Lentil Fritters

Famous street food with a savory crunch

Have you ever wanted to enjoy your evening tea break with someone special? Someone who can make your heart flutter and mouth water? Someone who is the perfect savory blend of salty and crunchy to go along with your sweet latte or cappuccino. Well, let me introduce you to lentil fritters, the perfect pairing for your evening.

Lentil fritters are famous in Sri Lanka for being the go-to street food. They are served on every street corner, from five-star hotels to the rickety snack carts parked next to liquor stores. It’s easy to make, unbelievably tasty, and has so many spice combinations that it would make the old British empire blush.

Biting into this savory treat is an explosion of flavors and spices carried along with the crunch of fried lentil singing between your teeth. Your taste buds will be pleasantly set on fire by the spicy chili, then doused by a gentle salty breeze, only to be mellowed out by the warm lentil center. That is quite the journey, and after you finish, your tastebuds can take a nice hot bath with some sweet milk tea.

But before the recipe,

A Bit of History

The origins of Lentil Fritters are a bit of a mystery. I tried researching its origins, and here is what I found.

In Sri Lanka, we call this treat Wade(Vadai), which has its origins in the Tamil Kingdom between 100 BCE — 300 CE. Maybe this dish made its way to northern Sri Lanka and was adopted by our culture.

According to some sources, the word fritter means “fried batter cake,” and it comes from the Late Latin word fracture, meaning “a fry.”

That’s all I could find within two hours of research. On to the fun part!

Ingredients

2 cups or 500g of lentil (Chana lentil is highly recommended)

3 or 4 green chillis

3 dried red chillis (optional)

100g of onion (I use baby red onions because they are cute!)

5 to 6 curry leaves

1 teaspoon of lime juice

2 teaspoons of salt (I recommend adding to taste.)

2 teaspoons of pepper

2 teaspoons of red chili flakes

Preparing the Lentil

1. Rinse the lentil a few times to remove any dust. Grains being mixed with the debris is a big problem where I live, unfortunately.
2. Soak the lentil in water according to the type of lentil used.

• Chana lentil — 2 to 3 hours
• Red lentil — 3 to 5 minutes

Soaking lentils will make them tender and help them absorb the moisture. You will know it’s ready when you can easily split a grain between your fingertips.

I used red lentil because it was all I had, and my stomach kept screaming, “hungry now!” But, chana lentil (split chickpeas) tastes better, in my opinion.

3. Drain the water and grind the lentil in an electric grinder. A few short pulses should be enough. I don't have a grinder, so I just crush the lentils with a big spoon!

We do not want a smooth paste; we want a chunky paste with a few lentils still intact like in the image.

Mixing Everything Together

1. Finely slice the green chilies, onions, and curry leaves. Add them to the lentil and mix.
2. Add the spices and give it another mix.
3. Give it a little taste to see if it makes your taste buds sing and add any musical notes that seem to be missing.

Frying Time

1. Once the mixture is ready, take a spoonful and make a small ball in your hand. You can use a sheet of cling film if the mixture is too sticky.
2. Crush the ball between your palms to form the traditional shape of a chubby disc.
3. Deep fry the lentil in coconut oil or vegetable oil until golden brown.
4. Let the oil strain away and serve with a nice sweet milk tea to get a taste of Sri Lankan street food at its finest!

Fun Little Changes

1. If you want to go extra spicy and breathe fire like a dragon, add 3 to 4 roughly chopped dried red chillis. This may cause a fire hazard, you have been warned.
2. My grandma thinks it heresy but, I love eating these fritters with ketchup. Other types of dips are also an option. Try your favorite dips and see how they mingle.
3. Want to surprise your tastebuds? Add a few roughly chopped dried fish (Karawala) or Maldive fish into the mixture.
4. I was inspired by Cooking at Home and added some zucchini slices to the mix as well for a different texture. I made a small portion, and it was so good.
5. Oh, and last but not least, cheese! I have heard that cheese goes good with everything — well, almost everything. So, why not add some cheese to the mixture and try it out. I can just imagine the gooey goodness as you bite into it.

Final Thoughts

This recipe is an old one from my grandma, but no matter how much I try, I can’t get it to taste as good as the ones she makes. Maybe you can try and let me know how it turns out!

Please do try out different spices as well. Cooking is best with a little creativity!

Before I go, I want to shout out Cooking at Home, who inspired me to make this treat through their recipe on zucchini fritters. You can find that amazing recipe below.

Thank you for reading, and have a great day!