Vada curry

Today, Saturday Special break fast , kal dosai with vada curry.....A famous recipe of Chennai..... Till I am in my native place I have heard this name but never tasted, after coming to chennai, when I go to hotel with my friends, they usually order, Kal dosai and vada curry... Am attracted by this combination and learnt this recipe from one of my colleagues.....already tried once... But recently released movie VADACURRY reminded me of this dish and I prepared this... Other than kal dosa, you can have this with idly, dosa, ghee rice, cumin rice etc.... Perfect chennai flavoured dish.....

Ingredients

Channa dhal - 2 cups

Coconut - 1

Ginger - 1 pinch

Garlic - 5 to 8 pods

Green chillies - 4

Small onions - 10 to 20

Tomato - 4

Red chilli powder - 2 tsp

Coriander powder -  2 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Curry leaves, coriander leaves

Cinamon stick, bay leaves, cloves

Method

Soak two cups of channa dhal in water for two hours... Grind coarsely along with two green chilies and two red chilies, ginger... Add turmeric powder, salt, nicely chopped onion, mix well, make uneven balls out of it, either you can deep fry in oil.... Or you can steam it in idly pan, then add two tsp oil in broad non stick pan and roast this steamed balls on both sides, by this method, usage of oil is minimised.... Crush the vadas ... I equally crushed all vadas into small pieces...

then we have to prepare gravy.... Coarsely make paste of onion, ginger, garlic and green chilies ( just one pulse in mixie cup is enough)... Prepare tomato purée...I used 20 small onions and four tomatoes... Extract thin and thick coconut milk...

In a pan add oil, add Chinnamon stick, bay leaves, cloves, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, fry for few minutes, then add the onion paste, fry till raw smell of onion goes... Then add tomato purée, red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, salt, let is boil well, sauté in middle till the paste begin to leave the sides of the pan... Then add crushed vadas, thin coconut milk, when it begin to boil, keep it in sim....after few minutes, add thick coconut milk, let it be in sim for 5 more minutes and then switch of the flame... Garnish with coriander leaves....