Vada Curry : Dal Vada Curry

"Vada Curry" to me somehow sounded like a non-vegetarian dish (don't ask me why?!) until I got to see and taste it just a year or two ago. This is made of our very own Masala Dal Vadas cooked in gravy, a pure vegetarian dish. Dosas and Idlis are staple breakfast dishes with varieties to it; equally interesting are the accompaniments such as the chutneys, curry etc. One such is this very famous "Vada Curry (Dal Vada Curry)". 

Here is my first attempt tested and passed with decent colors ;)

Ingredients

For making Vadas

• Channa Dal (Split bengal gram dal): 1/2 cup 
• Big Onion: 1 medium
• Garlic : 6 cloves
• Green Chillies: 2 medium
• Ginger: 1"
• Curry Leaves : a few
• Coriander Leaves : a few
• Salt : To Taste (ensure its limited as the vadas will be cooked in a gravy with salt)

For making the Curry

• Big Onion : 1 medium (diced into small pieces)
• Tomatoes: 2 small or 1 medium Diced (if u want it a bit tangy then add accordingly)
• Turmeric powder: 1/2 tspn
• Red Chilli powder: 1.5 tsp (alternatively, you can add 2 big Green Chillies diced)
• Salt : To taste 
• Oil : 2 tbspn
• Water: 1 - 2 cups

DRY MASALA for the Curry (To be ground)

• Cinnamon : 1 small
• Cloves : 2
• Fennel Seeds (Saunf): 1/2 tspn
• Bay Leaf: 1

Method

1. Soak dal for 2-3 hours. If you want to make it instantly, then soak it with hot water for 1 hour at least
2. In a mixer, first add the chillies, garlic and ginger. Grind it first and then add the dal, and rest of the ingredients mentioned under "For making Vadas". Coarsely grind it with very less or no water (at the max 1-2 tspn)
3. Make vadas either by deep frying or steaming it like idlis
4. Next, in a pan, dry roast the ingredients mentioned under "DRY MASALA" (except for bay leaf). Grind it to make a smooth powder (dry)
5. In a pan, add oil. To this add bay leaf and then the onion. Fry it till golden brown (you can add a pinch of salt to quicken this).
6. Then add tomatoes and mash it. As they start cooking, add the dry roast masala. Allow it to cook for a few seconds and then add turmeric powder, and either the green chillies or the red chilli powder with salt.
7. As it starts cooking, add 1 glass of water. As it starts boiling, add the vadas. Allow it to cook in slow- medium flame. 
8. Mash the vadas to make a thick curry (gravy). Ensure that the vadas cook for at least 7-10 mts to soak in all the masalas.
9. Garnish with curry and coriander leaves and remove from fire

Serve hot with Idlis, Dosas etc.

Vegetable Stew : The Kerala Way

Our God's own country not only is a treat to our eyes and soul, but also to our taste budzz both for Veggies and Non-Veggies. What a variety, range of dishes to choose from!

One such simple to make, easy to digest, and divine to taste dish is "Vegetable Stew". We can customize it the way you want but what am sharing here is one that you can cook and serve in a jiffy. The "goodness" is that it is more of boiled preparation and therefore use of no or very less oil.

This one is from my "partner in crime", chef @ Sangeeta Gopakumar who learnt it from her mom. So, purely authentic :))

Vegetable Stew : Kerala's Style for your Taste Buzz!

Ingredients:

• Potatoes                       - 4 medium BOILED and PEELED
• Big Onions                  - 1 sliced thinly length-wise 
• Green Chilies             - 2-4 slit (as spicy as you like it)
• Ginger                         - 1-2" sliced thinly length-wise
• Curry Leaves              - to garnish 
• Salt                             - To taste
• Coconut Milk (Thick)- 1/2 cup : First ground with a glass of water and extracted
• Coconut Milk (Thin)  - 1 cup : After taking the thick extract, you can add more water and grind
• Oil                               - 1 tspn of refined and 1 tsp of coconut

Alternatively, you can use Readily available Coconut Milk or just grind it once with enough water to get 1.5 cups of coconut milk.

