Chettinad Vada Curry Recipe | How to make Vada Curry recipe | Vadakari Recipe | South Indian Vada Curry Recipe | Side Dish for Idli Dosa

Vada Curry is a very famous South Indian gravy. As you travel down south, one of the famous gravies to accompany Idli or parotas for breakfast would be Vada Curry. This is a classic chettinad side dish which is also very famous in Chennai. Chettinad Vada Curry Recipe is a typical breakfast side dish that best pairs with Idli, appam, dosa, set dosa, idiyappam etc.

Vada curry is basically either a deep fried masala vada or steamed dumpling made with lentils, which is dunked and cooked in a flavourful onion tomato masala gravy. This is a very filling breakfast/snack in itself.

The traditional way to prepare the vada curry is to deep fry the vada and then add it to the curry. To keep it healthy, you can also follow other methods to prepare vada. I have explained below different options to prepare vadas. 

The aroma of masala with crispness of vada makes this dish extraordinarily delicious. Though it’s slightly time consuming side dish recipe, it is worth all the effort!! Do give it a try!! I love Idli  with Vadakari combination….Find out yours 🙂

Off to Chettinad Vada Curry Recipe!!

Easy Steps to follow for Chettinad Vada Curry Recipe:

Vadas for Chettinad Vada Curry Recipe or Vadakari can be made in 4 ways :

1. Deep fry method (nothing but making Masala Vada)
2. Steaming method (Like how we steam for Usili…Click here to check the procedure)
3. Adai method (Adai is nothing but a type of thick dosa or south indian crepe )
4. paniyaram/Appe pan method

1. Deep fry method (nothing but making Masala Vada):

• Click here to get the stepwise pictorial guide to prepare Masala Vada.

2. Steaming Vada batter (Steaming method:):

• Form the batter into flat disk shapes (or small dumplings) and steam them in an idli cooker.
• Once the vadas are done, set it aside and let it cool and scramble them.

3. Adai method:

• Heat a dosa pan over medium heat and make thick adais (about 1 inch thick). Spread the adai on the tawa using your fingers (remember that the tawa will be hot) and add little oil on the sides.
• Allow it to cook well until golden brown on both the sides.
• Cool the adai and scramble it into tiny pieces and set aside.

4. Paniyaram/Appe pan method:

• Heat paniyaram pan over medium heat and add few drops of oil. 
• Once the pan is hot, spoon in the batter in each mould, cover and cook for 3 minutes. Flip and cook till golden brown. 

Make masala vadas following any one of the methods given above and set aside.

I usually like the steaming or adai method as it is healthy and also doesn’t require deep frying. But, today we are going to follow the authentic deep fry method. I have already shared the recipe for Masala Vada.

• Chop onions, tomatoes, green chillies, peel garlic and set aside.

• Make a fine paste of the ingredients under the section “To Grind” and set aside.

Let’s get started with the gravy for Chettinad Vada Curry Recipe:

• Heat oil in a deep pan over medium heat. Add fennel seeds, cloves, cinnamon stick and bay leaves.
• Sauté the spices till you get a nice aroma.
• Now add in curry leaves, garlic pods and sauté for a minute.

• Add in chopped onions, green chillies and sauté till tender.
• Now, add ginger garlic paste and sauté till the raw smell goes off.

• Add tomatoes and sauté till they mushy.
• Now, add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder and stir for 2 minutes.
• Add in the ground masala paste and sauté till the raw smell goes off or till oil separates.

• Add 2 cups of water and salt. Let it boil for 5 minutes on high heat.
• As boiling continues, you will notice the curry turning thicker.
• Now, crush the Masala Vadas and add them to the gravy.
• Simmer for 3 minutes, bring it to a boil and turn off the heat. At this stage, the gravy must be thick. So, if you want you can add little water and adjust salt.

• Garnish vada curry with coriander.
• Lip smacking vada curry is ready to be served. 
• Serve hot with Idli, dosa, appam, idiyappam, parota or chapati.

• There are two ways to serve this curry. One, where the vadas are almost mashed to blend well with the gravy and the other where the vada pieces still retains the shape.

A Quick Summary:

Print Recipe

Chettinad Vada Curry Recipe | Vadakari Recipe | Side Dish for Idli Dosa

A breakfast side dish to idli, dosa etc. Small masala vadas are dunked and cooked in a flavourful onion tomato masala gravy.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Indian (South Indian)

Servings: 6 to 8

Author: Padma Veeranki

Ingredients

• Ingredients:
• 8 Masala Vadas Click here for recipe

To Grind:

• 1/4 Cup grated Fresh coconut
• 1 teaspoon Fennel Seeds
• 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
• 2 Green chillies

For gravy:

• 2 Tablespoons oil
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 2 cloves
• 1 " Cinnamon stick
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 Sprigs Curry leaves
• 8 cloves garlic
• 2 Large onions finely sliced
• 3 green chillies slit
• 1 Tablespoon Ginger garlic Paste
• 2 Large Tomatoes chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• Handful of chopped coriander leaves

Instructions

• Make masala vadas and set aside.
• Make a fine paste of ingredients under “To Grind”.

For gravy:

• Heat oil in a deep pan over medium heat. Add fennel seeds, cloves, cinnamon stick, bay leaves & sauté till you get a nice aroma.
• Now, add curry leaves, garlic, onions, green chillies and sauté till tender.
• Add ginger garlic paste and sauté till the raw smell goes off.
• Add tomatoes and sauté till mushy.
• Now, add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder and stir for 2 minutes.
• Add ground masala paste and sauté till oil separates.
• Add 2 cups of water, salt & boil for 5 minutes.
• Now, crush the Masala Vadas and add to the gravy.
• Simmer for 5 minutes and turn off the heat.
• Garnish with coriander and serve with idli, dosa...

My Notes:

1. Click here for tips to make masala vada.
2. For another variation, You can also add tur dal along with channa dal for vada.
3. Instead of deep frying, read through the post to make them in a healthy way. You can cook the balls in steam or in paniyaaram pan.
4. You can also use leftover masala vadas to make this curry.
5. At the end, you can add ¼ cup of thick coconut milk to make it creamy and for added flavour.
6. If the gravy becomes too thick once it cools down, add a little water and bring it to a boil.
7. Adjust the quantity of vadas being added, too many vadas will make the gravy thick.
8. Vada’s will absorb some water from vadakari gravy. Quantity of water to be added, can be varied accordingly. Adjust the amount of water to the gravy according to the desired consistency.
9. Let the vadas to soak in the gravy for at least half an hour before serving.

Check out other Side Dish for Idli Dosa.

Many more to come!!…..STAY TUNED!!

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Happy Cooking 🙂

Cheers!!

Padma.