Enjoy this fusion appetizer and wow your family and friends with a new non-fried healthy avatar of urad dal-kale vade/ appe ! I am always looking for ways to add in as many greens in any dish as possible . My nutrition focused mind breaths better when I see naturally healthy colorful plates. So adding some greens in soaked daal was very obvious choice.

Urad daal ( Black Gram or Vigna Mungo ) helps make appe crispy and kale gives its unique flavor. Also it's a great way to sneak in greens for kids if you have picky eaters. After Appe pan revival few years back, I keep making several permutations- combinations of carbs, greens, spices and we end up liking and repeating all of them.

I was so amazed to see Takoyaki dishes when we visited China last spring break. Very popular dish from Japan, the Takoyaki are ball shaped snacks filled with meat or veggies of your choice. The cooking pan we use to make appe is very similar to that of Takoyaki. It always amazes me to see how different cultures are still integrated with one another through cuisines. Universal language of food is indeed yummy and delectable !!

You can make amazing creative dishes using this molded pan Appe Pan as is popularly called in India, is one of the most used kitchen pan in our kitchen. We like to use this Appe Pan to make all things which otherwise need deep frying. Sabudana Vada, Batata Vada, Bhaji Pakodas and falafel- all yummy snack items can be made in fraction of oil and just as yummy. ( See Amazon Affilaite link disclosure below)

So let’s make this crispy , yummy, fusion Black Gram-Kale Fritters / appe. We will mix the urad daal and kale and see how beautiful green color you get! You can use any dark green leaves like Spinach, Collard, Chard, Turnip or Mustard Green and any lentils of choice. They are all deliciously yummy super food options! Serve it with chutney or sauce for healthy snack. It is great protein packed finger food that is non fried and delectable at the same time ! Appe make great choice of school lunches too if you give them in warm thermos.

Ingredients:

1 cup urad dal ( black gram) , washed and soaked for at least 4-5 hours
1 cup packed kale leaves

For Seasoning:

½ inch ginger and 1 Green Chili for grinding with dal
1 teaspoon red chili flakes ( more if you like spicy)
2 tbsp. chopped Cilantro
2 tbsp. chopped onions
Juice of ½ Lemon/Lime
Himalayan pink salt as needed
¼ teaspoon baking soda ( optional) * see note below

Directions:

Grind the soaked Urad Daal, Kale leaves, ginger and green chili to smooth paste.

You will need to add 1 cup of water while grinding. The mixture should be not be too thick and should come out of spoon easily. So adjust the water accordingly. Add all other seasoning ingredients and mix well.

Heat up Appe pan and add drops of oil in each cavity. Put spoonful of mixture in each cavity of the Appe pan, cover and cook on medium heat. Check to make sure they are golden brown on the bottom , carefully flip with the bbq stick, put little ghee/oil on other side and continue to cook til they are golden brown on the other side too.

Serve the Black Gram-Kale Fritters/appe warm with your favorite Chutney or sauce. Very versatile in use , you can serve it as appetizers -hors d'oeuvres. Great figure food your kids will love. You can pack in lunch in warm thermos. Pack the chutney or the sauce separately so the appe don't turn soggy !

Note :

* you can easily skip the baking soda if the daal is soaked for about 4-5 hours. Urad daal gets fluffier while grinding. However, if you are looking to make very spongy, fluffy appe, ¼ teaspoon baking soda will help. Mix it well just before putting the mixture into appe pan. I have made appe both ways adding and not adding baking soda and frankly, they both have been very good in texture.

** For the offbeat combination and to kick it off another notch with fusion / unique creation, serve these Black Gram-Kale Fritters / appe with Red Pepper /Walnut Chutney. The sweet, tangy chutney is very delectable and not too spicy . Check out the recipe here.

📖 Recipe

No Fry Black Gram Kale Fritters ( Urad-Kale Appe )

Prajakta Sukhatme

Enjoy this fusion appetizer and wow your family and friends with a new non-fried avatar of urad dal-kale vade/ appe ! It is great protein packed finger food that is non fried and delectable at the same time ! Appe make great choice of school lunches too if you give them in warm thermos.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 30

Course Appetizers

Cuisine Fusion

Servings cups

Calories 113 kcal

Ingredients

▢ 1 cup urad dal black gram , washed and soaked for at least 4-5 hours
▢ 1 cup packed kale leaves

For Seasoning:

▢ ½ inch ginger and 1 Green Chili for grinding with dal
▢ 1 teaspoon red chili flakes more if you like spicy
▢ 2 tbsp. chopped Cilantro
▢ 2 tbsp. chopped onions
▢ Juice of ½ Lemon/Lime
▢ Himalayan pink salt as needed
▢ ¼ teaspoon baking soda optional * see note below

Instructions

Grind the soaked Urad Daal, Kale leaves, ginger and green chili to smooth paste.
You will need to add 1 cup of water while grinding. The mixture should be not be too thick and should come out of spoon easily. So adjust the water accordingly. Add all other seasoning ingredients and mix well.
Heat up Appe pan and add drops of oil in each cavity. Put spoonful of mixture in each cavity of the Appe pan, cover and cook on medium heat. Check to make sure they are golden brown on the bottom , carefully flip with the bbq stick, put little ghee/oil on other side and continue to cook til they are golden brown on the other side too.
Serve the appe warm with your favorite Chutney or sauce. Very versatile in use , you can serve it as appetizers -hors d’oeuvres . Great figure food your kids will love. You can pack in lunch in warm thermos. Pack the chutney or the sauce separately so the appe don’t turn soggy !

Notes

You can easily skip the baking soda if the daal is soaked for about 4-5 hours. Urad daal gets fluffier while grinding. However, if you are looking to make very spongy, fluffy appe, ¼ teaspoon baking soda will help. Mix it well just before putting the mixture into appe pan. I have made appe both ways adding and not adding baking soda and frankly, they both have been very good in texture.

Nutrition

Serving: 4-5 appe ballsCalories: 113kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 6gFat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 291mgFiber: 6gSugar: 8g

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