The weather is getting nicer and we are spending so much time outside. And when out and about, who doesn’t love to visit a food truck for some great street food? A little walk and talk around the city with something deep fried to snack on sounds like a very enjoyable afternoon to me! India’s street vendors offer so many items, but one that I think you all would enjoy is Vadai. Vadai is a deep-fried lentil patty and you will find it similar to falafel. Here I have a recipe for you where the patties are first sauteed on a pan and then finished in the oven. It still has the flavor, but not all of the oil. In this recipe, I used chana daal, which is split chick peas. Feel free to try it with another dried lentil as this is not the only variation that is out there. Another ingredient in this recipe is is curry leaves. You should be able to find this at your local Indian grocery store.
Ingredients:
1 cup dried chana daal (split chick peas)
8 oz fresh spinach, stems removed and chopped
1 small onion, finely diced
2 Serrano chilis, deseeded and diced
1 inch fresh ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
10 curry leaves, minced
1 tsp salt
Vegetable oil
Directions:
1. Soak chana daal in a bowl of water overnight or a minimum of four hours.
2. Preheat oven to 350 °F.
3. Wash and finely cut up spinach, onion, chilis, ginger, garlic, and curry leaves.
4. Drain the chana daal an transfer into a food processor. Grind into a course paste. It is ok if there are some whole pieces of daal. If the daal paste seems dry, add one tablespoon of water.
5. Move the daal paste into a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients, including salt, and mix well. 
6. Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a non-stick frying pan.
7. Form small balls with 2 tablespoons of the vadai mix and place in the pan. Press gently to make a patty. The mix will be sticky.
8. Satuée each side for 2 minutes. Be careful when flipping as the patties will still be fairly delicate.
9. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and finish in oven for 8-10 minutes.
10. Let cool and enjoy with you favorite condiment such as chutney or yogurt. Recipe will make about 12 patties.
