Indian cooking / Dishes / Vazhaiappoo Vada

Vazhaiappoo Vada

Plantain Flower Patties

Vegetarian●●●Origin KeralaPrep 35–40 minutes, plus soaking timeCook 30 minutesMakes 10

Crisp South Indian patties made from coarsely ground lentils and tender, finely chopped plantain blossom. They offer a crunchy exterior with a fragrant, savoury centre infused with fennel and cumin.

Batter spices

7 gGround with the soaked lentils (step 2)

Cumin seed · Jeera

2.1 g1 teaspoon

spice

Fennel seed · Saunf

2 g1 teaspoon

spice

Dried red chilli · Sukhi Lal Mirch

3 g3 chillies

spice

Keep whole; they will be blended directly into the batter.

Tempering spices

1.8 gBloomed in hot oil (step 4)

Mustard seed · Rai

0.8 g¼ teaspoon

spice

Cumin seed · Jeera

0.5 g¼ teaspoon

spice

Fennel seed · Saunf

0.5 g¼ teaspoon

spice

Keep whole; they will be fried together in the oil.

Everything else

Plantain flower · Kele ka Phool

250 g1 blossom

vegetable

Yogurt · Dahiwhisked

15 g1 tablespoon

dairy

Vegetable oil · Tel

14 g3 teaspoons

oil/fat

Curry leaf · Kadi Patta

~1 g1 sprig

herb

Onion · Pyazfinely chopped

150 g1 onion

vegetable

Vegetable oil · Telfor deep-frying

to taste

oil/fat

Chana dalrinsed and drained

100 g

legume

Pigeon peas · Toor Dalrinsed and drained

100 g

legume

Salt · Namak

to taste

salt

Method

Cover 100 g chana dal and 100 g dal in a generous amount of water and leave to soak for 2 hours.
Drain the soaked lentils thoroughly and place them in a food processor with the batter spices and salt to taste. Pulse, adding 2 to 3 tablespoons of water a little at a time, until you have a stiff, coarse paste.
Peel the outer bracts from 1 plantain flower to reach the pale florets. Discard the central fibrous stamens from each floret and finely chop the blossoms until you have roughly 1 cup. Whisk 15.3 g yogurt with water in a bowl and submerge the chopped florets to prevent discolouration.
Warm 13.5 g vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the tempering spices along with 1 g curry leaf and cook for roughly 1 minute until the seeds crackle, then stir in 150 g finely chopped onion and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes.
Drain the plantain florets, squeeze firmly to expel moisture, and tip them into the pan. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, then fold the contents of the pan into the lentil batter until evenly incorporated.
Heat vegetable oil for deep-frying in a deep pan or kadhai to 180°C (350°F), then lower the heat slightly. Using damp hands, scoop out portions of batter and press them into 5 cm (2-inch) round patties.
Lower the patties gently into the hot oil in batches and fry for 3 to 4 minutes, turning frequently, until evenly deep golden and crunchy. Transfer to kitchen paper to drain before serving.

Don't have something?

Plantain flower

Banana flower
Use the same weight; clean out the pistils, chop and soak in acidulated water. This is essentially the same ingredient.
Banana stem
Use the same weight, chop finely and cook 5–10 minutes longer; it is crunchier and less bitter.
Cabbage
Use the same weight shredded; it cooks much faster and lacks the bitterness, so use it only as a texture filler.

Yogurt

Plain yogurt
Use 100% of the weight. Whisk thoroughly until smooth before stirring into warm gravies to prevent curdling.
Single cream
Use 90% of the weight combined with 10% lemon juice to replicate the lactic tang and rich body in marinades and curries.

Vegetable oil

Peanut oil
Use 1:1 by weight. Handles high-heat frying identically and introduces a very subtle, pleasant nuttiness.
Ghee
Use 1:1 by weight. Yields a much richer, authentic aroma and a glossy, heavier mouthfeel.
Mustard oil
Use 1:1 by weight. Heat until smoking, then cool slightly before cooking to temper its intensely pungent, sharp mustard kick.

Mustard seed

Black mustard seed
Use the same weight. The seeds are smaller and hotter; fry in hot oil until they pop, about 20–30 seconds, and reduce the heat if they darken too fast. The dish will be a little sharper.
Yellow mustard seeds
Use the same weight. They are milder and larger; fry a few seconds longer until they pop. The finished dish will have less pungency.
Ground mustard seed
Use 70% of the weight of whole seed, added with the other ground spices rather than fried whole. You lose the popping texture and the heat comes through more evenly.

