Parippuvada/Deep Fried Lentils.

Parippuvada can be translated into.... deep fried lentils?? though it will be "parippuvada" for me.... till the end of the world. You know what is the best thing about travelling by train, its the sound of "parippuvada, vada, chai, pazhampori (banana fritters)". During my childhood when we used to travel by train to Kottayam from Trivandrum and back, as a child I used to relish these snacks.

Parippuvada needs no introduction to Malayalees as it is almost a staple fried snack; every tea shop from the "pettikada" to the 5 star hotel now has this humble deep fried snack. Amma used to make this as an after school snack during my school days and I am just continuing the tradition for my kids. BTW have you tried parippuvada with ripe plantians or pazham, if you haven't you should try that combination.....

Parippuvada is nothing but soaked lentils, coarsely crushed, spiced, and deep fried.

Author: Nisa Homey.
Ingredients:
Vadaparippu/Peas parippu/Split yellow lentil: 1 cup.
Shallots: 3 to 4, chopped finely.
Redchilly powder: 1/2 tsp.
Turmeric powder: A fat pinch.
Green chilly: 1, chopped finely (you can decrease it to half if it is too hot for you).
Curry leaves: 1 sprig.
Asafoeitida/Hing: 1/4 tsp.
Salt to taste.
Oil for frying.

Note: I add the shallots, curry leaves, and green chilly while I am grinding the lentil so that it will incorporate into it; you can also chop them finely and mix into the grinded lentil.

Method:
Wash thoroughly the lentil and soak the Parippu/Lentil for at least one hour. Keep a handful aside.

Put the rest of the lentil in a grinder and give it a pulse or two. Add the shallots, curry leaves, green chilly, turmeric, red chilly, asafoetida, and salt; give it another pulse. The lentil should not be made into a paste, but grinded coarsely with just the minimum water needed.

Add the kept aside lentil into this and mix well, do check salt, if needed add more.

Meanwhile heat some oil in a kadai. Make a lemon sized ball from the crushed lentil.

Lightly wet your fingers and flatten them into small patties.

Gently slide it into the hot oil, make 7 more patties and deep fry in hot oil (if you are using a big kadai you can make this in two batches, since my kadai is small, it took about 4 batches for me). Let the vadas turn golden colour, gently flip to the other side and deep fry till golden. Drain onto a paper napkin.