Pesara Garelu or green moong Vada is my husband’s favorite dish to make during festivals. We used our Pesara Garelu recipe yesterday as a part of Ugadi (Telugu New Year) celebrations. It’s very easy to make and nutritious.
The green moong dal vada pairs well with ginger pickle or green chutney and masala chai.
Before we get into the recipe, here are few tips to perfect the pesara garelu
The vada tastes better when it’s crispy so avoid doing the following while making it
- over-grinding or adding water while grinding. Excess water will make it hard to shape the vada.
- over-soaking the dal, it will make the batter soft and vada less crispy
Adding Chana dal will make the vada more crispy. Refer to variation #1 in the recipe
If the batter is too watery, add few tablespoons of rice flour. It will make the batter thick and vada will also turn crispy.
Here is a step by step Pesara Garelu Recipe
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Pesara Garelu Recipe (Green Moong Dal Vada)
- Total Time: 40
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Pesara garelu or green moong vada is a popular snack in Telugu speaking states of India. It is easy to make and nutritious
Ingredients
- 2 cups of green moong dal (pesalu)
- 1 big onion
- 4 green chilies or as per taste
- 1 Inch piece of Ginger
- 3 cloves of garlic
- Few curry leaves
- 1 whole bunch of cilantro
- 5–6 mint leaves (optional)
- Salt as per taste
Variation #1
- 1/2 cup of green moong dal (pesalu)
- 1 1/2 cup of chana dal
Instructions
- Wash green gram and soak it for 4-5 hours. For variation #1 wash and soak green moong and chana dal in a bowl for 4-5 hours.
- Grind to a coarse paste along with green chilies, salt, ginger, garlic, and mint leaves. Avoid adding water while grinding and do not grind it to a soft paste.
- Transfer to a mixing bowl and add finely chopped onions, curry leaves, cilantro, and mix well. I use this electric chopper to chop all veggies at once.
- Heat oil in a frying pan over medium flame. I used a sauce pan as it takes less oil and I don’t mind working in batches to fry the garelu.
- Using a polythene cover or your palm. Spread a little amount of batter and make a hole in between.
- When the oil is hot, slowly slide vada in it; add 3-4 vadas at a time. Flip and deep-fry both sides until they turn lightly golden brown and crisp.
- Drain excess oil and transfer them over kitchen paper on a plate or bowl.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 30
- Cuisine: South Indian (Andhra)
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2
Do you have a Pesara Garelu Recipe that you love making? Let me know in a comment below!
