Chana Dal Vadai (Deep-Fried Dumplings Made with Yellow Split Peas and Fresh Dill)
Recipe courtesy CUISINES OF INDIA (Ecco Press, 2001) by Smita Chandra and Sanjeev Chandra

This recipe was submitted after another member needed some ideas for what to do with a big sack of peas her husband brought home. There were some other interesting ideas suggested as well, for example "make a pea shooter and shoot peas at him all night". I decided to give the recipe a go because it sounded like something that the kids would love. I couldn't wait long enough for Donna to send me some of her peas so I just bought my own.

1 cup chana dal (yellow split peas), washed
1 garlic clove
1/4-inch piece of garlic
1 hot green chili, stemmed
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
2 to 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill (or coriander)
10 to 15 fresh curry leaves (optional)
Salt to taste
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Vegetable oil for deep-frying

Soak the dal in enough water to cover for at least 2 hours. Drain and set aside. In a food processor, mince the garlic, ginger, and chili. Add the drained dal and mince again, adding 1/4 cup of water to achieve a fairly smooth paste. Take care not to add too much water--it will make the dumplings difficult to shape.
Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add the onions, dill, curry leaves, salt, and pepper. Mix well. Warm oil for deep-frying in a wok or deep fryer set over medium-high heat. With your fingers, make rounded walnut-size balls of the dal mixture and drop them gently into the hot oil, spooning some over the dumplings to seal them. When the underside has browned lightly, gently turn them to cook on the other side. Cook for a few minutes until lightly golden all over. Drain on paper towels and serve hot.

So here's how it went:

Making Chana Dal Vadai
------------------
Why did you choose to make this recipe? Loved the sound of it. It looked very economical and my kids love anything that is shaped like a football. It also sounds very healthy.

Were you making it for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner or Supper? I was making it for dinner?
Ii made them for dinner and served them with organic brown jasmine rice, lightly steamed broccoli and fresh natural organic yogurt.

How many people were you feeding? 7 people

Were they children or adults? 2 adults, 2 teenagers and 3 small children

Was it easy to find all the ingredients that you needed? Yes, except they didn't have yellow split peas so I had to use green. I used fresh coriander instead of dill.

Were the ingredients expensive? It was very inexpensive, I fed the family for under 10.00 euro.

What variations did you make to the recipe if any? I doubled the recipe, then I divided up the peas. I made one mix using the green chili and one without for the kids. I also didn't have a whole lot of time so I simmered the peas for an hour instead of soaking them, it probably changed the whole recipe but it had to be done. I added a little tumeric and cumin as well.


What was the most difficult part if any? There was no part that was really difficult. When I was frying the first batch they started to go sort of mushy in the pan. So I added an egg and some flour to the second batch before I made the balls.

How did it turn out? The first batch I tried came out a bit sloppy but they tasted delicious and they were all eaten. The second batch came out lovely, all crispy and golden.
They looked so nice and fried so beautifully.

What was the reaction of the people eating? Everybody went nuts for them. My husband wanted more, and the kids ate all their dinner. It was a great success.

Would you make it again? For certain. It's a keeper.

If yes what would you do differently next time if anything? Next time I'm going to use yellow split peas.