Low Fat Vada Curry~~ A Virtual Birthday Party for Vardhini

A bunch of my blogger friends are celebrating their birthday during July and august,so obviously you wont be disappointed to see how virtually we are celebrating their birthday. Today, 10th July my friend Vardhini of Cooks Joy celebrates her birthday. To celebrate her birthday, myself along with my other blogger friends chosed to cook Vegan dishes from her space.Hope Vardhini will definitely enjoy our virtual vegan treat and am sure she will definitely have a blasting birthday with her family.

Birthday are special occasions and they call for special celebrations.Happy birthday Vardhini, hope your day is filled with lots of love,happiness and laughter.May all your birthday wishes comes true.

To celebrate Vardhini's birthday virtually, i cooked up her low fat vada curry. Vada curry is a delicious channa dal based curry prepared either with deep fried channadal fritters or else with left over masala vadas. But while going through Vardhini's space, i got hooked to her low fat version of vada curry where she steam cooked spiced channadal balls and prepared her vada curry. I prepared this low fat vada curry for our saturday dinner, seriously i had two more dosas with fingerlicking vadacurry. Vada curry with fried channadal fritters or steam cooked, they tastes fantabulous and thanks to Vardhini for sharing this healthy and low fat version of famous South Indian Vada curry.

Recipe Source: Cooks Joy
Steamed balls:
1cup Channadal/Bengal Gram (soaked for 2hrs)
3nos Dry red chillies
2nos Garlic cloves
1tsp Fennel seeds
Salt
1no Onion (chopped)
Curry leaves
Chopped coriander leaves

For gravy:
1no Onion (chopped )
2nos Tomatoes(ripend & medium sized)
2nos Green chillies (slit opened)
1/2tsp Turmeric powder
1/2tsp Sambar powder
1inch Cinnamon stick
2nos Cloves
1tsp Fennel seeds
Salt

Grind the soaked channadal with dry red chillies,garlic cloves,fennel seeds and salt as bit coarse paste.

Transfer the grounded channadal paste to a bowl, add the chopped onions,curry leaves and chopped coriander leaves,mix it well.

Make balls from channadal batter and steam cook them for 15minutes.

Heat oil in a pan, fry the cloves,cinnamon stick and fennel seeds until they turns brown.

Add the chopped onions,slit opened green chillies and saute until the onions turns transculent.

Add now the chopped tomatoes,sambar powder and cook until they turns soft.

Add 3-4cups of water, salt and turmeric and bring it to boil.

Take the steam cooked balls and mash them slightly with fingers (since we need big chunks of these steamed balls,take care not to mash much), add to the boiling mixture.

Add all the mashed balls and cover the pan with lid and cook for 15minutes until the gravy until bit thick.

Serve hot with idlis or dosas.

Sending to Srivalli's Side dish Mela.