Medu Wada, also sometimes spelled medu vada, is a more popular version of Cabbage Wada. It is a savory South Indian donut made with lentils, spices and deep fried. Like donuts, there are several varieties of wadas. I like savory snacks more than sweet so given a choice I’ll go for wada, 9 out of 10 times! I’d like to say this is a choice between the frying pan and the fire – both donut and wada are deep fried. While donuts are loaded with sugar, wada is not. Some consolation!
Wada Served With Coconut Chutney & Sambar
Fried Food
Don’t we love fried food?! And why is it that anything you really enjoy is mostly bad for you? Not fair! While I’m pretty good at controlling my fried food urges, I crave for samosas, pakoras, bajjis and other Indian fried food. I have to get my junk food fix occasionally-like once every other month. Our Indian store has a great ‘chaat’ outlet that serves delicious spicy, salty, fried Indian food. Chaat is street food in India and is extremely popular. Every one of my friends in India, has their favorite chaat outlet!
Healthy Snacking
While it is OK to indulge occasionally, we all know that fried food is not healthy. It gets you sooner or later. Therefore, I’m always exploring healthier snack options, so I can enjoy my favorite food and not feel guilty. I look at this at two levels. First, the ingredients. Can I add ingredients that would enhance the nutritional value of the recipe? Next, the cooking method. Can I grill, steam, bake, broil, or air fry instead of deep frying? With some recipes you simply cannot do anything but deep fry, so leave them alone. There are so many recipes that can easily be baked or air fried, so why not focus on them?
Cabbage Wada
After my success with Banana Nuggets, I decided to take a shot at cabbage wada. My mom used to make this on weekends as a special treat. Crisp on the outside, soft on the inside, somewhat spicy, enjoyed hot with Tomato Chutney or Coconut Chutney. Mmmmm! Just thinking of them makes my mouth water! I called my mom one morning, asked her for the recipe and told her I was planning to bake them. The only tip she gave me was that the batter should not be runny and that I should make it as thick as possible.
Bake or Air Fry?
Interestingly, this dish turns out great, baked or air fried. The downside with baking is that it takes longer (you need to preheat) and occasionally tends to stick to the foil. It needs more time to cool before you pull it off the foil. The upside is that you can bake larger quantities, unlike with the air fryer. What I like the most is that these bites freeze well and can be cooked straight out of the freezer (no thawing). If you’re having people over, this is a great make-ahead snack. Go ahead and impress your friends!
Cabbage is an excellent source of the ever-so-important vitamin C, crucial for maintaining a strong immune system. Urad (black gram lentil) is a very filling food, high in protein, resistant starch and dietary fiber. Flax seeds are rich in fiber, help control cholesterol and lower blood pressure.
Try out some of our deliciously healthy savory snacks and appetizers:
- Crispy, Delicious, Banana Nuggets
- Crunchy Baked Plantain Chips
- Make Your Own Creamy Smooth Hummus
- Spiced Purple Sweet Potato-Cauliflower Bake
- Baba Ghanoush
- Guacamole
- Blistered Shishito Peppers
- Baked Okra
- Pesarattu Kura – Mung Batter Curry
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Cabbage Wada: Savory Cabbage Lentil Bites
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Black Gram Lentils - Urad Dal
- 2 Cups Cabbage - Fine cut
- 1 Cup Onion - Fine cut
- 4 Peppers Green Chili Pepper - Or to taste
- 1 Tablespoon Ginger - Fresh, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon Flaxseeds - Milled
- 1/2 Cup Filtered water
- 1 Pinch Baking Powder
- 3/4 Teaspoon Sea Salt - Or to taste
- 1 Tablespoon Avocado Oil - Spray
Instructions
- Make sure you have the following items ready: 1. Black gram lentils washed and soaked for 2 hrs 2. Fine cut cabbage and onion 3. Ginger and chili pepper 4. Milled flax seeds
- Blend ginger and chili peppers. Drain water from urad dal (lentil). Add soaked lentils, flax seeds, salt, baking powder, water and blend to a fine paste. Make sure the batter is as thick as possible.
- Add cabbage, onions and blended batter to a bowl and mix well.
- Baking:Preheat oven to 375F. Spread aluminum foil on a baking container, spray oil and set wada on the foil. Set tray in the oven and bake for 12 minutes. Spray oil and set to broil high for 3 minutes. Remove foil from baking container and allow it to cool for about 5 minutes before you peel wada off the foil.
- Freezing (a must if you are air frying):Lay aluminum foil on a baking tray and spray avocado oil evenly. With the spoon lay out large nugget sized portions on the tray evenly (you should get about 20 pieces). Set the baking tray in the freezer for about 2 hours. Transfer these frozen bites to 4-piece portions and store in a freezer bag.
- Air Frying:Spray oil on air fryer tray. Set wada bites on the tray and spray oil on top. Close and set temperature at 375F with a 12-minute timer.
- Serve hot with with Spicy, Tangy, Tomato Chutney or Coconut Chutney.
Notes
Nutrition
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