Kabab Vadai

This idea was conceived after a lot of thought to avoid deep frying coz Ad kept insisting that she cannot use so much of oil and let it go a waste. She   wondered if vadais can be baked but it would not have really tasted like vadai. Also she was looking at masala vadai.

It then occurred to me that as a child I used to enjoy looking (gaping) at the tikkis being shallow fried in the market and the lovely aroma spreading for miles. I thought why not?!!

I realized I could keep her happy and also ensure that the taste is still that of authentic vadai. Turned out pretty decent and also got to be “healthy” snack 🙂

Chana dal ½  Cup (Two handfuls)

Arahar dal ½  Cup (Two handfuls)  Cup (Two handfuls)

Green chilies 3 (medium-sized)

Ginger 1″ piece (grated)

Curry leaves 3 sprigs

Cilantro leaves 3 tsp

Finely shredded cabbage  ½  Cup

Finely cut onion ½  Cup

Saunf (fennel) powder 1 tsp

Salt  1 tsp

Chili powder ½ tsp

Oil ½  Cup

Soak the two dals in a bowl for 45 minutes and drain off the water. In a blender cup transfer the chilies, curry leaves, ginger pieces, a small amount of dal and grind well till a paste is formed. Transfer the remaining dal and grind well to get a coarse mix (when a bit coarse the vadai will be crisp) and avoid adding extra water.

Transfer the mix to a bowl, and add the finely chopped onions, cabbage, cilantro, saunf powder, chilli powder, salt and mix well to get a smooth vadai mix. Take lemon-sized balls of the mix and flatten them in the palm to get circles of ½ cm thickness.

Heat about 4 spoons of oil in a frying pan and when the oil is hot enough place three or four pieces of flattened vadai and shallow fry o a medium flame till a golden color appears.  With a spatula turn the sides and let the other side also cook well. Remove with a slotted spatula to a dish and enjoy with coriander chutney or tomato sauce.