Name: Yellow Split Pea and Peanut Cakes with a Tamarind-Chile Sauce (Dal Sengdana Vadi)
Yield: Makes 20 Cakes (Serves 10)
Cuisine: India
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh holy basil or sweet basil leaves, or finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems; ½ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems; 4 to 6 fresh green Thai, cayenne, or serrano chiles, to taste, stems removed; 4 lengthwise slices fresh ginger (each 2½ inches long, 1 inch wide, and ⅛ inch thick); 1 or 2 red Thai or cayenne chiles, to taste, stems removed, pounded in a mortar to release some of the seeds (do not remove the seeds); ½ teaspoon coarse kosher or sea salt; 2 teaspoons Maharashtrian garam masala; 1 cup coconut milk; 1 cup shredded fresh coconut; or ½ cup shredded dried unsweetened coconut, reconstituted (see Note); 1 cup yellow split peas (chana dal), picked over for stones; 1½ teaspoons coarse kosher or sea salt; ¼ teaspoon ground asafetida; ½ teaspoon ground turmeric; Canola oil for pan-frying; ½ teaspoon tamarind paste or concentrate; ¼ cup raw peanuts (without the skin)

Preparation info

Makes 20 Cakes (Serves
10
)

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

660 Curries

By Raghavan Iyer

Published 2008

About

Wonderfully textural and full of flavor, these nutty, slightly flaky, addictive cakes are my vegetarian answer to crab cakes—which means they’re also a perfect choice for those who keep kosher or are allergic to shellfish. And the fact that they are pan-fried, rather than deep-fried, makes them healthy too (they fall apart in the oil if deep-fried). The peanuts help hold the patties together without the need for eggs or flour as a binder.