Ingredients:
Making masala Vada:
- Split Channa dhal – ½ cup
- Fennel seeds – ½ tsp
- Curry leaves – few
- Dry red chili – 2 no
- Garlic – 3 cloves
- Salt – to taste
- Asafetida – ½ tsp
- Cooking oil – to deep fry
Vada curry:
- Onion – 1 (finely chopped)
- Tomato – 1 (finely chopped)
- Ginger –Garlic paste – 1 tsp
- Curry leaves – few
- Plain red chili powder – ½ tsp
- Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
- Salt – to taste
- Water – as req
Masala:
- Grated coconut – 1/3 cup
- Cashews – 6 -8 nos
- Roasted gram – 1 tblsp
- Poppy seeds – 1 tsp
- Fennel seeds – 1 tsp
- Cinnamon – 1 inch
- Cardamom – 2 nos
- Cloves – 3 nos
Procedure:
Making Masala vada:
- Soak the channa dhal for about 3 hrs and grind it coarsely along with fennel seeds, dry red chili, garlic, curry leaves and tblsp of water.
- Heat some oil in a pan, meanwhile add salt and asafetida to the grounded mixture and mix well.
- Take a lemon size ball of vada mixture and press it gently in between your palms and put it over the medium hot oil and repeat the same process for the rest of the vada mixture (do not over crowd the pan)
- Flip it gently within 2-3mins on each side and once the sizzle sound off, take the masala vada from the pan and place it over paper towel to remove any excess oil.
Making Vada Curry:
- In a mixie jar, add all the MASALA ingredients with some water and grind it into a fine paste and keep aside.
- In a heavy bottomed pan, heat some oil and add the chopped onions and sauté it for about 2 mins, now add the Ginger-garlic paste and sauté it for about 2-3 mins.
- Time to add the chopped tomatoes into the mixture along with salt, turmeric powder and plain red chili powder and allow it to cook for about 3 mins.
- Add required amount of water into the mixture and bring it boil, now add the grounded masala paste and cook it further for about 5-7 mins (covered)
- Meanwhile, cut the masala vada into small pieces and put it into the watery gravy. Once the vada added into the mixture, within few mins you can see the gravy thicken up.
- Cover it with a lid and cook it under medium flame for another 5 mins, once the oil separates turn off the flame.
- The tasty and flavorful “VADA CURRY” is ready to serve.
- Serve with idli/dosa/poori/chapthi/ idiyappam/ appam.
