Moong dal vada, simply the best and so delicious. These are golden crispy from outside and soft, spongy, fluffy from inside. Plus these Gujarati dalwada are easy to make at home and requires only a handful of ingredients.

This Gujarati snack is best enjoyed during the rainy season with sliced onions and fried green chilies on the side and of course a hot cup of tea. This makes a truly delicious appetizer for small get-together, party or any occasion in between.

Gujarati Moong Dal Vada Recipe

This moong dal vada is so popular all over Gujarat, especially in Ahmedabad. You will see many street vendors selling them. They give you the hot, fried dalwada wrapped into the newspaper. Those are so delicious that I can’t stop eating them.

Now that I moved to the USA, I don’t get them here. So I have made homemade dal vada and trust me these turned out the same as street stalls, so good, and perfect.

This Gujarati dal vada is different than moong dal pakoda. In this recipe, we are using chilka moong dal (moong dal with skin), while to make moong dal pakoda, yellow moong dal is used.

These crispy dal vada are perfect for entertaining. They are best eaten hot so you get the best of that crispy outside goodness, but they taste just as great at room temperature too. While the outer layer won’t be as crispy, but they’ll be still flavorful.

Check out more Indian starter recipes (appetizers for entertaining)
Hara bhara kabab // Veg cutlet // Samosa // Veg kofta // Palak pakoda

How to make dal vada?

1) Measure and take moong dal with skin (chilka moong dal). Take into the colander or strainer and wash under running cold water till water runs clear. Rinse them in a bowl 3-4 times or till the water is not cloudy anymore.

2) Soak in enough water for 4-5 hours. Water should be 2-3 inches above the dal.

3) After the soaking time, rub the dal between your fingers, so most of the skin will come off.

4) Keep rubbing and massaging till 70% of the skin is came off the dal.

5) Now drain the water and skin will float on top, remove that too.

6) You can see now that very few dal has skin.

7) Take drained dal in a grinder jar. Add green chilies, ginger, and cilantro. Add 1-2 tablespoons of water only.

8) Grind it into a thick, coarse paste.

9) NOTE: Do not add too much water because we need a really thick batter.

10) Remove the batter in a bowl, add salt and hing.

11) Mix and stir vigorously so the batter becomes light and fluffy. This makes light and spongy dal vada without adding any baking soda.

12) While you are stirring the batter, heat the oil for deep frying on medium heat. Once hot add a spoonful of batter by using a large spoon or your hand.

13) Keep moving and frying till they are crispy and golden brown from all the sides. Remove it to a paper towel-lined plate and fry similarly rest of them.

In the end, fry green chilies into the hot oil. And serve piping hot vada with sliced onions and fried chili.

Dal Vada Recipe (Gujarati Moong Dalwada)

Tips to make BEST Dal Vada:

Soak the dal for at least 4 hours.
Want to skip the rubbing and removing skin steps? Use half of yellow moong dal (without skin) and half of moong dal with skin.
Keep the batter really thick, so add very little water while grinding.
Also, make the coarse batter. Do not grind into a fine paste.
Do stir or whisk the batter really well for about 2-3 minutes to aerate and fluff up the batter. This makes the spongy, light and fluffy dal vada from inside.
For a variation, you can add 2-3 cloves of garlic while grinding the dal.

Check out more vada recipes
Medu vada // Sabudana vada // Sweet corn vada // Batata vada // Bajri vada // Dahi vada