Recipes

Cabbage Vepadu (Cabbage Fritters)

  • Serves

    makes about 32

INGALLS PHOTOGRAPHY

Cookbook author Madhur Jaffery describes these spidery-looking cabbage-and-peanut fritters as looking like little Medusa heads, "with the strands of shredded cabbage providing a crunchy, unruly halo." A popular item in the mess halls of the south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, they can be served as part of a meal or as a crunchy snack. This recipe first appeared as part of the digital edition of our August/September 2014 special India issue.

Ingredients

  • Peanut oil, for frying
  • 1 lb. green cabbage, cored, quartered, and very thinly sliced
  • 1 cup roughly chopped cilantro
  • 12 cup roughly chopped raw skinless peanuts
  • 5 tbsp. chickpea flour
  • 1 tbsp. cornstarch
  • 2 tsp. ground coriander
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more
  • 34 tsp. red chile powder, preferably Kashmiri
  • 14 tsp. ground turmeric
  • 10 fresh or frozen curry leaves, thinly sliced

Instructions

Step 1

Heat 2” oil in a 6-qt. saucepan until a deep-fry thermometer reads 325°. Using hands, mix and massage remaining ingredients in a bowl until cabbage releases its juices and forms a paste with the flour. Working in batches and using oiled hands, drop flattened tablespoon-size amounts of cabbage mixture into oil; fry, flipping once, until golden and crisp, about 45 seconds to a minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer fritters to paper towels to drain; season with salt. Serve immediately.

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