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Prep Time
15 mins -
Cooking Time
30 mins -
Serves
5 -
Cuisine
Indian
Vadi-aloo or vadiyan-aloo is prepared in many Punjabi homes and enjoyed with any Indian bread or boiled white rice. In this dish, spicy lentil nuggets called “vadiyan” and potatoes are cooked in an onion-tomato gravy. Vadi has a hard texture since it is sold in a sun-dried form. When cooked with the gravy, it becomes soft and more flavorful. Vadiyan are made with a variety of lentils and this is my recipe using urad dal vadi (black gram).
What you will need
How to make
- Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add vadiyan pieces. Stir continuously until the vadiyan turn dark-brown in color. This takes only a few seconds. Drain on a paper-towel and keep aside.
- In the same hot oil, add cumin seeds, onions and saute until pink. Reduce flame to low, add ginger-garlic paste and turmeric, stir for 30 seconds.
- Now add remaining spices (coriander powder, cumin powder, red chilli powder and dried fenugreek leaves) and stir for 30 seconds.
- Add tomatoes and increase the flame to medium-high. Cook until the tomatoes are soft. Now add the fried vadiyan and potatoes. Cook for 4-5 minutes until the mixture starts leaving oil from the sides.
- Add water, close the pressure cooker and cook for 3 whistles. Let the pressure release naturally and mash a few potatoes to give a thick texture to the gravy.
- Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.
Tips & Alternatives to try
- Instant Pot Recipe: Carry out steps 1-4 in Instant Pot. Add water, close the lid, set to “Manual” and “High Pressure” for 8 minutes and let steam release naturally (NPR). Continue with Step 6
- The lentil nuggets are already spicy. So, adjust the red chilly powder as per your taste.
- If you do not have a pressure cooker, cook in a dutch oven for 12 minutes after adding potatoes (covered and occasionally stirred) until potatoes are cooked.