Vada curry recipe – steamed version with full video and step by step detailed pictures. Save some extra calories with the steamed version of vada curry, a popular street food in Saidapet, Madras.
As I posted last in the breakfast menu11, here I am with the vada curry recipe . This is perfect for dosa for me, loved it a lot with soft spongy dosa. Some suggest this for appam, poori or chapati too. I tried with chapati, it was good. Yet to try with poori and appam. I can eat vada curry as such even though its a side dish. It gives good much volume, so its perfect when you have get-togethers or have guest at home. You follow the same recipe and make with left over masala vadais too. Again thanks to Vilasini & Viji for the recipes.
my view:
I have tasted vada curry only in Saravana bhavan HSB once. Loved it a lot and wanted to recreate at home. Though stayed in Chennai for an year that too in Saidapet, but never knew vada curry was famous in that area. During that time, I was a homeybird, never had chance to go out and eat. So I hope I could once get to taste. After seeing some YouTube food videos, I saw it to be super masala filled side dish. I think it satisfies people from all groups with such a spicy masala base. 
I made it mild spiced and now have updated video to it with slight modifications as I learnt. Let’s make some vada curry now.
Steamed vada curry recipe
Equipments (Amazon Affiliate links)
Ingredients
- ½ cup Chana dal
- 4 Red chilli
- 1 tsp Fennel / Soambu/ Saunf
- 2 Onion
- 3 Tomato
- 1 tsp Ginger garlic paste
- 1 & ½ tsp Red chilli powder
- 1 tsp Coriander seeds powder
- ½ tsp Garam masala powder optional
- ¼ tsp Turmeric
- Salt - as needed
- 10 Mint leaves
- 2 tbsp Coriander leaves chopped
- 1 sprig Curry leaves
To temper
- 2 tbsp Oil
- 1 inch Cinnamon
- 1 Cardamom
- 1 Cloves
- 1 Biryani leaf
- 1 tsp kal pasi optional
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
Instructions
- Soak channa dal for 3 hrs. First grind chilli, fennel and salt.
- Then add the drained chana and grind coarsely. Do in batches to ensure even grinding. Do not grind smoothly.
- Grease idli plates and fill the moulds with the ground mixture, make a dent at the middle to ensure easy cooking. Steam cook for 10-15 minutes.
- Once cooled, break it roughly. I forgot to add curry leaves before steaming, so added after breaking. Heat a pan with oil and temper with the items given under ‘To temper’ table in order.
- Add finely chopped onion and fry till transparent. In goes ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute in medium flame. Add finely chopped tomatoes and all the powders – red chilli powder, dhaniya powder (coriander powder) and turmeric powder.Sprinkle required salt for the gravy.
- Fry for a minute or until the masala blends and becomes mushy. Add 2-3 cups water depending on thick or thinner gravy you want.
- Bring to boil and add the crumbled dal and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Once the oil floats on top and the gravy becomes thicker. Add 2 tbsp coconut milk ( I added Store bought in the updated video) if adding and bring to boil again. garnish with chopped coriander and mint leaves.
Video
Notes
- Add enough water as it requires lots of water.
- Mint leaves adds very nice flavor to the gravy.
- If using masala vada, use 6-8 vadai depending on the size.
- You can add 2 slit green chillies if you want extra hot gravy.
- Kal pasi adds a nice hotel style flavour, do add if you have.
- Adding coconut milk in last step enhances the flavour and taste (Tip from Revathy shanmugam mam)
Vada curry method:
- Soak channa dal for 3 hrs. First grind chilli, fennel and salt.
- Then add the drained chana and grind coarsely. Do in batches to ensure even grinding. Do not grind smoothly.
- Grease idli plates and fill the moulds with the ground mixture, make a dent at the middle to ensure easy cooking. Steam cook for 10-15 minutes.
- Once cooled, break it roughly. I forgot to add curry leaves before steaming, so added after breaking. Heat a pan with oil and temper with the items given under ‘To temper’ table in order.
- Add finely chopped onion and fry till transparent. In goes ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute in medium flame. Add finely chopped tomatoes and all the powders – red chilli powder, dhaniya powder (coriander powder) and turmeric powder.Sprinkle required salt for the gravy.
- Fry for a minute or until the masala blends and becomes mushy. Add 2-3 cups water depending on thick or thinner gravy you want.
- Bring to boil and add the crumbled dal and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Once the oil floats on top and the gravy becomes thicker. Add 2 tbsp coconut milk ( I added Store bought in the updated video) if adding and bring to boil again. garnish with chopped coriander and mint leaves.
Serve hot with hot set dosa – the dosa you see below is nothing but soft thick dosas, made from idli dosa batter.
love this so much, i should try this out and same pinch raji i have the same sambar wali and i posted vada curry in that same wali
colorful and tempting vada curry…cute bowls…
Nice recipe.i used to grind the tomatoes and add.it gives good colour and thickness.
Wow Raji, Wonderfully cooked. New to something like this
Super tempting. Love to have with chapthi too
nice clicks… its tempting
Lovely recipe and photo's are really tempting
Dosa vada curry. Divine combo:-) like the steamed version
healthy version and love to finish the platter there
Great to see my favorite recipe without deep frying….. Gonna try this….
Thanks a lot for sharing this super simple recipe. I tried them and it came out perfectly! 🙂
Tried this recipe and it came out well. Thank u for this simple recipe…
I tried it and it came out exactely as in the picture shown. Thank u very much for this simple recipe…
Tried this recipe today and it was delicious. loved it! Thanks for the recipe.
Let I tried its yummy
My kids likes much n much
Tried your cashew katli came out very well. Thank you so much. Today going to try your vada curry. Wish me good luck.
Can v try dis with Pakoda instead of Vada ??? Will t taste d same ???
You can try sure, will be sure different. But it will be nice I guess.
Hi Raji, I've added 1/2 cup thick cocunut milk before switching off the flame. It gives good taste & texture to the gravy.
Wow it's very colourful and delicious dish.mouthwatering also.very neat and clear pictorial explanation.please give the onion and Tomotto in grams or cup measure.
Wow…. tried yesterday…turned out reallllyyyy well… thank u pa….
Thanks for your feedback 🙂
Is there anything we need to take care to make set dosa using normal dosa batter apart from making it as thick ones?
If you are making only dosa with the batter, you can slightly reduce urad dal than we use for idli usually.
Hi raks, tried this recipe of yours on Saturday, it turned out great and was super yummy.
Thank you so much Suganya 🙂