Cumin seed

Ground cumin
Use 70% of the weight; add with ground spices or sauce bases rather than hot oil tempering, where it scorches quickly and turns bitter.
Black cumin seeds
Use equal weight for oil tempering. Delivers an earthy profile with an additional musky, smoky, and slightly bitter edge.
Fennel seed
Use 60% of the weight for tempering; offers comparable warm aroma, but leans sweet and liquorice-like rather than savoury and earthy.

Fennel seed

Aniseed
Use 75% of the weight. Fry in hot oil or ghee; has a sharper, more pronounced liquorice flavour, so use a lighter hand.
Ground fennel seed
Use 60% of the weight. Stir into the sauce with ground masalas; provides identical sweet aniseed flavour without whole seed crunch.
Star anise
Use one point (single carpel) per 1 g of fennel seeds. Simmer in gravies and remove before serving; gives a deeper, woodier liquorice aroma.

Curry leaf

Bay leaf
Fry 1 bay leaf for every 5 curry leaves in hot oil; imparts a warm, woodsy background note, but misses the citrus-sulphury punch entirely.
Lime juice
Add a small squeeze (about 5 ml per sprig of curry leaves) right before serving; provides sharp citrus top notes without the toasty, herbal aroma.

Onion

Shallot
Use equal weight, finely sliced. Shallots soften and brown faster, giving a slightly sweeter and more delicate base to curries.
Cabbage
Use 80% of the weight, finely shredded and browned slowly with a pinch of asafoetida. Replicates the bulk and natural sweetness in gravies without allium.

Chana dal

Yellow split peas
Use 100% of the weight. Soak for at least 1 hour; takes about 10 minutes longer to cook through and has a marginally earthier flavour.
Pigeon peas
Use 100% of the weight. Reduces cooking time by about 10 minutes and breaks down softer, giving a smoother consistency rather than distinct grains.
Black gram
For tempering or tadka only: use 70% of the weight. Browns faster in hot oil, providing a nutty, crunchy bite.

Toor dal

Red lentils
Use equal weight. Cooks considerably faster and breaks down into a softer, creamier consistency with an earthier taste.
Chana dal
Use equal weight. Requires longer soaking and cooking; remains firmer with a nuttier bite and less starchy thickening.
Split mung beans
Use equal weight. Cooks quickly to a lighter, more delicate, and silky texture.

Dried red chilli

Dried kashmiri chilli
Use equal weight whole. Fry in hot oil or ghee as tempered spice; gives a richer red colour with slightly milder heat.
Red chilli powder
Use 50% to 70% of the weight. Stir into the oil with ground spices; distributes heat evenly throughout the dish without whole chilli skins.

Similar dishes

Jeera Rasam

Cumin Seed Rasam

Jeera Rasam is tart, peppery, and soupy, while this dish is rich, crunchy, and savory with herbal notes of fennel.

Same: Both dishes share cumin seeds, mustard seeds, dried red chillies, curry leaves, and lentils.
Different: Jeera Rasam is a thin, boiled broth made with tamarind extract, toor dal, and ghee, whereas this dish consists of deep-fried patties made with chana dal, plantain flowers, onions, fennel seeds, and vegetable oil.

Masala Vada

Fried Lentil Dumplings

It delivers a sharper, ginger-spiced punch without the earthy, fibrous texture and mild lactic tang found in this dish.

Same: Masala Vada is also a deep-fried South Indian fritter made from coarsely ground chana dal, onions, curry leaves, dried red chillies, and fennel seeds.
Different: It adds fresh ginger and relies purely on lentils, omitting this dish's plantain flower, yogurt, cumin, and mustard seeds.

Keoti Dal

Mixed Dal

Keoti Dal is soft, creamy, and tart from lemon juice with a garlic-chilli tempering, while this dish is crisp and fried with a fragrant fennel-cumin savoury centre.

Same: Keoti Dal shares toor dal, onion, cumin, dried red chilli, curry leaf, and vegetable oil with this dish, and both use a mustard-seed tempering.
Different: Keoti Dal is a boiled mixed-lentil dal with masoor dal, turmeric, ginger-garlic paste, green chilli, and lemon juice, while this dish is a fried patty made with chana dal, plantain flower, yogurt, and fennel.

Masoor ki Chutney

Egyptian Lentil Chutney

It tastes significantly tangier from tamarind and richer from coconut, without the distinct fennel-forward flavour of this dish.

Same: Both recipes are lentil-based preparations cooked in vegetable oil and seasoned with onions, mustard seeds, cumin, curry leaves, and dried red chillies.
Different: Instead of shaping chana dal into fried patties with fennel, Masoor ki Chutney blends roasted red lentils with tamarind extract, dried coconut, garlic, and coriander seeds into a condiment.