red cabbage vada

The festival season continues and so does the cooking, sharing and celebrating with friends and family.  And although it sometimes seems exhausting, it also feels right to be able to continue some traditions and even adopt some new ones. We celebrated Vijayadashami/ Dussehra last week which is the culmination of the nine-day festival of Navaratri.  In India, the celebrations are very elaborate with events running well into the night but we have a more muted celebration over here, scaled back even further through the years, But however simple I keep it, the trio of payasam (rice pudding), vadas (lentil fritters) and pulihara (tamarind rice) as an offering is a must.

Known by different names vada, medu-vada, ulundu vada and as I knew it growing up, gaarelu, these doughnut-shaped savory fritters are a specialty of south Indian cuisine and are made with urad dal (black lentils) that are soaked, ground into a thick, almost dough-like batter along with some fresh ginger and green chillies and then deep-fried,  These are quite popular in Udipi restaurants in their plain version as the medu vada and are usually served with a coconut chutney and sambar.  Even when made at home, it is the plain ones that are most common, especially when made as an offering on festive occasions.  As a snack though, one gets pretty creative and you will find them with all kinds of add-ins like onions, spinach, cabbage, carrots etc.

I had this beautiful red cabbage in the fridge and some leftover gaarelu batter so snack the next day was obvious! And can I tell you these are pretty?  Especially when you break into them and see the beautiful lavender shreds of cabbage against the white fritter.  I think this would make for a stunning starter/appetizer in their miniature version!

The traditional doughnut shape takes a bit of practice to master and if you do plan on making them, there are some really nice videos on YouTube that show the process in detail.  You can also make these as simple, round fritters.  Just drop a couple of tablespoons of batter into the oil and fry them until golden brown.  Try not to make the size too large since the inside of the fritter might remain raw.

I remember my grandma frying these for us as a snack and using the handle of a turner instead of a slotted spoon to remove the fritters from the oil.  I do use a slotted spoon but have to admit that using the handle of a turner does add a sense of drama:)

I served this with a very typical Andhra chutney called allam pachadi which is the most addictive chutney in my book.  Made with tamarind, jaggery, fresh ginger and some spices, this combination of sweet, sour and spicy will have you hooked 🙂  But you could also serve it with any chutney of your choice.

Red Cabbage Vadas

Makes approx. 20

Print Recipe

1 cup skinned urad dal (whole or split)
1-2 thai chillies  (depending on how spicy you want it)
3/4 tbsp fresh ginger, roughly chopped
8-10 fresh curry leaves
1 cup finely shredded red cabbage
4-6 tbsp water for grinding
salt to taste
oil for deep frying

Rinse the urad dal a couple of times and soak for 6-8 hrs (Overnight is fine too)

Drain the water and rinse once more.  Add it to the bowl of a food processor along with the ginger and green chillies.   Add about 4 tbsp of water and grind until you get a dough with a slightly coarse texture.  You will have approx. 3 cups of batter.

Heat oil on medium-high heat for deep frying.  Test it by dropping about an 1/8 tsp of batter into the oil.  It should float to the top pretty much immediately.

Add the salt and shredded cabbage to the batter and mix well.

Moisten your palms and pick up about 1/4 cup of the batter with your right hand.  Make into ball and flatten on the left palm.  Moisten your hands again and make a hole in the center of the disc with your index finger.  Drop it gently into the oil.

OR!!!….just drop about an 1/8 of cupfuls of batter into the hot oil.

Lower flame to medium and fry until golden brown.

Drain on paper towels and serve with a chutney of your choice.

Ginger-Tamarind Chutney

1/2 cup thick tamarind pulp ( I use this)
1/4 cup fresh ginger, roughly chopped
1/4-1/3 cup jaggery, grated
salt to taste

Seasoning
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp split urad dal
3/4 tsp black mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2-3 dried red chillies (preferably kashmiri)
2 tbsp canola, peanut or vegetable oil

Heat oil in a small pan.  Add the fenugreek seeds and once they start to turn golden brown, add the urad dal, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and red chillies.  Turn off the stove when the mustard seeds start to pop.

Once the spice mixture has cooled, transfer it to the small bowl of a blender and grind it along with the fresh ginger until it forms a coarse mixture

In the same small pan, heat the tamarind pulp and then add the jaggery.  Cook until it is bubbly and the jaggery melts.  It might splutter and splash so just be careful.

Turn off the stove, add the powdered spice-ginger mixture.  Add salt to taste and stir well.

Cool completely before eating.