- Soak dal in water for 5 hours.Drain out the water completely. Grind the dal till a coarse mixture,do not add water while grinding. needed just sprinkle very little water.Do not grind to a fine paste. Dry grind pepper and cumin seeds to a coarse powder. Take a bowl add the Dal batter,powdered cumin & pepper,hing and salt mix it well. Heat oil & ghee in a pan,wet your fingers in water take small portion of the batter. Place the ball on a plastic sheet,banana leaf or wet cloth press it to a very thin disc.Make a hole at the center this step is optional.Usually it is made a bit thick . Slowly remove it from sheet & slide it into the hot ghee. Deep fry till brown on both sides & crisp outside but still soft inside in medium high flame. Once all the vadas are done we need to deep fry again in batches till crisp. Remove it on a kitchen paper for extra oil to get absorbed. crispy vadas are ready.