Vada-kari, as the name indicates, is a dish that has vada as the core ingredient. In this curry, we use a healthy pulse called the ‘bengal gram’ along with easily available spices to churn out a super delicious dish. In Chennai, there is a prominent area called ‘Saidapet’, wherein we can find a tiffin shop named “Mari Hotel”, selling this famous vadakari for more than a decade. Lets prepare this dish in a easy yet tasty way.
Ingredients
- Bengal gram – 100 g
- Bay leaf – 3
- Cardamom – 6
- Cinnamon – 4
- Clove – 10
- Coriander leaves – few
- Curry leaves – few
- Garam masala powder – 1/4 tbsp
- Coriander powder – 1/2 tbsp
- Turmeric powder – 1/4 tbsp
- Cumin powder – 1/4 tbsp
- Chilli powder – 1/2 tbsp
- Fennel seed – 3/4 tbsp
- Salt – 1/2 tbsp
- Green chilli – 5
- Ginger – 100 g
- Garlic – 100 g
- Oil – 150 ml
- Onion – 100 g
- Water – 500 ml
- Salt – 2 pinch
- Star anise – 1
- Tomato -100 g
Things to be done before we start cooking
- Wash and then soak the 100 grams of bengal gram for 3 hours in clean water.
- Onion – 150 grams (2 medium sized onion), peel the skin and cut into thin slices.
- Take 100 grams of peeled ginger and 100 grams of garlic, grind them together in our mixy jar to obtain a paste – called the “Ginger-garlic” paste.
- Green chillies – 5, wash and then cut them into halves.
- Tomato – 1 (medium sized), cut into small pieces.
Steps to Prepare
Take the 100 grams of Bengal grams (soaked for 3 hours) in a mixy jar. Grind the soaked pulse to a coarse powder.
Note: No need to add water while grinding, the water absorbed by the pulses while soaking is enough to grind the pulses. If need be, we can pour just 1 or 2 tablespoons of water.
Take the ground bengal gram in a bowl, then add the below and mix well –
- Salt – 2 tablespoons
- Turmeric Powder – 1/4 tablespoon
Take a 3-litre capacity pan, place on the burner, turn on the flame to HIGH MODE.
Pour in oil – 200 grams. Let the oil get hot. Once the oil gets hot, turn the flame to MEDIUM MODE.
- Start putting the ground bengal gram little by little into the hot oil. It’s like making very small vada.
- After 60 seconds we can start stirring. Stir gently for another 1 minute.
- Let the contents get fried well (it should become crispier).
- Take out the fried bengal gram vada and place it in on a plate.
Take another pan, place it on the burner. Turn on the flame to High Mode. Pour in 150 ml of Oil.
Once the oil gets hot, turn the flame to LOW MODE.
Then start adding the below and then stir –
- Onion – 2, cut into thin slices.
- Fennel seeds – 3/4 tablespoon
- Cardamom – 6
- Cinnamon – 4
- Bay Leaf – 3 (small)
- Star anise – 1
- Cloves – 10
Stir till onions turn light brown. Then add –
- Half a tablespoon of ginger garlic paste. Stir well.
- Green chillies – 5 (each one should be cut into half)
- Curry leaves – 10 leaves
- Tomatoes – 1 (cut into small pieces)
- Coriander leaves – few
- Turmeric powder – 1/4 tablespoon
- Chilli powder – 1/2 tablespoon
- Cumin powder – 1/4 tablespoon
- Garam Masala – 1/4 tablespoon
- Coriander powder – 1/2 tablespoon
- Salt – 1/2 tablespoon
Stir and mix them well.
Wait for 80 to 90 seconds till tomatoes get little soft. Then let’s pour –
- Water – 500 ml.
- Stir well.
- Close the pan with a lid.
- Turn the flame to HIGH MODE and wait till water comes to a boiling point.
Once water comes to boiling point, turn flame to LOW MODE and let the contents to get cooked for the next 10 minutes in low flame.
Take the plate with fried vada (prepared in step 5) – start to break the small vadas into even smaller pieces and this smaller pieces can be added to our curry.
After 10 min, remove the lid, stir gently.
Add the fried pulses (prepared in step: 5 and then broken to smaller pieces in step 11).
Stir again and let the contents to cook for another 7 to 10 minutes in low flame.
Note: No need to close the pan with a lid.
Turn off the flame – garnish with a little of coriander leaves.
The dish is ready to be served and tastes good as an accompaniment with dosa, idli, roti, paratha or poori.
