This Vada curry recipe / Chettinad vadacurry recipe is nothing but our regular masal vadai, cooked in tomato based gravy and tempered with aromatic spices. If you are grinding for masala vada, soak little bit extra to prepare this flavourful gravy. The only extra process is making the vada, that too if you have any leftover vada, the same can be used. It pairs up well with almost all the tiffin items like idli, dosa, idiyappam, set dosa and even poori, chapati too…..
Find my other interesting recipes like
1. Instant Onion Rava Dosa
2. Podi Idli
3. Khara Pongal Recipe
4. Vermicelli Upma
Chettinad Vadacurry Recipe
Vada curry recipe / Chettinad vada curry recipe is nothing but our regular masal vadai, cooked in tomato based gravy and tempered with aromatic spices. If you are grinding for masala vada, soak little bit extra to prepare this flavourful gravy.
- 1 Cup Channa Dal
- 2 to 3 Red Chilli
- 1 tsp Fennel Seeds
- Salt As Required
- 1 tbsp Oil
- 1 tsp Fennel Seeds
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 2 Cinnamon
- 3 Cloves
- 1 Piece Blackstone Flower (Kalpasi)
- 1 Onion
- 1 Green Chilli
- 1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste Link for ginger garlic paste
- 2 Tomato
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
- 2.5 tsp Chilli Powder
- 1 tsp Coriander Powder
- 1.5 Cup Coconut Milk
- Few Coriander Leaves
- Salt As Required
Soak channa dal in water for minimum 2 hours. Rinse well and drain the water completely. To a mixer, add the drained channa dal, red chilli, fennel seeds and grind it to a coarse paste. Just sprinkle very little water and grind it. (If you have any leftover masal vadai, the same can be used).
Transfer the grounded dal to a bowl, add required salt and mix well.
Heat oil in a pan / kadai, pinch small ball sized batter and drop it in the oil slowly. Fry it on both sides till golden colour and keep by aside.
Measure all the ingredients required for tempering and keep by side. Chop onion and green chilli finely.
Measure and keep 1.5 cup of coconut milk ready. Keep the tomatoes immersed in boiled water for 2 minutes, this method helps to peel the skin easily.
Then discard the tomato skin and puree the tomato in a mixer. Pour oil in a pan, and temper with all the ingredients listed in the table 'To Temper'. Then add onion and saute till it turns translucent. Now add ginger-garlic paste and saute until the raw smell leaves.
Pour the tomato puree, add turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder and required salt. Boil for 3 to 4 minutes in low flame.
Then pour coconut milk and boil for another 2 minutes in very low flame.
Add the fried vada now. Also break few vada and add to the gravy, so the gravy and vada blends well.
Cook for a while, very soon the vada absorbs the gravy. Finally garnish with coriander leaves and adjust water quantity before serving.
Serve this chettinad vadacurry recipe with ragi dosa.
1. Soak channa dal in water for minimum 2 hours. Rinse well and drain the water completely. To a mixer, add the drained channa dal, red chilli, fennel seeds and grind it to a coarse paste. Just sprinkle very little water and grind it. (If you have any leftover masal vadai, the same can be used).
2. Transfer the grounded dal to a bowl, add required salt and mix well.
3. Heat oil in a pan / kadai, pinch small ball sized batter and drop it in the oil slowly. Fry it on both sides till golden colour and keep by aside.
4. Measure all the ingredients required for tempering and keep by side. Chop onion and green chilli finely.
5. Measure and keep 1.5 cup of coconut milk ready. Keep the tomatoes immersed in boiled water for 2 minutes, this method helps to peel the skin easily.
6. Then discard the tomato skin and puree the tomato in a mixer. Pour oil in a pan, and temper with all the ingredients listed in the table ‘To Temper‘. Then add onion and saute till it turns translucent. Now add ginger-garlic paste and saute until the raw smell leaves.
7. Pour the tomato puree, add turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder and required salt. Boil for 3 to 4 minutes in low flame.
8. Then pour coconut milk and boil for another 2 minutes in very low flame.
9. Add the fried vada now. Also break few vada and add to the gravy, so the gravy and vada blends well.
10. Cook for a while, very soon the vada absorbs the gravy. Finally garnish with coriander leaves and adjust water quantity before serving.
Serve this chettinad vadacurry recipe with ragi dosa.
Chettinad Vadacurry Recipe
Tips for Chettinad Vadacurry Recipe
For the Vada
1. Soak the channa dal for minimum 2 hours, else the vada turns hard .
2. For a different taste, little toor dal can be soaked along with channa dal.
3. For a low calorie version, the grounded vada batter can be steamed in a idli plate for 10 minutes.
4. Instead of frying in oil, the vada can be prepared in a appam pan (shallow frying) by adding very little oil.
5. If you have any leftover masal vadai in hand, the same can be used to prepare this chettinad vadacurry recipe.
6. Don’t skip blackstone flower, as it lends more flavour to the dish.
7. I pureed the tomato, as it gives more volume and nice tangy taste to the gravy. It can be finely chopped and used too.
8. For more aroma, few mint leaves can be used for this vada curry recipe.
9. Always prepare the dish 1 hour before serving, so the vada absorbs the gravy and taste too good.
10. As the vada absorbs the gravy soon, adjust water quantity before serving.
Vada Curry Recipe
Welcome to my blog www.asmallbite.com. Thanks for reading my blog! I hope you’re enjoying my recipes to make the taste forever. I am Priya Santhamohan, writer and photographer (with hubby’s help) of this blog.
Ria Samuel
March 26, 2018 at 10:38 amThat sounds delicious Priya. This recipe seems good all by itself too other than as a side dish.
Priya Santhamohan
March 29, 2018 at 9:17 amThank you Ria.