Vada Kootu Curry - Fried Lentil Dumplings in Coconut Gravy- Sadya Dish
 
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Indian
Serves: 5 People
Ingredients
For making the Vada or Lentil Fritters
  • Urad dal- 1 cup, soaked in water overnight
  • Ginger, grated- 1½ tsp
  • Green chilies, chopped small- 1
  • Curry leaves, chopped small- 5 leaves
  • Whole black pepper corns, crushed- 5
  • Salt- ¾ tsp
  • Oil- to deep fry
For making the Gravy
  • Oil- 2 tbsp
  • Mustard seeds- 2 tsp
  • Whole dry red chili- 2
  • Curry leaves- 1 sprig
  • Green chilies, chopped- 1
  • Onion, chopped- 1, large
  • Ginger-garlic paste- 2 tsp
  • Turmeric powder- ¼ tsp
  • Chili powder- 1 tsp
  • Coriander powder- 1½ tsp
  • Garam Masala- ½ tsp
  • Potatoes, cubed- 2, small
  • Coconut milk, thin- 1 cup
  • Thick coconut milk- ½ cup
  • Salt- ¾ tsp
Instructions
Making the Vada or Lentil fritters
  1. Soak the urad dal in water overnight or atleast for 4 hours.
  2. Drain the water and grind the soaked urad dal in a blender to a thick smooth paste.
  3. While grinding, add only very little water, the batter should be very thick.
  4. Transfer the batter to a bowl.
  5. Add grated ginger, curry leaves, crushed peppercorns, green chilies and salt, combine with the batter well.
  6. Heat a frying pan and add enough water to deep fry, let the oil turn hot.
  7. Make small balls out of the batter, it will be very sticky. Grease the palm of your hand with oil and make the balls.
  8. Drop the balls into the hot oil without crowding, deep fry till it turns golden in color.
  9. Transfer to a paper towel and keep aside.
Making the Gravy
  1. Place a saucepan or wok over medium heat.
  2. Add oil, let turn hot.
  3. Add mustard seeds, let it splutter.
  4. Add dry red chilies and curry leaves, saute for a second.
  5. Add onions, green chili and a few pinches of salt. Cook onions till it turns translucent.
  6. Add ginger-garlic paste, saute and cook till onions turn light golden in color.
  7. Add turmeric powder, chili powder, corinader powder and garam masala, saute for a few seconds.
  8. Add potatoes, saute for a minute.
  9. Add the thin coconut milk, combine well and cook covered till potatoes turn fork tender.
  10. After the potatoes are cooked, if the gravy is too thin add some water to thin it down.
  11. Taste and add salt to the gravy. If you want more spice add more chili powder.
  12. Add the fried vadas or lentil fritters, combine with the gravy.
  13. Add the thick coconut milk, combine well and let cook for a few minutes.
  14. You could make it into a thick dish or thin down the gravy by adding more thin coconut milk or water.
  15. Remove the saucepan from the heat and keep covered for sometime.
  16. As this dish sits for sometime, the fried vadas will absorb some of the gravy and will be thickened.
  17. This can be served along with Sadya or as a main dish along with rice, chapati, roti etc.
Recipe by Cooking with Thas - Wholesome Homemade Recipes at https://thasneen.com/cooking/vada-kootu-curry-fried-lentil-dumplings-in-coconut-gravy-sadya-dish/