Recipe Cooked, Photographed and Written by Praveena
PrepTime:15mins CookTime:15mins Cuisine:Indian
Black-eyed beans nuggets / alasanda vada, is my second best favourite ( first one is Masala Vada / Masala Fritters) among the nuggets made with beans / lentils. Both these recipes are specialities of my native, Andhra (South Indian state).
These are very much luring, and have a brilliant taste with a crunchy outer part and soft inside. Black-eyed beans / Alasanda / Lobia are rich in iron, protein & fibre. Added to this using an air-fryer makes these nuggets GUILT-FREE too!!
These, Black-eyed beans nuggets / alasanda vada, can be called as siblings to these recipes that I posted before.
- Medu Vada / Minapa Gaarelu
- Mung Dal Nuggets / Pesarapappu Vada (Air-Fryer & Deep-Fry)
- Masala Vada / Lentil Masala Nuggets (Stove Top, Air Fryer, Oven Baked)
- Red Kidney Beans Nuggets / Rajma – Masala Vada / Fritters
- Bell Pepper – Lentil Fritters / Capsicum Punugulu
Before starting to cook, don’t forget to see the Tips mentioned at the end.
My other Snack recipes here⇒ Starters / Snacks
My other Air-fryer recipes here⇒ Air – Fryer Recipes
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Ingredients:
- Black-eyed beans / Alasanda / Lobia – 1 cup
- Green chillies – 3 (finely chopped)
- Fresh Coriander Leaves / Stems – handful (finely chopped)
- Salt – ½ teaspoon
- Whole Cumin / Jeera – 1 tablespoon
- Ginger / Allam – 1 inch piece (finely chopped)
- Onions – 1 medium (finely chopped)
- Turmeric Powder – ¼ teaspoon
- Rice Flour / Biyyappindi – 2 tablespoons
- Pepper Powder / Miriyam Podi – 1 teaspoon
- Water – 3 cups
- Cooking Oil – 2 cups (for deep fry)
- Oil spray – 1 tablespoon (for air-frying)
- Garlic Pods – 3 (finely chopped) (optional)
- Kasuri Methi / Dry Fenugreek Leaves – 1 tablespoon (optional)
Special Ingredients:
- Green chillies
- Rice Flour / Biyyappindi

Step wise pics Procedure for ‘Black eyed beans Nuggets / Alasanda Vada’:
PREP WORK:

Wash the Black-eyed beans / Alasanda for 3-4 times, and soak them in water overnight or for 6 to 7 hrs.
Strain the water, take the beans / alasanda into a blending jar and make a coarse paste. Add 4-5 tablespoons of water ONLY if required.

In a mixing bowl, take the all the ingredients as shown (except oil and water).

Mix everything gently and make the batter ready.
Make small balls with the batter. Then press each ball into flat patties with your thumb finger. You can, put a hole at the centre for even frying.
STOVE-TOP METHOD

Put a frying pan, add enough of cooking oil (for deep frying), on stove top under high flame.

When the oil is hot enough, gently drop the nuggets / vada into oil.
Fry them on one side for 2-3 mins and then flip them back to fry, until they turn golden brown.
AIR-FRYER METHOD

Brush the base of air-fryer with oil / use an oil-spray throughout.
Place nugget patties over it. Cook for 8-9 mins on one side, at 200ºC / 390ºF

Gently flip to the other side, give a bit of oil-spray and fry for 4-5 mins more, at same temperature.

Perfectly cooked nuggets / vada.
Tips:
- Add the ingredients in the list, as per your availability.
- Don’t worry if you have soaked the beans for more time than required.
- Do not throw away the soaked water. Use them while kneading chapati dough.
- Adjust the salt and spice as per your taste.
- The oil for deep frying must be perfectly hot, to test this just drop a small blob of batter into the oil and check .
- For air-fryer method, make the patties with a hole in the middle, for even frying.
- You can store the batter or patties in the refrigerator/freezer and fry them when needed.
- The fried nuggets / vada stay good for upto 2 days at room temperature (or) can be stored in fridge but are to be reheated in microwave before serving.
Result:
- These, black-eyed beans nuggets / alasanda vada, are crispy on the outside and soft from inside.
- Its a complete power packed appetiser and can be a made a meal when accompanied with healthy salad.
- We had them without any condiment and they tasted brilliant.

Black-eyed beans Nuggets / Alasanda Vada (Air-Fryer & Stove-top)
Equipment
- Blender / Mixie.
- Frying pan (for stove-top method)
- Air-Fryer for air-fryer method
Ingredients
- 1 cup Black-eyed beans / Alasanda / Lobia
- 3 count Green chillies (finely chopped)
- 1 handful Fresh Coriander Leaves / Stems (finely chopped)
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 tablespoon Whole Cumin / Jeera
- 1 inch piece Ginger / Allam (finely chopped)
- 1 medium Onion (finely chopped)
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric
- 2 tablespoons Rice Flour / Biyyappindi
- 1 teaspoon Pepper Powder / Miriyam Podi
- 3 cups Water
- 2 cups Cooking Oil (for deep frying)
- 1 tablespoon Oil Spay (for air frying)
- 3 count Garlic Pods (finely chopped) (optional)
- 1 tablespoon Kasuri Methi / Dry Fenugreek Leaves (optional)
Instructions
PREP WORK:
- Wash the Black-eyed beans / Alasanda for 3-4 times, and soak them in water overnight or for 6 to 7 hrs
- Strain the water, take the beans / alasanda into a blending jar and make a coarse paste.Add 4-5 tablespoons of water ONLY if required.
- In a mixing bowl, take the all the ingredients as shown (except oil and water).Mix everything gently and make the batter ready.
- Make small balls with the batter. Then press each ball into flat patties with your thumb finger. You can, put a hole at the centre for even frying.
STOVE-TOP METHOD:
- Put a frying pan, add enough of cooking oil (for deep frying), on stove top under high flame.
- When the oil is hot enough, gently drop the nuggets / vada into oil.
- Fry them on one side for 2-3 mins and then flip them back to fry, until they turn golden brown.
AIR-FRYER METHOD:
- Brush the base of air-fryer with oil / use an oil-spray throughout. Place nugget patties over it.
- Cook for 8-9 mins on one side,at 200ºC / 390ºF.Gently flip to the other side, give a bit of oil-spray and fry for 4-5 mins more, at same temperature.
Notes
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Do you think this can be baked with no oil whatsoever? Thank you.
Hi Subbu! Yes, you can bake it in an oven. just use the air-fryer settings that I gave. But, you need to pre-heat the oven before using, for air-fryer I didn’t. Hope this helps.
I have made the black eyed pea vada – they were exceptional. Thank you for sharing these!
Wow! thats nice to know! 🙂 Thanks for letting me know! 🙂 🙂