Karuvadagam | Karuvadam | Kuzhambu Vadagam - Vidhya’s Vegetarian Kitchen

square image of kuzhambu vadagam placed in clay pot

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Karuvadagam | Karuvadam | Kuzhambu Vadagam

Kuzhambu vadam, also called vadagam, vathal, or karuvadam, are sun-dried, spiced balls crafted from a blend of black-eyed peas, ashgourd, urad dal, spices, and other ingredients. Here is our family recipe with detailed step-by-step pictures.

Prep Time15

Cook Time10

Soaking Time + Drying Time3 4

Total Time3 4 25

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Indian, South Indian

Keyword: karuvadaam, karuvadagam, karuvadam, kuzhambu vadagam

Servings:

Calories: 36kcal

Author: Srividhya G

Equipment

Big plastic sheet or silicone mat.

Ingredients

Measurement Details: 1 cup=240ml; 1 tbsp = 15ml; 1 tsp=5ml;

1 cup whole urad dal white ones
¼ black-eyed peas
5 dried red chilies or to taste
2.5 tsp salt or to taste
1 tsp asafoetida; you can add a generous amount
¼ cup ashgourd peeled and chopped
4 cups water or as needed

Instructions

Soak and grind:

Soak the urad dal, black-eyed peas, and red chilies for at least 4 hrs.
After four hours, drain the water. Mix asafoetida in 3 tbsps of water and add this water while blending the batter.
Grind the lentils, dried red chilies, and white pumpkin by adding 3 tbsps of asafoetida water. The batter should be thick.
Now add salt and mix well. The vadagam/vadaam mix is ready.

Shape and dry:

Meanwhile, in a sunny area (backyard, balcony, or terrace), place the clean plastic sheet, a silicone mat, or clean cotton cloth.
Keep the water and bowl of water ready. Wet your palm, pinch the batter, and place the pinched batter on the sheet with a 1-inch space between each piece. Irregular shapes are perfectly fine.
Let it dry under the sun for the whole day, and bring the sheet with the vadagams inside in the evening. The next day, flip the vadagam slowly and dry them again.
During peak summer, it gets dried up within two days, if not a maximum of 3 days. Depending on where you will be, the drying time might vary. Sometimes, it takes about five days, too.
Once completely dried, store the vadams in an airtight container.

Notes

As I mentioned before, traditionally, we use red black-eyed peas; you can either red or white ones.
White pumpkin is optional. If you are not using that, adjust the water accordingly. As ash gourd oozes out water, I just went with 3 to 4 tbsps of water.
While grinding, drizzle the water and do not add too much water.
Adjust the salt and red chilies according to your taste preference.
Make sure it is dried completely before storing it in an airtight container.

VVK Tips

While grinding, do not add all the water at once. Add as needed, and make sure the batter is thick to make small round balls and dry them.
Do not leave the fryums outside in the evening, as this can reduce the shelf life of the vadagam. Even a small amount of moisture can cause them to spoil.

Nutrition