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The Indian cuisine scene is endowed with a wide range of munchies, the most popular of which are deep-fried foods. It's pretty rare to meet an Indian who doesn't wish to indulge in them. In India, especially in the south, dal-based vada dishes are a popular type of deep-fried, savoury snack food. It is typically cooked with chana dal vada, but it may also be made with various dal and mixed dal varieties with some veggie toppings.
Among the many varieties of dal vada, cabbage vada is a simplistic dish for a savoury snack made with chopped cabbage and a variety of lentils. The dish is a delicious substitute for the well-known chana dal vada or mixed dal vada with cabbage flavours. The recipe may be used as a simple coffee or tea time snack as well as a side dish to various rice and dal or rasam based meals. The urad dal adds to the soft texture of the Cabbage Vada, while the chana dal gives it a crunchy texture. Both green and purple cabbage may be used to make these vadas. If you have any leftover cabbage after making these vadas, you can also make cabbage pakoda.
Cooking Time: 6 Hours
Servings: 3
Ingredients :
½ cup chana dal (spilt and husked bengal gram)
½ cup urad dal (spilt and husked black gram)
4 tablespoons water or as needed to grind or blend the batter
2 cups finely chopped cabbage (purple or green)
1 or 2 green chilli – chopped or ½ to 1 teaspoon chopped green chillies
1 inch ginger – finely chopped or grated
1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves – optional
1 tablespoon chopped curry leaves – optional
½ teaspoon fennel seeds (saunf)
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon black peppercorns
1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
salt as required
oil for deep frying, as required
Method:
Rinse and soak the urad dal and chana dal in enough water overnight or at least for 4 to 5 hours, then drain the lentils
Then add the lentils in the grinder jar together with black peppercorns, fennel seeds, cumin seeds and asafoetida
You can also add these spices whole to the vada batter, instead of grinding them or lightly crush them
Grind to a smooth and fine batter using very less water, add about 4 tablespoons of water
Add the chopped cabbage, coriander leaves, curry leaves, ginger and salt to the batter
Mix very well and set the batter aside.
Making Cabbage Vada:
Heat sufficient oil for deep frying in a kadai till it is medium hot
Drop spoonfuls of the batter in the medium-hot oil
When one side is partly cooked and pale golden, turn over and continue frying
Flip as needed and fry the vada until golden brown and crisp
Drain them on paper towel to remove excess oil
Fry the remaining batch of batter in the same way
Serve Cabbage Vada hot or warm with green chutney, coconut chutney or sambar and rasam
Overnight soaking of the lentils or dals yields the tastiest vadas. The vadas will become mushy and porous as a result of doing this. Ginger and green chilies give this cabbage dal vadai the necessary spicy component.
