Vazhaipoo Vada Curry | Vada Curry using Banana Flower | Vegan and GlutenFree | Breakfast Recipes by Masterchefmom

Hi Supermoms,

I am sure many of you must have heard of this famous dish 'Vada Curry'.  It is actually a  dish that was created to finish off the left over vadai.  The deep fried vadai is torn and dunked in a onion tomato masala gravy and served along with idli/dosa and other tiffin items as a side dish. 

When we make Vada curry at home, we an add so many healthy ingredients. In fact we can even control the amount of oil that is usually used in this dish. Some like to steam the vadai instead of deep frying and then crumble it into the gravy. But definitely the taste is different.

I make Vazhaipoo Vadai very often and when I make the vadai, I make smaller vadai(shaped like Ram ladoo) for this curry. I make the curry semi-dry and dunk the vadai just before serving them. They taste amazing even along with rice. 

Vazhaipoo/Banana Blossom is so good for health and when we make this dish, every body will enjoy and relish it. 

Vazhaipoo Vada Curry :

Preparation time : 1 hour

Cooking time : 25 minutes

Serves : 4-6

1 cup = 250 ml cup

Special vessel : Iron kadai/wok

Note : You can make the vadai using the vazhaipoo vadai recipe also.

Ingredients :

For the Vadai:

2 cups Vazhaipoo/banana blossom ( cleaned and finely chopped)

3/4 cup tuvar dal / arhar dal/pigeon peas 

1/4 cup channa dal/bengal gram

3-4 dry red chillies

3 garlic pods( chopped)

1" ginger ( chopped)

pinch of asafoetida

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

salt to taste

oil ( to fry)

For the curry ;

1 teaspoon oil

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 sprig curry leaves

1 large onion ( thinly sliced)

3 tomatoes ( finely chopped)

2 garlic pods

1 green chilli  ( finely chopped)

1/8 teaspoon turmeric powder

1-2 teaspoons kashmiri chilli powder ( adjust according to taste)

pinch of garam masala 

salt to taste

For garnish :

handful of cilantro/coriander leaves or mint leaves ( finely chopped)

Method :

1. Mix both the dals in a vessel, wash them well and soak them for 45 minutes along with dry red chillies.

2. Microwave the Vazhaipoo with 1/2 cup of water for just 3 minutes, drain water and set it aside.

Note : Alternatively, bring 3 cups of water to a rolling boil add the vazhaipoo and cook for around 2-3 minutes , drain the excess water and set it aside. 

3. Drain the excess water from the dals, add the vazhaipoo, dry red chillies, ginger, garlic, fennel seeds and grind them to a coarse thick paste. Add salt and asafoetida and mix well.

Note : Remove 1 teaspoon of channa dal before grinding and add it to the ground batter to give texture to the vadai.

4. Heat oil in a kadai/pan and when the oil reaches the right temperature, remove small portions of the batter , and slowly drop them in oil.

5. Fry them over medium flame till they turn dark brown and crispy, remove and drain them in a kitchen towel.

Note : The sizzling of oil will reduce indicating that the vadai is cooked through.

6. Repeat the process for the entire batch .

7. Heat a wide pan with oil and temper with mustard seeds, green chillies and curry leaves.

8. Add the sliced onions and tomatoes.

9. Add salt , turmeric powder, chilli powder, garam masala and cook by stirring continuously over medium flame, for 3-4 minutes.

Note : As the vadai already has salt, adjust the quantity accordingly.

10. Add 1/2 to 3/4 cup of water and cook covered for another 5 minutes over medium flame.

11. Mash the tomatoes using the ladle so that the gravy is more tangy.

12. Add the vadais, mix and switch off.

13. Garnish and serve immediately.

Delicious Vada Curry is ready !!

Chef Tips :

1. You can use this recipe for left over paruppu vadai/masala vadai. 

2. You can add spinach or murungai keerai ( moringa leaves) in the batter and make vadai.

3. Instead of water, you can add fresh coconut milk .

4. You can add finely chopped onions in the vadai for more taste. 

5. Always test the temperature of oil by dropping a small bit of the batter. It should instantly sizzle and float up.

6. Fry vadais in low/medium flame for uniform cooking.

Happy Cooking !

With love,

Masterchefmom