Parippuvadai/ Aamavadai or Lentil Fritters are spicy and crisp golden brown fritters made from Bengal gram lentils. They are also referred to as “Aamavadai” because the word “aamai” means tortoise/ turtle. The ridged appearance (from shaping with the fingers) of the fritters resembles the ridged back of the tortoise/ turtle. These deep fried lentil fritters are made for various different festivals in my Palakkad Iyer community. They’re also made as everyday snacks to serve with evening coffee.
Some parts of India are celebrating the festival of Raksha Bandhan today. In my Palakkad Iyer community, today we celebrate Avani Avittam instead.Let me start by briefly explaining the term “Avani Avittam”. We follow the same English calendar as the rest of the world, but use a different calendar for most of our religious rituals and celebrations. These include birth or death anniversaries and festivals.
This traditional calendar also has 12 months and 30 or 31 days (sometimes 32). We also have 27 “nakshathram” or stars which fall in this calendar . These stars are astronomy related, and not stars in constellations as we know them in English. The 27 stars appear every month in a given order following in a regular cycle throughout the year.
It can be confusing to someone unfamiliar with it. Suffice to say that our religious rituals and festivals are based by when a particular nakshathram/ star occurs in a particular month. Other astronomical calculations are also taken into account.
So “Avittam” is a “nakshathram” (or star), in the month of “Avani” according to our traditional calendar. This roughly corresponds to time from the 15th of July to the 15th of August on the English calendar. On this day, every year, boys and men who have undergone their Upanayanam (or sacred thread ceremony) ritually change their sacred threads.
All over the world, food and celebration always go together. It is no different with us. Breakfast is usually idlis which are steamed rice and lentil cakes and coconut chutney. Lunch is a festive affair called “sadya“. This is an elaborate traditional vegetarian lunch with dishes prescribed by family tradition. Different families have their own sadya traditions but Parippuvadai/ Aamavadai or Lentil Fritters and “Paal Payasam” are a constant. In my husband’s family, it is a tradition to lalso make “Neiyappam” if there are unmarried boys at home.
The ingredient list for most popular Parippuvadai/ Aamavadai or Lentil Fritters recipes are likely to include onions, ginger and garlic. These are avoided if cooking for festive or religious occasions. Traditionally we do not use garlic or onions in our cooking. These lentil fritters are often also made to serve in the evenings as a snack with coffee or tea.
Parippuvadai/ Aamavadai or Lentil Fritters
Ingredients
- 1 cup Bengal gram lentils (chana dal/ kadala parippu)
- 2 tbsp red lentils ( tuvar dal/ tuvara parippu)
- 2 to 3 dried red chillies
- 1/4 tsp asafetida powder
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- to taste salt
Instructions
- Soak the lentils together for about 45 minutes. Drain well and keep 2 tbsp of the drained lentils aside. Grind the rest of the lentils, along with the other ingredients (except the oil), into thick coarse paste. If you must add water while grinding do not add more than a tsp or so. Too much water (or if the lentil paste is not coarse enough) will make the fritters difficult to shape. The fritters will also not crisp on frying.
- Add the 2 tbsp reserved whole soaked lentils to the paste and mix. This makes the fritters nice and crisp.
- Heat the oil. Moisten the fingers and inner palm of your right hand with water. This ensures the batter doesn't stick. Take a small bit of the lentil paste (about enough for a small cookie) and shape it into a ball. Moisten the palm of your left hand with water and place the ball on your other palm.
- Flatten it slightly (about 1/2" thick) with your right, using all four fingers together. This will create a ridged pattern. Now slide the shaped mixture onto your right set of fingers and slowly slide it into the oil.
- Repeat with the rest of the lentil mixture and fry in batches of 5 or 6 depending on the size of your pan/ fryer. Fry the fritters on both sides till brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels and serve hot. This recipe should make about 20 fritters. I'm not sure as I wasn't counting.
- These fritters are usually served on the side, along with the main meal when rasam is being eaten with rice. They tend to lose their crispness and become a bit chewy when cold, so the leftovers are soaked in rasam and eaten. I personally do not like them this way and in these days of the microwave would rather re-crisp them.
