Straight from the state of Punjab, this spicy Aloo wadiyan recipe has many other names such as Amristari wadiyan sabzi, pubjabi wadiyan sabzi. It also has a sindhi counterpart known as the Sindhi Style Wadi Aloo Ki Sabzi. While the aloo wadiyan uses only potatoes and sun-dried wadis, the Sindhi style uses brinjal and potato together with the wadis. This aloo wadiyan recipe is an easy to make dish that is full of flavor. This sabzi is vegan and gluten-free and you can also use moong dal wadi in place of urad dal wadi. Moong dal wadi is less spicy when compared to urad dal wadi. Check how to make punjabi wadi rice.
What is Amritsari Wadi?
Amritsari wadi is a summer essential in most North Indian homes. They are a mix of urad dal and spices ground together and sun-dried as dumplings. Once they are dry, they can be stored for a year. Usually, the wadis are broken into small pieces and used in curries or rice dishes. The urad dal is soaked, grinded and fermented overnight and mixed with whole spices like pepper, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, red chili, salt and others. Then the batter is sun dried and those dumplings are stored for the year’s use. They are meaty in texture and can be used instead of soya or meat chunks. The dried wadis are broken into small pieces and sautéed in oil. They are then cooked with vegetables usually potatoes but other veggies can be used as well. They go well with rotis, naan, parathas and pulao. You can find these Amritsari Urad Dal wadi’s or the moong dal wadiyan at indian grocery stores. If cooking for kids, I would suggest to use moong dal wadiyan, which are typically not spicy.
How to make?
I will share how to make Aloo Wadiyan in a pan and also using a pressure cooker. Before we get started on the punjabi wadi curry, we need to prep the wadi.
Gently crush the urad dal wadiyan into small chunks by breaking them with a rolling pin or in a mortar & pestle.
Then heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan on medium-high heat and add the crushed wadi to the oil. Sauté the wadi until is lightly brown while stirring continuously so that the wadi doesn’t get burned. Once the wadi is lightly browned, take it out and keep aside. In the same pan, then heat the remaining oil and add cumin seeds. Sauté the cumin seeds till they change color and then add the diced onions, ginger and garlic. Sauté them till the onions become golden brown and add the chopped tomatoes along with the spices. Cook all of them well till the tomatoes soften. You can also cover it with a lid to cook the tomatoes faster.
Now add the chopped potatoes, wadi chunks and water. Stir them well. Cook on high flame for 3-4 minutes until the curry comes to a boil. Turn the heat to medium-low, cover the pan with a lid and let it cook for about 20-25 minutes until the potatoes and wadi are tender. Stir periodically. Open the pot, garnish the punjabi wadi sabzi with fresh chopped cilantro leaves and serve it with roti, naan or rice.
Making Aloo Wadi curry in stovetop pressure cooker
Follow the same steps as above in a pressure cooker and pressure cook the curry for two whistles on medium heat. Release pressure naturally and open the lid of the pressure cooker. Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro leaves and serve it hot with naan, roti or rice.
Making Punjabi Aloo wadi in Instant Pot
Follow the same steps as above in an instant pot and pressure cook the curry for three minutes. Release pressure naturally for 5 minutes, then quick release and open the lid. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve it hot with naan, roti or rice.
Tips
Amritsari urad dal wadiyan are known to be quite spicy, so I have skipped adding green chili or red chili powder. But, if you want, you can add a bit more spice to your taste You can also puree the tomatoes if you like a smoother gravy. You can substitute the Amritsari wadi with moong dal wadi, but they are not as spicy. So you might want to add a bit more spice to the curry. You can replace the onion,tomatoes, ginger and garlic with onion tomato masala and adjust the spices to your taste.
Enjoy this delicious authentic Punjabi Aloo Wadiyan curry recipe. Do share how it turned out!
