Gujarati Dalwada| Mixed Lentil Fritters

We don’t do much of deep frying at home. It is only occasionally that we indulge in deep-fried snacks, sometimes to commemorate a special occasion, sometimes because the bub likes them, sometimes because we desperately crave for them. Right about now, the weather in Bangalore is perfect for deep-fried goodies – cloudy but bright mornings, followed by short showers in the evening. I absolutely had to dish up some Gujarati dalwada, one of my most favourite fried snacks!

If you have never had Gujarati dalwada before, you must absolutely try them out right away. They are so delightful – crunchy from the outside and soft on the inside, beautiful in taste. I have grown up eating them on rainy days and, even today, I cannot think of monsoon without thinking of these beauties. A newspaper cone full of these dalwadas, served with some fried green chillies and salt-soaked thinly sliced onions, spells out B-L-I-S-S to me.

Different people make dalwada in different ways. Some use only split green moong to make them, while some use a mix of lentils of their choice. I prefer the latter, using a mix of lentils and some rice, as I feel this gives a much better texture and taste to the dalwadas. Today, I will share with you the recipe for mixed-lentil Gujarati dalwada, the way a friend of mine taught me to make them.

Here’s how to make Gujarati dalwada or mixed lentil fritters.

Ingredients (serves 5-6):

For the dalvadas:

1. 1-1/2 cups split green moong
2. 1/4 cup chana daal
3. 1/4 cup split yellow moong daal
4. 1/4 cup urad daal (whole or split)
5. 1/4 cup raw rice
6. Salt, to taste
7. A 1-inch fat piece of ginger
8. 8-10 cloves of garlic
9. 6-8 green chillies, or as per taste
10. A small bunch of fresh coriander leaves
11. Oil, as needed for deep frying

For serving (optional):

1. Onions, as needed
2. Green chillies, as needed
3. Salt, as needed
4. Lemon slices, as needed

Method:

1. Wash the split green moong, split yellow moong daal, urad daal, chana daal and raw rice together thoroughly under running water, a couple of times. Drain out all the extra water.
2. Place all the washed and drained ingredients in a large vessel, and pour in enough fresh water to cover them completely. Let these ingredients soak for at least 3-4 hours.
3. Once the above ingredients are done soaking, drain out the water from them. You can reserve this water to use while grinding the batter or throw it away – that’s completely your choice. Transfer the soaked and drained ingredients to a mixer jar. Do not add in any water at this stage – just the soaked and drained ingredients.
4. Chop the green chillies finely. Peel the ginger and chop it finely. Peel the garlic cloves. Add the green chillies, ginger and garlic to the mixer jar.
5. Add salt to taste to the mixer jar.
6. Grind the ingredients in the mixer jar coarsely. Pulse a couple of times for two seconds each, stopping in between to scrape down the sides of the jar. Remember that you need to coarsely crush the ingredients and not make a fine paste. You can add in a little of the soaking water you might have reserved earlier, if needed, while grinding. If you don’t feel the need to add any water while grinding, you need not add any. The batter needs to be thick and not runny.
7. Chop the coriander finely and add it to the batter you just ground. Mix well and keep aside.
8. Heat oil for deep frying in a heavy-bottomed pan. When it reaches smoking point, turn down the flame to medium. Drop balls of batter into the hot oil, 4-5 at a time. Deep fry evenly till the dalwadas turn brown. Serve hot.
9. Gujarati dalwadas are typically served with thinly sliced onions mixed with a little salt, deep-fried green chillies with a little salt sprinkled on them, and slices of lemon. If you want to serve the dalwadas the traditional way, make sure you prep the onions, green chillies and lemon slices at the same time as the dalwadas get fried and ready. Alternatively, you can serve these fritters with tomato ketchup, though that isn’t something I personally prefer – I’d go for the traditional way, any day!

Notes:

1. You can skip the garlic in the dalwadas, if you don’t prefer it. Personally, though, I would suggest adding it, as it takes up the taste of the dalwadas higher by several notches.
2. Adjust the quantity of green chillies you use, depending upon how spicy you want the dalwadas to be.
3. My mom makes these dalwadas using just split green moong. She soaks 2-3 cups of split green moong for 3-4 hours, then drains out the excess water and grinds it with green chillies, garlic and salt to taste. Mom’s dalwadas are delish too, but I prefer the ones I make, with raw rice, urad daal, split moong daal and chana daal added in.

Did you like this recipe? Do tell me, in your comments!

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I’m sending this recipe to Fiesta Friday #235. The co-hosts this week are Mara @ Put on Your Cake Pants and Hilda @ Along the Grapevine.

I’m also sharing this with Friday Frenzy.