If you are a fan of South Indian cuisine, then you must have come across the crispy and flavourful Ambode. It is basically a spicy lentil fritter, prepared with soaked chana dal and various aromatic herbs and spices. A famous street food served across every region of South India, ambode makes a perfect snack to chomp on, along with a hot cup of tea. It also holds a constant place in a traditional South Indian thali during festivals or special occasions. You can enjoy the fritter as is or can eat it as an accompaniment with sambar rice, rasam rice, dal chawal etc.

South Indian-style ambode recipe has multiple variations in terms of ingredients. While some use dill leaves in the batter, others prefer using curry leaves instead. Some people also add onion in the recipe for a caramelised texture.

We bring you one such ambode recipe that is made with some basic ingredients like chana dal, curry leaves, coriander leaves, hing, green chilli and more. Let’s find it out!

Also Read: Vadas of India: 10 Different Types of Vadas From Across India You Must try

How To Make Ambode | South Indian-Style Dal Vada Recipe:

Ingredients:

Half cup over-night soaked chana dal (Bengal gram)

2-3 tablespoon grated coconut

2 teaspoon rice flour

1-2 green chilli

Half teaspoon grated ginger

1 tablespoon freshly chopped curry leaves and coriander leaves (each)

Half teaspoon asafoetida

Half teaspoon turmeric powder

Salt to taste

Oil to fry ambode

Method:

Step 1. Take the chana dal, grated coconut, green chilli, ginger and salt in a grinder. Keep a handful of dal aside. Now, blend everything together into a coarse paste.

Step 2. Transfer it to a mixing bowl and add the rest of the dal, rice flour, chopped curry and coriander leaves, asafoetida and turmeric powder to it.

Step 3. Mix everything together into soft dough. Make sure the dough is neither mushy nor too dry. Add some oil to the mix, if you want. You may also add chopped onion and dill leaves to it.

Step 4. Now, make small tikki-like roundels out of the dough and let it rest for a while.

Step 5. Meanwhile, heat enough oil in a kadhai. Once the oil is hot enough, throw in the roundels and fry hot and crispy ambodes.

Serve ambode with chutney of your choice. The best part is, this dal vada tastes good even if it turns cold.

Happy Snacking!