Kadabu is deep fried sweet dumplings with a dried coconut filling. It is a mandatory food during Ganesha Chaturthi. There are two types of filling that goes in them – one is hoorna (chana dal, jaggery and coconut) and the other one is dried coconut. I have shared the recipe with coconut filling earlier. In this recipe, I am using hoorna as the filling.
The hoorna stuffing is prepared the same way it is prepared for holige. You can find the fail-proof recipe for holige here.
Traditionally kadabu is served with ghee. A small dent is created in the center of the kadabu and ghee is poured into it. Make this for your next celebration and enjoy.
Ingredients:
For the dough:
Plain flour (maida) – 1 cup
Fine semolina (suji/rava) – 2 tbsp
Ghee – 1-2 tbsp
Oil for frying the kadabu
For the stuffing:
Split Bengal gram (chana dal) – 1 cup
Jaggery – ¾ cup, grated
Coconut – ¼ cup, grated
Cardamom powder – 1 tsp
Method:
To make the dough:
- In a large bowl, mix together flour, semolina and ghee
- Combine them well with fingers. A good indication to know if the outer cover will be crunchy and crisp is that when you take some flour in your hand, it should hold together
- Slowly add water and knead into a slightly stiff dough
- Cover with a moist kitchen towel and set aside for 30 minutes
To make the stuffing:
- Wash the chana dal and soak for 1 hour. Rinse it thoroughly, add fresh water and boil until the lentil is completely cooked, but not mushy
- Strain the dal and completely remove the water. You may use the water to make holige saaru
- Transfer the cooked lentil and coconut into a food processor or mixer and grind to form a paste
- Now in a thick bottom pan, add the paste and jaggery and cook on medium heat stirring in between
- Cook the hoorna until all the moisture dries out and it comes together as a mass. Add cardamom powder and mix well
- Cool the hoorna completely
To make the Kadabu:
- Once the dough is rested, pinch out lemon-sized ball. Roll it into a thin disc
- Cut into small discs using a cookie-cutter or a sharp lid
- Put in 1-2 tbsp of hoorna. Apply water to the edges, bring the ends together and seal it completely
- Repeat with rest of the dough
- Heat oil in a frying pan
- Fry the kadabu in batches on medium-low flame until golden
- Serve kadabu with ghee

Wash the chana dal and soak for 1 hour

Boil it and grind along with coconut to make a smooth paste

Cook the hoorna until all the moisture dries out and it comes together as a mass. Add cardamom powder and mix well

Once the dough is rested, pinch out a lemon-sized ball and roll it into a thin disc. Cut into small discs using a cookie-cutter or a sharp lid