Vadacurry / Vadakari – Low Cal Version | Side dish for Set Dosai

One fine day Mister was so tempted to have Set Dosai and
Vadacurry,his favorite, while the family dined out. He ordered it
anticipating an extremely delicious combo- A match made in heaven but
what did he get? A somewhat okay set dosai and an extremely spicy and
non delicious vadacurry as the side.

Now you might
wonder which restaurant this was! All I can tell you that it is a very
reputed one around here yet he got such a food! And when I meant spicy,
it was extremely spicy even for a spice lover!!

A
dejected Mister went back home and couldn’t help but feel annoyed and
disappointed. So what does the lady of the house do?She makes Kal Dosai
and Vadakari as a surprise dinner later that week and Mister is truly
happy. He promptly clears up the huge bowl along with the kids who are
loving the dish as much as he did! The lady hardly got to taste it.

He
praises her that it is the best Vadakari he has ever eaten and that it
should feature more often in the menu at home!! And the
praise skyrockets when she tells him the dish is low cal too!!

What she did not tell him is that she also made it for Blogging Marathon #46, week 4, Day 2 under the theme – Combo dishes.

And the kal dosai looked exactly like how it was served in that restaurant – with a little onion and coriander leaves on top….

Vadacurry
is generally said to be prepared to use up the left over masal vada –
deep fried dal frittes, but now a days masal vadai is being made just to
prepare this dish. To make a low cal and guilt free side, the fritters
are steamed here instead of following the deep fried version.

For a low cal and tasty version of Vadacurry you need:

 For the vada

Channa dal -1 cup
Fennel seeds/Saunf – 1 teaspoon
Red chili-2 broken
Salt to taste

For the gravy

Tomatoes- 3 large
Onion-1, sliced
Garlic -2 pods, chopped
Bay leaf- 1
Fennel seeds- 1/2 teaspoon
Cinnamon-1″ piece, broken
Curry leaves- a few
Coriander powder- 1 teaspoon
Chili powder- 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder- a large pinch
Oil-1 tablespoon
Salt to taste

First let us prepare the vada…

Soak
the channa dal for half an hour. Drain and transfer it into a mixie jar
and grind it along with fennel and red chilies. Add salt. The paste
should be coarse and not smooth.Do not add water while grinding.If
needed just sprinkle a little water.

Shape into small logs and steam in a steamer for 10 minutes. Remove from steamer and keep aside.

Blanch the tomatoes , peel and puree. Keep aside.

Heat
oil in a pan and add the fennel, bay leaf and cinnamon. When the fennel
sizzles,add the onion, garlic and curry leaves and leaves. Saute till
the onion is soft. Add the tomato puree, turmeric powder, coriander
powder, chili powder and mix to combine.

Add
salt and about 2 cups of water and bring to boil. Add the steamed vadas
and let it cook for a while.As the mixture simmers, the vada will break
down as they break down in the tomato based gravy. Else break them down
gently with a ladle.The mixture will thicken. Remove from heat when the
desired consistency is reached.

Serve with Set dosai / Kal dosai

Note :

• This is a great side for set / kal dosai
• The consistency depends on how you like it- watery / thick. I made mine nice and thick.
• It thicken on standing. Add more water and simmer it that happens.
• You can make the vada before hand and refrigerate it. Let it come to room temperature and then cook it with the gravy.
• If you want to make it the original way, deep fry the lentil fritters and then add to the gravy.

Bon Appetit…