Cabbage vada recipe – Vada or vadai are deep fried snack made from ground lentils or dal and other basic ingredients. The most common one made is the medu vadai made with urad dal i.e skinned black gram. Cabbage vada are a kind of vadai that are again made with either mixed dals or only with urad dal or chana dal and cabbage being the main ingredient used.
Cabbage vada recipe can be made in 2 ways. First one is just adding up cabbage to medu vada batter. The other method is shared in this post using chana dal. The taste of this doesn’t come any where close to the masala vada but is almost made the same way with slight changes in the ingredients.
These cabbage vada are best served hot with coconut chutney or Indian masala tea.
For more snacks recipes, you may like to check
Aloo bonda
Veg bonda
Batata vada
Mixed dal vada
Instant rava vada
How to make cabbage vada recipe
1. Wash 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 water in a large pot to clean cabbage. Cut to 4 quarters and remove the core. Dip it in 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 cabbage, salt, ginger or ginger garlic paste, chilies, coriander 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.
6. Add the ground mixture to the cabbage along with garam masala and red chili powder. You can also replace garam masala and chili powder by coarsely pounding cloves, cinnamon, red chilies, saunf and cumin.
7. Mix everything very well. Set this aside for 10 minutes.
8. Begin to heat oil for frying on a medium heat. After a while you will find the mixture has shrunk at bit and cabbage releases moisture. Add rice flour and mix again.
9. 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.
10. When the oil is hot enough, drop the vada one after the other. In each batch I fried about 3.
11. Keep stirring and fry them until golden on both the sides. Drain them on a kitchen tissue.
Cabbage vada are best served hot with chutney or tea.
Related Recipes
Cabbage vada recipe below
Cabbage vada
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- ¾ cup chana dal / senaga pappu
- 2 ½ cups cabbage finely chopped
- 1 tsp ginger paste or ginger garlic paste
- ¾ to 1 tsp garam masala (you can replace with masala vada spices)
- ¼ tsp red chili powder
- 0.5 Handful mint leaves
- 2 green chilies chopped
- 2 tbsps rice flour ( use more if needed)
- Salt as needed
- 0.5 Handful coriander leaves
Instructions
Preparation
- Wash and soak chana dal for 1 to 1½ hour. Drain completely.
- Cut cabbage to quarters and remove the core. Dip them in hot water and leave it for 5 mins. Drain and rinse well in fresh water in a pot. Drain completely and shred the cabbage and chop to very small size bits.
- Add the cabbage to a mixing bowl along with coriander leaves, salt, green chili, ginger, curry leaves and ¼ cup soaked chana dal.
- Pulse the remaining chana dal to a coarse mixture without adding any water.
- Add this to the cabbage mixture along with garam masala and red chili powder.
- Mix this well and set aside for 10 minutes.
- Add 2 tbsp rice flour and mix. If needed you will have to add another tbsp flour if the dough doesn’t bind well.
- Take small portion of this mixture and check if it can be formed to a ball. It has to bind well else add another tbsp flour and mix.
Making cabbage vada
- Heat oil until hot enough. Divide the dough to 10 to 12 portions and make round balls. Flatten them and drop to hot oil. You can make the cabbage vada on a greased foil or cling film. You can also make it directly in your palm and shape them.
- Fry until golden stirring often on a medium heat.
- Drain them to kitchen tissues. Fry the cabbage vada in batches of 2 to 3.
- Serve cabbage vada with a cup of tea or cany chutney.
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
Tried this recipe everything went well but it was not cooked inside … where it went wrong ? Can you please tell me… Tried many of your recipes like spinach rice. Taste was just too good…
Hi Swati,
Fry the vadas on a medium to medium low heat. If the oil is too hot, the outer side gets cooked and browns quickly but the inside won’t cook well. So ensure the oil is hot but not very hot (smoking hot) and keep the flame medium. Hope this helps. Also use a thicker kadai. Thanks for trying the recipes.
Can I make this in an air fryer?
Yes. Total time 18 to 20 mins at 180 C.
Turn them to the other side after 10 mins. To make them golden and crisp air fry the last 2 mins at 200 C
Yummy and crispy badass. Thank you for this recipe
Welcome Shamala
It really came out well.Good one for lockdown
Thank you
Love all ur receipe. Tried many . Thank U
Welcome Lakshmi
Would it be okay if we make the mix in the evening and fry the vadas early next day? Please advise.
Hi Bhanu,
I think cabbage will let out moisture if rested overnight. You may need to add more flour in the morning.
I love ur all recipes. Very easy to follow. Thank u dear
Welcome Neela
Thank you!
🙂
Is mint necessary ?
Yes mint gives a good flavor. If you dont have skip it
Sjhould we use the balance oil after making the urad dal cabbage vada in the next day for variety rice
Hi Rajamani
It is not healthy to reuse oil. I use less oil to fry and discard it after one use.
Great recipe Swasthi..Keep up the good work..
Thanks Bithi