Cabbage Vadai - Cabbage and Black Gram Donut

Vadai is a quintessential part of any South Indian celebration - be it a festival, a wedding or a birthday party. No feast is complete without Vadai. My mother-in-law makes delicious Vadais. They are crisp but not dry and they are soft but not oily. She keeps telling me ‘It is all in the batter. If you can grind the batter with almost no water then your Vadai will come out great’. Even though my Vadai is still not as great as my mother-in-law’s, I can safely say that I have learnt the trick. One can only hope that when I have her experience, it will be as delicious.

Ingredients

Urid Dal/Black Gram – 1 Cup
Cabbage – 3/4th Cup Shredded
Green Chilies – 3 or 4
Ginger – ½ inch piece
Whole black Pepper – 1 Tbsp
Cilantro – ½ Cup finely chopped
Salt – To Taste
Canola Oil – To fry
Curry Leaves - 10 or 12 (Optional)

Directions

• Soak Urid Dal in water for 3 to 4 hours.
• Grind the dal, chilies, ginger and salt with very little water into a thick batter. (Even if you turn the blender upside down the batter should not pour).
• Add the whole black pepper, cabbage and cilantro to the batter and mix well.
• Heat oil in a deep frying pan.
• Take a thick plastic paper the size of a sandwich bag and apply some oil on the top.
• Take a tablespoon of batter and pat it on the plastic to make a small circle.
• Make a hole in the middle. Remove from plastic sheet and deep fry.
• Serve hot with coriander chutney or sambar.

Servings: 5 (Makes 10 vadais)

Nutrition Facts Source: http://www.nutritiondata.com/

Disclaimer: Nutrition Facts are approximate