Vada Curry

Hello! Glad to share this vada curry recipe with you! Set dosa and vada curry is one of Chennai's famous dish. Do try and lemme know your comments! Happy Cooking! Cheers!

Ingredients:

For Vadai,

Kadalaiparuppu/ Channa Dal  - 1/2 cup

Red chilli - 2

Jeera - 1 tsp

Sombu / Fennel Seeds - 1 tsp

Onion - 1

Salt to taste

For Curry,

Onion - 1

Tomato - 1

Garlic - 4

Ginger - 1 tsp approx

Green chilli - 1

Cinnamon - 1 inch

Clove - 1

Cardamom - 3

Jeera - 1 tsp

Sombu / Fennel Seeds - 2 tsp

Bay Leaf - 1

Curry leafs - 1 sprig

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Chilli Powder - 2 tsp

Coconut - 1/2 cup shredded

Method:

1. Soak dal for 2 hours

2. Take red chilli, sombu, jeera in mixie and grind to powder, to this powder add dal and grind without adding water

3. Finely chop the onion and add it to the ground dal

4. Make small balls or patties and steam cook the vadai in a idli pan

5. Dry roast cinnamon, cardamom, clove, sombu, jeera and grind it to powder. To this add ginger, garlic, green chilli and grind to a fine paste adding water

6. Heat a pan add 2 to 3 tbsp of oil. when the oil is hot add mustard, jeera,  sombu  and bay leaf. Then add curry leafs and chopped onion.

7.When the onion turns translucent add the ground masala. Saute till raw smell goes.

8. Add finely chopped tomato to it. Add little salt and close the pan. Wait till the tomato turns mushy.

9. Completely  mash the tomatoes and then add chilli powder and turmeric powder and 2 cups of water.

10. When curry starts to boil, crush the vadai to unequal pieces and add.

11. Grind the coconut to paste adding needed water . Add it to the curry.  In two minutes switch of the flame and serve hot.

Note:

1. To check if the vadai is cooked, poke the vadai with a tooth pick/ knife and it should come out clean

2. If the curry becomes thick before serving, add some hot water and adjust the consistency

3. For extra aroma, add a pinch of cardamom powder before switching off the flame

4. I have used the chilli powder made at home, it has both red chilli and coriander in it. If you are using plain red chilli powder, add coriander powder accordingly. ( For this recipe one spoon each will be enough)