Vada Curry | South Indian Vada Curry Recipe
Vada Curry-Crispy masala vadai simmered in flavorful onion-tomato-coconut gravy! This vadacurry or vadakari is a popular recipe from Tamil Nadu and a perfect accompaniment for idli and dosa.
Servings: 6
Calories: 626kcal
Ingredients
Measurement Details: 1 cup=240ml; 1 tbsp = 15ml; 1 tsp = 5ml;
For the vadai
- ½ cup chana dal
- 2 dried red chilies or to taste
- 1 tbsp water; add only if required when grinding
- ¼ tsp asafoetida
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- ½ cup onion finely chopped
- 1 tsp fennel seeds crushed
- 2 tbsp cilantro
- 10 curry leaves torn into small pieces
- 1 tsp rice flour
- ¾ tsp salt heaped tsp or to taste
- 1.5 cups oil to fry the vadai
For the curry
To grind
- 1 tsp poppy seeds
- 1 cinnamon bark/stick
- 2 cloves
- 2 cardamom
- ½ tsp fennel seeds
- ½ cup coconut
- ¾ cup water
For the gravy
- 2 tsp oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 cup onion
- 2 tsp ginger garlic paste
- 10 curry leaves
- 238 grams tomatoes 1.75 cups
- 1.5 tsp salt
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1.75 cup water divided and more as needed
- 1.5 tbsp sambar powder or to taste
- 2 tbsp cilantro to garnish
Instructions
- Prepare the vadai batter: Soak the chana dal and dried red chilies in 2 cups or a sufficient amount of water for 2 hours.
- Drain the water from the chana dal and add it to the mixer jar. Tear the soaked red chilies pieces and add them as well.
- Using pulse mode, grind the batter coarsely. Do not grind it in one go and make it into a smooth batter. If needed, add 1 tbsp of water when grinding but not more than that. Transfer it to a bowl and add the onion, crushed fennel seeds, asafoetida, turmeric, rice flour, salt, cilantro, and curry leaves. Mix well, and the batter is ready.
- Fry the vadai. Heat the oil for frying in a kadai. Drop a small piece of vadai batter into the oil. If the oil is hot, the batter will rise immediately and sizzle.
- Wet your palms and shake off the excess water. Take a small lime/gooseberry size vadai mixture like below.
- And flatten it into a small pattie and slowly and carefully drop it into the oil.
- Let it fry for 30 to 45 seconds and slowly flip them.
- Fry until the vada turns golden brown over medium to medium-low heat. By this time, the sizzling sound will reduce as well. Depending upon your pan size, you can fry 3 to 4 in one batch.
- Similarly, flatten and fry the vada with the remaining batter. Drain the fried vadai on a kitchen towel. The above measure yields 11 small vadai, and for this gravy, we need 5 to 6 vadai.
- Prepare the fresh masala paste. Soak the poppy seeds, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and fennel seeds in ¼ cup of water for about 10 minutes. I don't discard the water and soak it directly in the mixer jar. Add the grated coconut and grind it into a smooth paste by adding ½ cup of water and set it aside.
- Prepare the gravy: Heat a pan and add two tsps of oil. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and let them splutter. Then add the chopped onion, curry leaves, and ginger-garlic paste. Cook until the onion turns soft and translucent.
- Now add the chopped tomatoes, ground turmeric, and salt. Add ¼ cup water, cover, and cook until the tomatoes are soft and mushy for about 8 minutes.
- Add the sambar powder and mix well. Cook the gravy for three more minutes
- Add the ground coconut paste. Add ½ cup of water and simmer the gravy for 5 minutes.
- Parallelly, take 5 to 6 vada and chop them into four pieces or big chunks. Add this vada to the gravy.
- Add ¾ to 1 cup of water and mix well. Simmer the gravy again for 5 minutes. Finally, add the cilantro and turn off the heat. Vadacurry is ready, and serve it with idli or dosa.
Notes
- Adjust the salt and spices for the vadai batter and the gravy according to your preference.
- Don't grind the vadai batter too smooth or too coarse. While grinding, carefully add water. Add the water only if required.
- Always fry the vada in medium to medium-low heat for even cooking. Don't overcrowd your pan with too many vadas.
- If the vadai batter becomes runny/watery, add a little chickpea flour/kadalai maavu or rice flour and thicken it.
- The crushed fennel seeds add flavor to the vadai, so do not skip them. You can crush the fennel seeds in a mortar and pestle and pulse them coarsely in a mixer jar.
- You will need approx 2 cups of water for the gravy. Adjust it according to the consistency preference. The vadai absorbs all the liquid as the gravy rests, so serve it immediately or add the vada before serving.
- We are not adding any green chilies, and the spice comes only from the sambar powder. I used my homemade sambar powder. You can use a store-bought one too. Add as per your spice preference. You can reduce the sambar powder quantity and add red chili powder or add one or two green chilies while grinding the masala.
- Please refer to the substitution and make ahead details sections for the variations and storing suggestions.
Nutrition
Calories: 626kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 61g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 16g | Monounsaturated Fat: 37g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 885mg | Potassium: 260mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 621IU | Vitamin C: 97mg | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 2mg