Urad Vada - Black gram savory donuts?

Black gram (or Urad bean) is really versatile and one of the most nutritious lentils. It is rich in Vitamin A, potassium, calcium, Vitamins B1 and B3 and has small amount of thiamine, riboflavin, niacin and Vitamin C. Some people will go so far as saying it cures nervous disorders and digestive problems. (Although which disorders and problems - they are never really specific about). You tend to get in to a discussion that uses words like "natural healing", "dietary remedies", "wholesome" and so on.

Here is some more information found on the Internet: A one-cup of urad dal serving contains 189 calories, 13 grams of protein, 12 grams of fiber (about half a day's worth) and one gram of fat.

My interest in urad daal is based on 1) its delicious taste 2) versatility 3) value for money 4) GFCF

I fried some today.

Ingredients
2 cups Black gram split (you can use "white" black gram - which is just black gram with husk removed and it looks white)
1/2 tsp salt
ginger (I used one lemon sized chunk- might have been too much)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 onion

Wash and soak the lentils. I soaked them for about 5 hours (early morning then cooked at 1 pm for snack/late lunch).
Drain, grind in chopper with ginger and salt. It should become a coarse paste.
Do not add water.
Slice the onion very very finely (I suck at this). Mix everything together.

Pat ball size on your hand, make a hole in the middle like a donut. Wetting your hands first makes the batter not stick to your hands. Slide in to hot oil. Deep fry slowly until golden crisp.

If you use white lentils these will be softer and will look a different color (more like donuts). Mine was grainy and not so spongy on the inside because I used whole split lentils. But I like whole lentils.

Enjoy with chutney of choice. I like mine with butter, ghee, coconut chutney or dipped in sweetened yogurt.

K ate them, he didn't hate it. I think its a good snack if your kids tolerate lentils and like crispy things. (The low fat content of the lentil makes it ok to eat deep fried, at least in my head).