- You may also serve these at coffee/ tea time with ketchup or coconut chutney.
I'm Aparna and My Diverse Kitchen is my ovo-lacto vegetarian food blog where you'll find recipes, food stories & photography. I've been blogging since 2007 and believe the kitchen, and the dining table (by extension) is really the heart of a home. 
I’ve never been able to quite figure out our calender. I just leave it to muy mom to tell me when each festival day is 🙂 I could totally polish off that vada plate right now 🙂
Wow temting vadam.. looks so good and i am drooling here
Vadai & payasam looks so yummy…I liked the second picture of payasam..very nice click..looks so delicious with special homemade touch to it..
Was just enjoying morning’s paruppu vadai. Will post mine soon!Nothing like some vadai and payasam! Bliss!
both looks delicious! love rice pudding.
Masala vada without onion and garlic? that is new to me. Loved the Pal payasam.
Vadai looks crispy and has a lovely color. We have uppittu too. Since husband doesn’t like pal payasam, I made godhumbu pradhaman.
I can’t stop drooling over the pal payasam! That’s my fave payasam! And the parippu vada looks very crisp n yum! 🙂
nice, informative post…..Iam not very big on making traditional dishes for occasions, but I do make these whenever I feel like it.
mouthwatering vadai and payasam. I also made ulundhu vadai and payasam yesterday.
We also make the vadai without onion and garlic for the festive occasions. love the milk.
WOW!Tempting click!Palpayasam is my all time fav.!
Aparna,I made some red lentil fritters yesterday. The payasam looks delish, and it’s spiced too!! Hint! Hint! 😀
I’ve always had a weakness for fritters. These look yummy, Aparna. I like them crispy, too.Thanks for your MLLA recipe! (P.S. – Love that sweet dish of payasam, too.)
pass me the bowl and plate here..finish off both..:) i love that payasam:)
Looks great aparna…payasam is so yum!
nice account on avani avittam aparna..though it is called avani avittam, if you notice usually it fall on aadi month. 🙂 i too will be posting my paal payasam recipe that i made for the function soon. 🙂
You’ve never bought a clove of garlic? Wow! That paal payasam pic is lovely – conveys the smoothness and creaminess of it.
This vadai is a favorite with my husband, Desi. I remember eating it during festivals at my in-laws’ place. Yours came out beautifully, Aparna.
The fritters remind me a little of falafel. I have never had these, but I adore lentils, so I’m sure I’d love them!
Trust me, that payasam is worth everything. We don’t buy garlic in my house too. But A’s house survives on garlic 😛
Just love those fritters. Everything sounds wonderful! I always enjoy seeing what you are making.
Vani, our calendar is quite complicated so its not surprising most of us can’t figure it out! :)DK, will drop by and check your offerings. :)Arfi, then you must try this version too.Love godhumbu pradhaman as well, Jayasree.Supriya, this is festive fare and so no onions and garlic. :)Jayashree, I ususally end up making all this mostly for festivals. And also so my daughter learns what is made when. That’s nice, Vidhas. We don’t make ulundhu vadai for festive occasions, though. I personally like them better than the parippu vadais. :)Sunita, Hint taken!!! :DMy pleasure, Susan. MLLA is one of my favourite events.It’s yours, Chitra. :)True, Priya.Hard to believe, huh? But true, Sra. :)Thanks, Vaishali. Its a favourite with most people.I never thought of that, Susuan but you’re right. :)N, for us no garlic on either side!That’s a compliment I appreciate, Lisa. 🙂
Hi,When you use a microwave to re-heat the vadai, does it stay crisp? I assumed that the microwave would make it soggy. How long do you microwave the vadai to get it crisp?
Aruna, Microwaving the vadai does make it crisp. When it heats up, it softens but if you let it cool a bit, it becomes crisp.About 1 to 2 minutes at 60% should b enough to re-crisp the vadais. If you heat them for longer, they will dry out and become chewy!