Holi, the festival of colors, generally marks the end of winters in India. There is a slight remnant chillness in the air, which gives one all the more reason to indulge their taste buds, if the occasion of Holi itself wasn’t enough. The festival would never be complete without an elaborate platter of delicious finger foods paired with traditional beverages.

One such recipe developed by Chef Karthik Krishnamurthy of Iddly Faktory is the Dal Vada or the Paripu Vadai, which is an easy to cook, quick to make dish; making an awesome snack for Holi.

The preparation time is 10 minutes, and the cooking time is another ten minutes, all excluding the soaking time. The recipe here is enough to serve 10-12 vadas.

Ingredients

3/4th Cup Chana Dal/ Kadalai Paripu/ Bengal Gram

2 Green Chilies 

2 Red Chilies

Salt to Taste

A generous pinch of Hing/Asafoetida

Few Curry Leaves

Onion (optional)

Oil to Fry

Preparation

Soak Chana Dal for one hour, then drain the water completely.

Take the Mixer jar, add the chana dal, green chilies, red chilies, curry leaves, salt and hing and grind together to form a coarse paste. 

Pour the batter into a vessel and mix everything well. You can add in your chopped onions, if desired, here.

Method

Make equal sized balls out of the mix and flatten it with your fingers. 

Heat oil in a kadhai. Drop a small amount of batter in the oil, to check if the oil is hot enough. If it immediately rises to the surface, then the oil is at the right temperature needed. 

Now, reduce the heat to a medium flame, and then add the small batter balls into the oil one by one. Let it cook for sometime. Then flip them over to the other side. 

Once the balls turn golden brown, remove them from the oil, and place it on the kitchen towels to drain off the excess oil. 

Your Dal Vada/ Paripu Vadai is ready!

 

There are somethings one needs to be a little careful about while serving food for Holi. Here are some tips by Mrs. Anuradha Karthik, to help you make everyone have super fun and fall in love with what you serve.

• Serve light snacks during Holi, they are great appetizers and will enhance your hunger pangs, but they will not fill you up. You don’t want to play Holi being so full you can barely move, so keep it light. Foods like potato wedges, onion rings, dal vadas, raw banana pakodas, etc can be served with a hot cup of filter coffee or tea. 
• Make the snacks you serve in different shapes and sizes, so they look even more appetizing and delicious. Use colorful spoons, forks, bowls and plates to make the dishes look interesting and inviting. 
• Avoid the mess at all costs. You are already going to have lots of color on your hands and dresses, and you want all that sticking up on chutney stains and marks. The consistency of the chutney should not be very thick, and the snakcs should be bite-sized portions, so they can be easily picked and had on the go, without creating a mess, avoiding the need to sit and grab a plate to eat. 
• Go Fresh. Prepare the snacks as and when required and not the previous day itself. Finger foods and snacks taste best when made fresh and remain crisp. You don’t want to serve soggy food to everyone. 
• Keep it Simple. Don’t spoil the taste buds, keep the flavor profiles simple, and use minimal ingredients especially for seasoning, like maybe just a pinch of salt or pepper or some very mild seasoning.