Method:

1. Boil and peel the potatoes. 
2. Slice onion, ginger length-wise into thin slices (very thin)
3. Slit the green chilies
4. In a pan, add refined oil. As it heats, add onion. Allow them to just turn transparent (should not be deep fried).  
5. Add the ginger slices, chilies, and water to allow the onion to cook.
6. As the onion cooks (note the color change), add the potatoes. Break them nicely, add salt, curry leaves and the thin coconut milk. Allow it to cook well (5 mts if only potatoes. If more veggies, then 10 mts)
7. After it cooks, add the thick coconut milk. To this add the curry leaves and allow it to cook for 3 mts max. 
8. Add the coconut oil, and remove from fire

This can be served with Idlis, Aapam and ofcourse I like to have it with dosas along with the gun powder :) 

Variations:

• You can add vegetables like Carrot, Beans, Peas etc to this. Just slice them thinly, of the same shape and size and either pre-boil them or allow to cook along with the onion.
• You will find variations to this where they use some basic Masalas
  

Pesarattu : Green Gram Dosa

Does it sound exaggerated to say that majority of South Indians will die without Dosas and Idlis in their life :) After all, till date, these serve as poor's food too. Of course, now its presence is felt across India in many of the regions around. 

As any routine will set in a boredom, we always need some innovation. One such is the green gram dosa; though this is not a very new variation. Down south, in Andhra, this is a staple breakfast. Pesarattu / Green Gram Dosa is very similar to the Cheelas which is a Rajasthani preparation using besan (gram flour).

Pesarattu with Ginger Chutney

Ingredients:

Dosa Flour:

• Whole Green Gram : 1 cup (soaked overnight for 8-10 hrs)
• Rice Flour : 2 tbspn
• Ginger: 1"
• Green Chilies: 2-3
• Water : To Grind
• Salt : To Taste
• Curd : 1-2 tspn (Optional)

Garnish:

• Onion : 1 medium Chopped
• Coriander: chopped for garnishing (optional)
• Cumin or Cumin powder : 1/2 tspn

Method:

• Grind the soaked dhal with ginger, chilies, salt (curd if you like it) to a smooth batter
• To this add rice flour and mix well.
• Leave the batter for a few minutes (doesn't need to ferment)
• In a non-stick dosa tava, pour a laddle of flour and spread to a thin round disc. Add oil on the sides to cook it crisply
• As it starts cooking, to the top side, add the chopped onion, coriander and cumin powder. Cover it and cook (this ensures complete & quick cooking too)
• As it gets crispier, fold it and remove from fire
• Serve it with any spicy chutney (like ginger chutney), gun powder, sambhar etc

Note: I didn't garnish it still it tastes yumm :)

Tip: This can be made with Green Gram Sprouts too. You just need to skip the overnight soaking.

Potato Peas Curry

One of the simple salivating dish that I've tasted is the "Aloo Mutter Sabji" : "Potato Peas Curry". In the winters of delhi, you get such fresh peas that you would love to eat them in any form. That's how I developed my taste for this.  

Ingredients:

• Peas : 1 cup (Fresh or Frozen) 
• Potatoes: 2 Medium Peeled
• Onion : 2 Small Chopped
• Ginger : 1"
• Garlic : 2-4 pods
• Tomatoes: 1 Medium
• Green Chillies : 1-2 
• Mango Powder (Aamchur) : 1 tspn (can substitute with 1 tbspn of sour curd)
• Turmeric Powder: 0.5 tspn
• Chili Powder: 2 tspn (as spicy as you like)
• Coriander Powder: 1-1.5 tspn
• Garam Masala Powder: 1/2 tspn
• Salt : To taste
• Oil : 2-3 tbspn
• Butter / Cream : 1 tspn (garnishing)
• Coriander Leaves: chopped
• Cumin Seeds: 1 tspn

