VADAKARI

This is chennai's favorite gravy, a pure tamilnadu masala.  Its more served in marriges now a days with idiyappam.  But a delicious combination with aapam and dosa,. In hotels they are serving it with set dosai or kal dosai  Why can't you try this side dish,  for a change in your house other than chutneys and sambhar  on a special occasion or as a weekend special. My father is going to celeberate his 60th birthday, still this date vadakari is his evergreen favorite, and it passes to me and I have started to prepare for my family, hope you too.

Ingredients for vadai:

1. Channa dhal - 1/4 cup and Toor dhal - 1/4 cup
2. Green chillies - 1 or 2
3. Red chillies - 1 or 2
4. Sombu ( fennel seeds) - 1 tsp
5. Onion - 1 small size ( if availble, use small sambhar onions of 5-6)
6. Salt - as required
7. Asfotedia powder - 1 pinch

Ingredients for curry :

1. Tomato - 3 medium size
2. Onion - 1 big size (finely chopped)
4. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
5. Red chilli powder - as required

To grind for the curry:

1. Coconut freshly grated - 1/2 cup
2. green chillies - 1
3. Fennel seeds - 2 tsp
4. Ginger, garlic paste - 1/2 tbs

For seasoning:

1. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
2. Jeera - 1 tsp
3. Curry leaves - 1 full twig
4. Coriander leaves - finely chopped to add it finally
5. Cinamonn stic - 2
6. Cloves - 4
7. Bay leaf - 2

Method:

1. Soak channa dhal and toor dhal for minimum of 1 hour - 3 hours and grind it with onions, salt, chillies and fennel seeds with little amount of water to a thick paste. Heat oil in a pan for deep frying the vada. Make small balls out of the grinded paste and deep fry and keep it seperately.

2. Heat oil in  pan for seasoning. Once the oil gets heated, add mustard seeds, jeera and curry leaves. Once they got popped add cinamon sticks, cloves and bay leaves.

3. Add thinly sliced onions, fry for 2-3 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes fry until they get cooked softly.  In the mean while, make all vada into four pieces and keep it ready and grind coconut, green chilles, fennel seeds, ginger and garlic to fine paste in a blender.

4. Add turmeric powder, salt, red chilli powder and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the grind masala to the pan and fry until the oil seperates from it.

5. Once the oil seperates from the gravy, add 1 cup of water to the pan allow to boil for 2-3 minutes. Add the vada pieces and allow to cook until the vada pieces absorbs the water and turns the gravy to a thick consistency.

6. Add the chopped coriander leaves on top and transfer to a serving bowl.

7. Serve hot with dosa, aapam or idiyappam.