Moong dal / payatham paruppu is a common lentil found in the Indian pantry. Yellow moong dal is easy to digest and also cooks very quickly. This is also one of the first lentils introduced to babies when they start their solids as it is easy to digest. This Moong Dal pakoda is very easy to make and my kids loved it as their evening snack. It is a popular sight to have pakoras / pakoda as street foods and they are very addictive. This is pretty similar to Onion Pakora except that it is made with Moong dal.
Why does this recipe work?
This recipe for the dal pakoda is as easy as soaking the lentils for a couple of hours and then grinding them into a thick batter. We then add a lot of finely chopped onions, green chilies, and cilantro/coriander leaves. This batter is then deep-fried as tiny irregular pieces of pakoda. This Moong dal pakoda is one of the best tea-time snacks. It is crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside and is delicious when served with green chutney/coriander chutney and sweet chutney. Masala Vadai is a very popular street food in Tamil Nadu. I call this Mung dal vada, the Rajasthani version of the Masala Vadai. Except there is no shaping of the vada. Just use a spoon and scoop some dal batter and drop it as chunks in oil. One other recipe similar to Moong dal vada that I love is the Black eyed peas fritter / Lobia vada.
Ingredients and Substitutes
Moong dal / Yellow Mung lentil / Payatham paruppu - The star of the dish is the yellow moong dal. We could use split green moong dal as well, but it will change the color and texture of the pakoda. Vegetables - Onion is what adds a crunch and sweetness to the dal pakoda. I like to add finely chopped red onion, but you could use any that you have in hand. We also use ginger and green chilies. You could add grated ginger and finely chopped green chilies, but I like to grind them with my lentils. Along with it we use a good handful of finely chopped fresh cilantro/coriander leaves. Spices - I add cumin seeds and fennel seeds along with salt in the pakoda batter. I also like to grind these along with the batter. If preferred, you could crush them lightly and add it to the batter. Oil - We are going to be deep frying this pakoda, so we need oil to deep fry. Use any frying oil that you would normally use.
Step-by-step process
Wash and soak the moong dal in water for about 2 to 3 hours. Drain it completely and grind it into a coarse paste adding no water. Make sure that the batter is little coarse and not too smooth. I also grind my ginger, green chilies, cumin seeds and fennel seeds along with the lentils.
Now add the finely chopped onions and cilantro to the lentil batter and mix well. Add the salt needed.
Heat the oil in a pan and once the oil heats, add little dumplings from the prepared batter and drop in into oil. I like to use a spoon to keep it less messy. Depending on the size of the pan we could add a few dumplings at the same time to fry.
Fry them until they are golden brown all around and then drain it on a paper towel-lined dish.
Serve hot with green chutney or sweet chutney!
Expert Tips
Wash and soak Moong dal in adequate water and then grind it after draining completely. If grinding the chilies and ginger, add them to the blender jar first and give it a coarse grind and then add the lentils. In this way the lentils won’t become too mushy. Heat the oil until hot and then reduce the flame to medium before dropping the pakodas in oil. This way the pakoda will cook evenly from all sides. Also, this will ensure that the outside of the pakoda does not become dark before the interior cooks. Serve it warm. The mung dal vada can be reheated in the air fryer or in a low setting in the oven or toaster oven.
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