Kumbakonam Kadappa

Though I have been a foodie all my life, I have never heard of kumbakonam kadappa till I entered the world of blogosphere. Well… I have been wanting to try this recipe for such a long time. Got the recipe from my friend Priya Sreeram of Bon Appetit.
For people who don’t know what is kadappa ….
Even though the name sounds similar to a place in AP or a variety of  stone for making slabs, to the people of kumbakonam,tanjore and surrounding areas it also means a flavorful side dish for idli and dosa made from moong dhal and potatoes in a mildly spiced gravy. In my family’s opinion it tastes good with chappatis and puris too. It is a very easy recipe to make and after tasting this I was thinking- OMG! why haven’t I heard about this recipe earlier…

Kumbakonam Kadappa

Ingredients:

2 medium sized potatoes

1/3 cup of moong dhal

2 medium sized onions-thinly sliced

1 green chilly-slit into half

Salt as required

To grind :

1/2 cup grated coconut

1-2 green chillies ( adjust according to taste )

2-3 garlic flakes

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 medium sized tomato

1 tsp roasted gram ( optional )

For tempering:

2 tsp oil

1/2 inch piece of cinnamon

1 bay leaf

1 cardamom

1 star anise

2-3 cloves

Method:

1. Pressure cook the dhal and potatoes till soft. Mash well and keep aside.
2.  Grind all the ingredients given under to grind into a fine paste.
3. Heat 2 tsp of oil in a pan. Add the whole spices and sauté.
4.  Next add the sliced onions and green chilly.
5.  Now add the ground paste and sauté for a minute or two.
6. Now add the mashed dhal and potatoes.
7.  Add required salt and allow it to simmer for 5-7 minutes.
8. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with idli or dosa.

P.S.
Instead of grinding the tomato, you can chop and sauté them along with the onions.
Instead of adding tomato, you can also add juice of half a lemon after you switch off the stove.

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