The reason I avoid the delicious vadas is because they are deep-fried and unhealthy. So I tried making them as healthy as possible, by using mung bean, adding lots of veggies and digestive aids like ginger, cumin and carom seeds. While it is still deep-fried, these add-ons definitely make me feel better, at least mentally!
Ingredients:
split yellow mung beans - 1 cup
grated cabbage - 1/2 cup
grated spinach - 1/2 cup
green chillies - 4
ginger - 1 inch piece (or ginger paste - 1/2 tsp)
salt - 1 tsp
cumin seeds - 1 tsp
carom seeds (ajwain) - 1 tsp
pakoda masala - 1 tsp (optional)
Method:
Soak mung beans in warm water for half an hour. Grind to a coarse paste with salt, ginger and green chillies. Add grated vegetables, cumin, carom seeds and pakoda masala. Mix well. Take a gooseberry size bal of the mix, flatten it and deep fry in hot oil till golden brown.
