Kombdi vade is a celebratory meal from the Malvan coast of Maharashtra, made for festivals, family gatherings and Sunday lunch. Kombdi means chicken and vade are soft, puffed breads made from a flour of roasted rice, urad dal and spices, deep fried like puris. The combination is especially popular around Gauri-Ganpati and Shimga, the Konkan Holi.
The chicken curry is rich and spicy, cooked in a gravy of roasted coconut, onion and Malvani masala, with plenty of oil and whole spices. The vade are crisp outside and soft inside, with a slightly grainy texture and a nutty flavour from the roasted flour, perfect for scooping up the gravy.
The meal is completed with sliced onions, lemon and sol kadhi. Ready vade flour is sold in Konkan stores, but making it at home is simple if you have time to roast and mill the grains. In Malvan, the meal is served at small family-run restaurants, and visitors to the Konkan coast rarely leave without trying it.
At a glance
| Region | Maharashtra |
|---|---|
| Cuisine | Malvani |
| Diet | Non-vegetarian |
| Course | Main course |
| Prep time | 40 minutes |
| Cook time | 60 minutes |
| Total time | 100 minutes |
| Serves | 4 |
| Spice level | Hot |
| Difficulty | Hard |
| Gluten-free | No |
| Key ingredients | chicken / rice flour / urad dal / coconut |
Ingredients
For the vade
- 2 cups vade flour (or 1 1/2 cups rice flour + 1/4 cup urad dal flour + 2 tbsp wheat flour)
- 1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
- 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds, roasted and crushed
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup hot water
- Oil for deep frying
For the chicken curry
- 750 g chicken on the bone, curry cut
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup freshly grated coconut
- 2 onions, sliced
- 6 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp Malvani masala
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1/4 cup oil
- 2 cups hot water
- 2 tbsp chopped coriander
Method
- Marinate the chicken with ginger-garlic paste, turmeric and salt for 30 minutes.
- Roast the coconut in a dry pan on medium for 4-5 minutes until golden brown. In 1 tbsp oil, fry the sliced onions until dark brown. Grind both with garlic and a little water to a smooth paste.
- Heat the remaining oil in a pot on medium. Add the paste and fry for 6-8 minutes until oil separates.
- Add Malvani masala and garam masala and stir for 30 seconds. Add the chicken and fry on medium-high for 5 minutes until coated and lightly browned.
- Pour in hot water, bring to a boil, cover and simmer on low for 25 minutes until the chicken is tender and the gravy is medium-thick. Garnish with coriander.
- For the vade, mix the flour with fennel, fenugreek, turmeric and salt. Pour hot water over it, mix with a spoon, cover and rest for 15 minutes. Knead into a soft, smooth dough.
- Divide into lime-sized balls. Pat each on an oiled plastic sheet into a 4-inch disc about 1/4 inch thick, with a small hole in the centre.
- Heat oil to medium-hot and fry the vade one at a time, pressing gently so they puff, for 1-2 minutes per side until golden. Drain and serve hot with the curry.
Tips
- Vade dough should be soft; stiff dough gives hard, dense vade.
- The hole in the centre helps the vade cook evenly and puff.
- Make the curry first; vade are best fried just before serving.
Serve with
Sliced onion, lemon wedges and sol kadhi.