SINDHI ALOO WADIYAN ( Sun dried lentil dumplings in onion tomato gravy )

Aloo wadiyan is a very popular dish in North India. Wadi is very spicy and each bite sends a spice burst in your mouth. We sindhis have a name for this gravy of onion and tomato which is "DAAG" , and there are several vegetables we cook in this same gravy . I cook wadi in this gravy and my family loves its taste. Mostly i serve this dish with Bhuga Chawal / Brown onion pulao , and trust me the meal lingers in your mouth for a long time.

Wadiyan are made with urad dal. Urad dal is first soaked then grinded, and then dal paste is mixed with spices and formed into a dough and the balls of dough are dried and they can be kept for longer period of time.

Most of the time wadiyan are cooked with potatoes but they can be added with several vegetables and pulao. They go well with roti and any other Indian bread. They are available at Indian grocery stores or small homemakers who sell this for a household. I usually take it from small homemakers and ask them to adjust the spices as per my choice.

Recipe :

(Serves 3)
Ingredients:

• 1 medium potato
• 100 grams/ 4-5 pieces Urad dal wadi
• 4 tbsp oil
• 2 medium onion, chopped finely
• 3 medium tomatoes, chopped 
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 2 cup water
• 1 tsp garam masala
• Salt to taste
• For garnish: Fresh coriander leaves

Instructions:

• Peel and dice the potatoes.
• Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add Onion. Fry until well browned.
• Add tomatoes and all dry masalas. Mix well and saute for 3-4 mins and add a cup of water.
• Now place the Wadi on top of the onion tomato gravy carefully and do not mix .
• Close the lid of the cooker and cook till 3 whistles.
• Open the cooker and take out the wadis carefully on a plate.
• Now blend the onion tomato mix with a hand blender, but not into a paste - it should be still coarse and chunky. 
• Again put the cooker on flame , add potatoes and cook for 3-4 mins .
• Now add wadis. Sauté for two minutes.
• Add a cup of water and cook for 3 whistles on medium to slow flame.
• Open the lid when the pressure has reduced completely.
• Sprinkle garam masala powder and fresh coriander.
• Serve hot with roti or white/brown rice.

Note:

Wadi takes a longer time than potato to cook , also breaks easily into the gravy if over cooked.

So, double cooking helps to make it tender but make sure not to over cook.

You can also break the wadi into small pieces and cook along with potato itself , my family prefers full wadis and so i double cook it . 

Recipe for Bhuga Chawal , which i serve along side of Aloo wadiyan : http://loveisincookin.blogspot.com/2020/08/bhuga-chawal-sindhi-style-onion-pulav.html