Cabbage Patties

Vada are traditional spiced lentil fritters or patties made often in the Indian homes and restaurants. There are many different kinds of vada popular among the Indian food lovers. The South Indian Medu vada, Masala vada and Dahi vada are some popular kinds. Cabbage vada is not so popular but you will find a lot of South Indian home cooks making these as a way to use up the extra cabbage. These are made in 2 ways. My Mom sometimes would add chopped cabbage to the Medu vada batter. Surprisingly the cabbage in the vada tastes so crisp and good. We never realized there is cabbage in the medu vadas. The other method is the way I am showing in this post. These cabbage patties are made on the similar lines as this masala vada. Chana dal known as Bengal gram is briefly soaked and ground to a coarse mixture to which the spices, herbs and chopped cabbage is added. If you have ever loved the South Indian street style Masala vadai, I am sure you will instantly fall in love with these cabbage vada. Though these cabbage patties won’t taste the same as your masala vada, they are fantastic with fried cabbage in them. You know how good the fried cabbage smells! More Snacks Recipes, Aloo bondaVeg bondaBatata vadaMixed dal vadaInstant rava vada

How to Make Cabbage Vada (Stepwise photos)

Preparation

  1. Wash ¾ cup chana dal very well and soak it for 1 hour in enough water. Discard the water and set aside to drain completely in a colander.
  2. Heat 3 cups water in a large pot to clean cabbage. Cut to 4 quarters and remove the core. Dip it in slightly hot water and rest for 5 minutes. Discard the water and wash the cabbage well again in fresh water. Drain them in a colander and shred or chop finely.
  3. Add 2 ½ cups chopped cabbage, ⅓ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ginger or ginger garlic paste, 2 chopped green chilies, 2 tablespoons coriander leaves, 2 tbsps mint leaves and ¼ cup soaked chana dal.
  4. Add rest of the chana dal to a blender and just pulse it without adding water, no grinding.
  5. Pulse it only a few times to keep the mixture coarse.

Make the dough

  1. Add the ground mixture to the cabbage along with ¾ to 1 teaspoon garam masala and ¼ teaspoon red chili powder. You can also replace garam masala and chili powder by coarsely pounding cloves, cinnamon, red chilies, fennel seeds and cumin seeds. For exact quantities check my masala vada recipe.
  2. Mix everything very well. Set this aside for 10 minutes.
  3. Begin to heat oil for frying on a medium heat. After a while (about 8 to 10 mins) you will find the mixture has shrunk a bit and cabbage releases moisture. Add 2 tablespoons rice flour and mix again. Taste test and adjust salt and spice if required.
  4. The mixture at this stage should be binding well. If needed you can also add another tbsp of rice flour, this helps to keep the vada crisp. Divide the dough to 10 to 12 balls and flatten them with greased hands. You can do this directly on your palms or on a greased cling wrap or foil. Make sure the patties are not too thick else they will not cook well.

Fry the Cabbage Patties

  1. When the oil is hot enough, test by dropping a small portion of the dough to the hot oil. It should sizzle and come up with out turning too brown. Regulate the flame to medium and gently slide the vada one after the other. You can fry 2 to 3 depending on the size of your kadai. Do not disturb them for 2 mins until they firm.
  2. Keep stirring and fry them until golden on both the sides. Drain them on a cooling rack or steel colander. Cabbage vada are best served hot with chutney or tea. Related Recipes

Recipe Card

Cabbage Vada Recipe first published in September 2016. Updated & republished in May 2022.

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