Parippu Vada or Lentil snack or Dala vada

Lentils are very healthy ingredients in any diet. It could be called small powerhouses of nutrition because of it high protein and phosphorous contents along with minimal fat and other mineral presence as calcium, iron etc. Even though i am not a fan of deep fried food, occasional frying is of course acceptable. Parippu vada is a typical Kerala snack any malayalee relish on drooling, especially on rainy days. i wouldn't call this an authentic recipe as i have added little twists i and my family enjoy. So here goes:



Ingredients:
Tuvar dal or pigeon lentil or sambar parippu: 2 cup ( soaked overnight or min 2 to 3 hours)
Curry leaves: 2 stems
Onion: 1 chopped
Ginger: 1/2 tsp
Garlic: 3 to 4 cloves( this avoids the gastric problem that can occur due to the lentils)
Green chilies: 2 long, chopped
Asafoetida powder( kayam) : a pinch
Red chili powder: 1 tsp
SAlt: as required
Oil : for deep frying

Procedure: 
Drain the soaked dal and pat them dry. If water presence are there then the vadas are to break. So to be on the safer side drain the dal and keep in the draining position for say 1/2 an hour so even the little droplets will drip off. 
Make a paste of gralic (garlic bits would ruin the taste).Now put in all the ingredients (except for oil of course) in a grinder and coarsely grind the mixture.If you love coriander leaves you can add a bit of them too. Its easy to do so as the dals are soaked. Take in the paste in a vessel and heat the oil. wet your palm to avoid the paste sticking on to the hands.Take small portions and make a small puffed disk shape of it and dip them in the hot oil. Be careful to see if you dont burn them. Serve them with chutney or ketchup!