CABBAGE VADAI

CABBAGE VADAI
This is a recipe from my mother. She used to add some veggies whenever she prepares masala vadais. It will be greens like drumstick leaves or cabbage or plantain flower. I have used red cabbage here because I love its spicy taste with the vadais. The only difference from the regular ones are that I tried baking the vadais instead of deep-frying them. They came out pretty well. These vadais were thin and crispy. If anyone is crazy about trying to bake vadais like me, please don’t try to bake medhu vadais, all you get is a flat cake, which is crispy on the outside and real mushy inside :(

INGREDIENTS:
Channa dhal, 1 cup, soaked for 2-3 hours.
Fennel seeds, 1 teaspoon.
Rice powder, 1 tablespoon.
Garlic, 2 cloves.
Ginger small pieces.
Green chilies, 3.
Red cabbage, coming to ½ cup when chopped..
Salt, as per taste.
Red onion, medium-sized, 1.
Curry leaves, a handful.
Cilantro, a handful.

PREPARATION:
Wash the soaked channel dhal and set aside. Grind the channa dhal along with the fennel seeds, chilies, garlic, and ginger without water. Chop the onion, cabbage, curry leaves, and cilantro into small pieces. Add the chopped cabbage, onion, curry leaves, cilantro, rice powder, and salt to the ground channa dhal and mix everything well. Heat a kadai with 1 cup of oil. When the oil is hot, take a small amount of the ground mixture and flatten it with the palm of the hand and drop into the hot oil. When the vadais rise up and turns golden-brown, remove the vadais from the oil and drain the excess oil with a paper towel. Serve the hot vadas with tomato sauce.

ALTERNATE METHOD OF COOKING THE VADAIS:
Take a baking sheet and spray it with any nonstick cooking spray. Take a small amount of the ground mixture and flatten it with the palm and arrange the vadais on the sheet leaving sufficient space in between them. Bake them for 350 degrees for 15 minutes and lower the oven temperature to 250 and bake them for 5-7 more minutes. Remove the vadais from the oven and serve hot with tomato sauce.