“Masala” means spice and vadai is a deep fried snack and is pretty versatile. It is usually made with lentils and onions, but I have used cabbage and fennel here. On a rare occasion I ended up with fennel bulbs and had no clue what to do with them. After a bit of back and forth, I finally settled for this vadai since it also had fennel seeds in it. Deep fried items are always delicious and in great demand at home and this one was no exception. You can also make a healthy version of the vadai using a kuzhi paniyaram pan like I did here.
The vadai is crunchy on the outside and slightly soft on the inside and tastes great with rice or just as a snack. Some other vadai choices that I have posted include moong sprouts vadai, soya beans vadai, Mysore vadai, etc. Off to the recipe.
Fennel - Cabbage Masala Vadai
Deep fried snack with lentils and spices.
Ingredients:
- channa dal - 1 cup (soaked for 2 hours)
- red chillies - 3 - 4 (adjust to taste)
- garlic - 2 cloves
- fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp
- salt - to taste
- fennel bulb - 1/2 cup - chopped
- cabbage - 3/4 cup - chopped
- curry leaves - a few
- cilantro - 1/2 cup - packed
- oil - to deep fry
Instructions:
Soak channa dal for a couple of hours. Grind with red chillies, garlic and fennel seeds. Mix with rest of the ingredients except oil.
Heat oil for deep frying. Form small patties of the mix and drop gently in oil. Flip over in a minute or so and allow both sides to brown.
Remove from oil and serve warm.
2 years ago: Raw Tomato Bajji
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Pictorial
1. Grind channa dal, red chillies, garlic and fennel seeds coarsely.
2. To it add the rest of the ingredients except oil. Mix well.
3. Heat oil and form small patties of the mix and gently drop in oil. 
4. Flip over after a minute or so. When both sides are brown remove from oil.
Crunchy masala vadai ready.
Enjoy!
