I know friends who don’t make chana dal vadai @ home, it has less audience, when compared to its rival Medu vada. Even at my place, the doughnut vadai is much preferred to the dry paruppu vadai. Few years back, amma gave me a good tip of soaking almonds along with chana dal to get a crispy crunchy vadai, that is liked by everyone.
I made these masala cabbage vadai’s on a gloomy evening for my kiddo’s snack, and they were gone before i can grab some for the click. So, saved some batter and made it again for next day’s lunch.
Ingredients
To grind
1 heaped cup of Chana dal/Gram Dal
10 nos Almonds
3-4 nos red chilies, round variety
handful of curry leaves
salt to taste
To add to the ground batter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 cup chopped cabbage
handful of corinader leaves, finely chopped
1 tsp shredded ginger
hing a pinch
Method
- Wash and soak the Dal 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 tbsp 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 onions , 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 for that mast taste. I bet you won’t stop with one!!!
Notes
- If making this as an offering during festive times, you can omit the onion and proceed to make with cabbage.
- We are not big fan’s of fennel and garlic in vadai so i have omitted them, you can add 1 garlic pod and 1/4 tsp of fennel if you prefer.
Sending this to Cooking with Cookbook challenge, a weekly event happening @ +srivalli jetti and MLLA-78, happening @ +Padmajha PJ‘s Space, an event by Lisa’s Kitchen
Cabbage vadai looks delecious, yes, an good alternative to medhu vada
Thanks for the tip on addig almonds to the batter for a crispy Vadai. Will try it out some time. Your cabbage vada look perfect.
We love both versions at home Priya..I can't really decide which one I like better..however a crispier masala vada will end anytime for sure..adding almond is a neat idea..and not to mention cabbage..on whole very delicious..:)
Almonds in the vadai is a nice thing to try for my daughter. thanks for this idea. your vadais looks crunchy and tasty
Wow! Adding almonds sounds so nice! Will try your version Priya. And thanks a bunch for sending this across to MLLA 🙂