Method:

• Peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes
• Soak the peas in warm water
• Grind the ginger, garlic (or you can add ginger and garlic chopped) separately
• Grind tomatoes separately
• In a pressure cooker / pan, add oil. Add Cumin seeds and allow it to splutter
• To this add chilies, ginger and garlic paste and allow it to cook in the oil for a minute
• Then add onion and fry till golden color
• To this add the tomato pure. Allow it to cook till the raw smell goes off and the mix oozes oil
• Then add all powders including Aamchur or Curd. Add salt and mix well
• Allow the masalas to cook for a mt or two
• To this mixture, add the peas and boiled potatoes. Add enough water to cook
• Close the pressure cooker / pan and allow it to cook for 5-7 minutes (2-3 whistles)
• Open it to check if its cooked and mix it well. Ensure its not too watery (if yes, then allow it to cook without the lid on)
• Garnish with coriander
• Remove to a serving bowl. Add fresh cream or butter

Serve hot with Rotis, some pickle and curd.

Dum Aloo : Baby Potatoes in spicy gravy

Dum Aloo, originally a Kashmiri dish, is famous across North. It is a delicious preparation using Baby Potatoes with moderate - high spice. 

Ingredients:

• Baby Potatoes: 10-12 
• Onion : 1 medium
• Tomatoes: 2 medium
• Curd : 2-4 tspn
• Garam masala : 1-1.5 tspn (Alternatively, I ground it fresh : cardamom (1), pepper (1/2 tspn), Cinamon ( 1 small piece), Clove (1-2 small), Fennel (1/2 tspn))
• Garlic: 4-5 pods
• Ginger: 1/2 inch 
• Chili powder: 1-2 tspn (as spicy as you like it)
• Coriander powder: 1 tspn
• Jeera: 1/2 tspn
• Salt : To taste
• Mango Powder (Aamchur): 1/2 tspn
• Turmeric Powder: 1/2 tspn
• Oil : Some to fry and some to cook

Method:

Prepare the potatoes:

• Boil the potatoes just to soften it (should not be mashed - one whistle should be enough)
• Peel and keep them aside 
• In a kadai, add oil to fry. Add potatoes and fry them till golden brown. Drain and place them in tissues to absorb the extra oil.
• Once it cools down, prick them with a fork on all sides. 
• Kasoori methi : 1 tspn
• I added a few pieces of baby corn as well (cut & fried with potatoes) : Optional

*** I boil and fry so that the oil consumption is less. However, some choose to peel and fry the potatoes directly without boiling them ****

Prepare the Gravy:

• In a bowl take the curd and beat it well. To this add a pinch of turmeric powder, salt and beat it well. Keep it aside
• In a pan, dry roast all masala (if you are making it fresh). Keep them aside. (1)
• In the same pan, add 2 drops of oil and saute ginger, garlic, half of the onion, tomatoes (2)
• Grind the roasted ingredients in (1) and (2) coarsely or if you like the gravy to be smooth then smoothly
• In the pan, add oil. To this add Jeera. Saute it and add rest of the sliced onion. Add a pinch of salt and saute it a bit; then add the ground mix.
• Fry this mix till it leaves out oil (add oil a bit if required)
• To this add, turmeric powder, coriander powder, chili powder, mango powder and rest of the salt (per taste). 
• As it cooks, add the mixed curd. Dilute it based on consistency you want the gravy to be. As it starts boiling, add the potatoes.
• Close it with the lid and cook it for at least 7-10 mts (Keep checking in between to ensure the gravy is not dried up)
• Add kasoori methi (take it hand and powder it) and allow it to cook for 1 mt.
• Remove from fire

Top it with fresh cream (if you like) and coriander leaves. Serve it hot with rotis, puris or rice. 

Note: You can avoid the fresh masala and instead add a tspn of garam masala while adding all other powders. Just ground the onion, tomatoes, ginger and garlic.