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Make crispy masala cabbage vadai with chana dal, cabbage and spices. A crunchy South Indian snack for tea time, parties and festivals.

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Crispy Masala Cabbage Vada

Cabbage vadai is a crisp, savoury chana dal fritter with finely chopped cabbage mixed through the coarse batter. It is crunchy at the edges, little soft in the middle and just the sort of snack that disappears while you are still making the next batch.

I make these masala cabbage vadai when we want something special with our evening tea. The first time I made them, they were meant for my kiddo's snack on a gloomy evening. They vanished before I could take a proper picture, so I saved some batter and made them again for lunch the next day.

The little trick I learnt from my amma is to soak a few almonds along with the chana dal. They add a lovely crunch and make this cabbage paruppu vadai extra enjoyable.

Why you'll love this cabbage vadai recipe

• The chana dal and the soaked almonds gives the vadai a naturally crisp, crunchy texture.
• Great during festival times, especially when it requires paruppu vadai. The almond trick will give you a crunchy vadai everytime you make.
• Makes a perfect snack with evening tea or coffee. And a great finger food at parties.
• A brilliant make ahead recipe. The paruppu vadai batter can be made ahead and refrigerated. Mix in the cabbage ,coriander, ginger and hing just before deep frying.
• Any leftover vadai, can be refrigerated. And make paruppu usli the next day. Just pulse it in the mixer and make super delicious paruppu usli in minutes.

How to make masala cabbage vadai

• Wash and soak the dal in water for an hour. Soak the almonds along with the dal.
• After the required time, drain the excess water from the dal. Let it sit in the colander for 2 minutes.
• Take the drained dal, along with red chilies, curry leaves and salt in a mixer jar. Grind it to a coarse batter. Do not add any extra water. If the mixer refuses to move further just add a tablespoon of water. The batter shouldn't be too coarse or too soft.

• Once done, transfer the contents to a wide bowl. To this ground batter add chopped coriander leaves, chopped cabbage, hing and ginger mix well with your hands.
• Heat oil for deep frying in a wide pan. Make small round thin patties of the batter by shaping it in your palms and slide them into hot oil.
• Deep fry on both sides until golden brown. Serve Hot.

Cabbage Vadai (Crispy Masala Cabbage Vada)

Make crispy masala cabbage vadai with chana dal, cabbage, onion and spices. A crunchy South Indian snack for tea time, parties and festivals.

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Course: Festival, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: South-Indian

Keyword: Easy cabbage vadai, Easy vegan recipe, How to make paruppu vadai, How to make vadai, No onion Vadai recipe

Prep Time: 1 hour hour

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 5 servings

Calories: 800kcal

Equipment

• Indian style mixie or any heavy blender

Ingredients

• 1 cup chana dal/gram dal/Kadalai paruppu
• 10 almonds
• 3-4 round red chilies
• 1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
• 2 sprigs curry leaves
• ¾ teaspoon salt or to taste
• 400 ml vegetable oil for deep frying

To add to the ground batter

• 1 cup chopped cabbage finely chopped
• handful of coriander leaves finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon shredded ginger
• ½ teaspoon hing/asafoetida

Instructions

• Wash the chana dal well and soak it in plenty of water for about 1 hour. Soak the almonds in the same bowl.
• Drain the dal and almonds thoroughly, then leave them in a colander for a couple of minutes. The less water left on the dal, the easier it will be to shape the vadai.
• Add the drained dal and almonds to a mixer jar with the red chillies, curry leaves and salt. Grind to a coarse batter without adding water.
• The mixture should have some texture. Do not grind it into a smooth paste. If the mixer needs help, add only 1 tablespoon of water and continue grinding. A soft or watery batter will make flat, oily vadai instead of crisp ones.
• Transfer the ground batter to a wide bowl. Add the chopped cabbage, coriander leaves, ginger and hing.
• Mix everything well with your hands. The cabbage should be evenly distributed through the batter, and the mixture should be firm enough to shape.
• Heat oil in a wide, deep pan over medium heat. Take a small portion of batter and flatten it into a thin round patty between your palms.
• Keep the vadai fairly small and not too thick; thin patties cook evenly and turn much crisper.
• Gently slide the shaped vadai into the hot oil. Fry in batches, turning once or twice, until both sides are golden brown and crisp. Drain on a paper towel. Serve hot.

Notes

• You can also finely chopped onions in the batter. I have done previously. 
• We are not big fan's of fennel and garlic in vadai so i have omitted them, you can add 1 garlic pod and ¼ teaspoon of fennel if you prefer.
• Any leftover vadai, can be refrigerated and pulse it down to a crumble and make a brilliant paruppu usli the next day. 

Nutrition

Calories: 800kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 76g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 43g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 354mg | Potassium: 134mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 302IU | Vitamin C: 60mg | Calcium: 87mg | Iron: 2mg

Disclaimer

I m not a Doctor or a Nutritionist The Nutrition information provided above comes from the plugin and is only an estimate.

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Tips for crisp cabbage vadai

• Drain the dal well. Excess water is the easiest way to end up with a loose batter. Let the soaked dal sit in a colander before grinding.
• Grind coarsely. A little texture from the dal and almonds is what gives this cabbage vada its satisfying crunch.
• Use water sparingly. Add a tablespoon only if the mixer genuinely needs it. The cabbage and if adding onion will release some moisture as the batter rests.
• Chop the cabbage finely. Large pieces can make the patties crack when you shape them.
• Make thin patties. Thick vadai may brown before the centre cooks properly.
• Keep the heat steady. Oil that is too hot will colour the outside quickly, oil that is not hot enough will make the vadai absorb more.

Planning a party menu around cabbage vadai

Cabbage vadai makes a lovely hot starter because the batter can be prepared ahead and the patties fried just before serving. Add Baby Corn Pakoda, green peas dhokla to give guests a second savoury bite.

For the main course, Bulghur tamarind rice, is a brilliant finger licking dish for a gathering, you can serve this along pepper rice, while Gobi Manchurian brings a different texture and flavour to the table.

Finish with an easy crowd-friendly dessert such as this Kesar pista Kulfi or pretty looking Gulap pitha

It is a menu that feels generous without requiring every dish to be cooked at the same moment.