at 1:01 am

      delicious and crispy vadai...
      Do participate in my first blog event: Guest Quest
      Amina Creations

      Reply
    54. Kalpana Sareesh

      May 03, 2012 at 5:52 am

      perfect shape wonderfully made.. love the flavors..

      Reply
    55. Deeps @ Naughty Curry

      May 03, 2012 at 6:01 am

      love how crisp they are... mouth watering

      Reply
    56. Jillu

      May 03, 2012 at 8:25 am

      Looks great... mouth watering!!

      Reply
    57. Priya Hari

      May 04, 2012 at 6:50 pm

      Perfect color, size, shape and ofcourse, clicks!
      Yummy!

      Reply
    58. Michael Koplow

      May 16, 2012 at 5:47 pm

      Thank you for this recipe. I'm a non-Indian who recently had my first masala vada. Almost fainted! I like your recipe because you aren't as insistent as some others--you have a list of substitutions, options, etc. I substituted chickpeas for the channa dal. (Yes, I know it's the same thing. My attempt at a joke.) Anyhow, they turned out great. I love your blog.

      Mike in Chicago

      Reply
    59. RAKS KITCHEN

      May 17, 2012 at 8:56 am

      Thank you all, thanks Mike!

      Reply
    60. Happy Cook / Finla

      May 24, 2012 at 11:30 am

      Last time i had vada like this was when i was wirh my sis, these look super yummy too.

      Reply
    61. sree

      August 06, 2012 at 6:15 am

      HAPPY FRIENDSHIP DAY raks... ur vada rocks.. today this is the spl dish with payasam for friendship day. its nice. thanq.

      Reply
    62. DGWS

      October 31, 2012 at 12:16 am

      Hi there, the vadai came out great taste-wise, but you know they are kinda soft and not crisp. What should I do to get them to be crisp even after cooling down?

      Reply
    63. RAKS KITCHEN

      October 31, 2012 at 12:18 am

      Cook in medium flame for long time, that makes vada get crispier, also you can try adding a tblsp of rice flour to the batter. Don't add more water than required. The vada should be stiff while you are shaping it. Hope this helps!

      Reply
    64. Varatha

      January 01, 2013 at 11:13 am

      I am learning cooking for the past 2 weeks. Today I tried Masal vadai by exactly following the instructions given in the post with the only change I used Yellow Split Peas (Peas Dhal/Pattani Paruppu) instead of Kadalai Paruppu. I must say It is Very Delicious as prepared in shops and got kudos from my wife, kid and in-laws. The taste remains in the tongue even after hrs. Thank you so much for the wonderful post!!! You made my day 🙂

      Reply
    65. quickgun

      August 04, 2013 at 11:43 am

      Great recipe. Simple and quick. Tried it out today and it turned out to be amazing. Will definitely try the garam masala and LG options the next time.

      Reply
    66. Nisha Appacha

      August 16, 2013 at 4:35 am

      perfect n delicious . i also wanted to add a point here - we can also use chopped dill leaves to the vada mix it also gives a lovely flavour n taste.

      Reply
    67. Nisha Appacha

      August 20, 2013 at 1:12 am

      you can also add some dill leaves( sapsige in kannada & Soya kura in telugu) to the recipe while mixing the grounded portion it also gives a wonderful taste

      Reply
    68. ptk

      September 27, 2013 at 8:24 am

      Tried this recipe. Very yummy especially the mint adds lot of freshness on every bite. Adding garam masala is a nice twist.

      Reply
    69. ptk

      September 27, 2013 at 8:25 am

      Tried this recipe. Very yummy especially the mint adds lot of freshness on every bite. Adding garam masala is a nice twist.

      Reply
    70. Swarna Mallawarachchi

      October 16, 2013 at 3:40 am

      All your recipes are well presented.

      Reply
    71. Swarna Mallawarachchi

      October 16, 2013 at 3:40 am

      Looks tasty ! I will try. Thanks

      Reply
    72. SashA

      November 03, 2013 at 12:57 pm

      Made these today. They were goood. Thanx for the masala recipe

      Reply
    73. Vasudha Sundar

      April 02, 2014 at 7:12 am

      Looks great. How much does one cup measure upto - 200gms?

      Reply
    74. Raks anand

      April 02, 2014 at 7:16 am

      One cup of each ingredient differs. I used a 240 ml measuring cup

      Reply
    75. Booma

      June 10, 2014 at 1:19 am

      Tried it today! Was a hit in my potluck! Thanks a ton

      Reply
    76. Uma jiji

      June 10, 2014 at 1:20 am

      No urad dal at all?

      Reply
    77. Arya fashion house Fashionhouse

      July 06, 2014 at 8:14 am

      I try to make today hop I will scuess I lyk so much dal vada

      Reply
    78. Arya fashion house Fashionhouse

      July 06, 2014 at 8:14 am

      I will try to make today hop I will scuess I lyk so much dal vada

      Reply
    79. esh

      August 25, 2014 at 1:16 pm

      I have made this twice. Perfect recipe! Easy to make and tastes great.

      Reply
    80. Preethi

      September 25, 2015 at 8:42 am

      Tried it . Friends and husband loved it 🙂

      Reply
    81. Nagaraj

      May 18, 2016 at 12:36 am

      For variation in taste you can add Dill Leaves instead of Mint Leaves.

      Reply
    82. frankk

      June 28, 2016 at 11:22 am

      Delicious with Samber and coconut chutney

      Reply
    83. Raks anand

      October 30, 2016 at 4:43 am

      Did you soak for enough time? You can grind little more fine and try again. (Or atleast take a little portion of the mixture and grind well and it can bind the vada)

      Reply
    84. naseera dawood

      April 24, 2017 at 6:01 am

      Perfect masala vada recipe... tastes really good... thanks to raks kitchen.

      Reply
    85. Unknown

      April 24, 2017 at 6:02 am

      Perfect masala vada recipe... tastes really good... thanks to raks kitchen.

      Reply
    86. Kamakshi Ganesh

      May 13, 2017 at 1:32 am

      raks, saw this post being used with little alterations in another website. Just wanted to bring to your notice. If you know already and have given permission pls ignore.
      http://www.desifiesta.com/2013/01/masala

      Reply
    87. Raks anand

      May 13, 2017 at 1:22 pm

      Thanks for letting me know. I will look at it.

      Reply
    88. Anbissa Subbiah

      December 12, 2017 at 1:32 am

      can I soak the dal overnight and make vadas in the morning? I am planning to make this in a large batch..

      Reply
    89. akshaya babu

      March 01, 2018 at 5:01 am

      hi dear... request recipes on low carb and high fat dishes.. thank you ma..

      Reply
    90. akshaya babu

      March 01, 2018 at 5:01 am

      Tried this recipe without rice
      . truly delicious..and simple to make..perfect for LCHF diet, when fried in coconut oil

      Reply

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    Raks anand

    Hi, I'm Rajeswari Vijayanand! I am the person behind Rakskitchen, sharing recipes with pictures & videos.

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    Hi, I'm Rajeswari Vijayanand! I am the person behind Rakskitchen, sharing recipes with pictures & videos.

    More about me →

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