AI-generated image
Malvani kombdi vade
Chicken curry with puffed bread
Kombdi vade (कोंबडी वडे) — coconut chicken curry with puffed spiced flatbreads from the Konkan coast
Along the Malvan coast of Sindhudurg, kombdi vade is what families cook for a festive Sunday or for guests arriving by the morning bus from Mumbai. Kombdi is chicken, simmered in a gravy of roasted coconut and Malvani masala; vade are rice-flour breads fragrant with fennel that puff like balloons in hot oil. You tear the vade, dunk them in the curry and finish with a squeeze of lime and raw onion. Chef's tip: pat the vade on an oiled sheet of plastic or banana leaf rather than rolling them, and slide them into the oil straight away; thin, even discs puff best.
- Total time
- 95 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 2 ¼ lb bone-in chicken pieces, skinlesscurry cut
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 ½ tbsp ginger-garlic paste
For the Malvani gravy
- 2 onionssliced
- 4 tbsp sunflower or groundnut oil
- 2 ½ tbsp Malvani masalaor 2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder, 2 tsp ground coriander and 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tomatochopped
- 2 cups water
- 3 tbsp coriander leaves (optional)chopped
For the vade
- 7 oz rice flour
- 1 ¾ oz wholewheat flour (atta)
- 1 tsp fennel seedslightly crushed
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup just-boiled water
- 2 cups oil for deep-frying
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (6)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/10 doneStep 1: Rub 2 ¼ lb bone-in chicken pieces, skinless with ½ tsp ground turmeric, 1 ½ tsp salt and 1 ½ tbsp ginger-garlic paste. Cover and leave in the fridge for 30 minutes.
30 minStep 2: Heat 1 tbsp sunflower or groundnut oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add 2 onions and fry for 8 minutes until golden, then add 3 ½ oz fresh or frozen grated coconut and keep stirring for 5–6 minutes until the coconut is reddish-brown and smells toasty.
14 minStep 3: Cool slightly, then blend with 150 ml of the ¾ cup water to a smooth paste.
Step 4: For the vade, mix 7 oz rice flour, 1 ¾ oz wholewheat flour (atta), 1 tsp fennel seeds, ¼ tsp ground turmeric and ½ tsp salt in a bowl. Pour in 1 cup just-boiled water, stir with a spoon, then knead for 2–3 minutes once cool enough to handle, to a soft dough that doesn't crack. Cover and rest for 15 minutes. Common mistake: a dry dough; the vade split instead of puffing, so add a spoonful more hot water if the edges crack when pressed.
18 minStep 5: Heat the remaining 4 tbsp sunflower or groundnut oil in a heavy pot over a medium heat. Add 2 ½ tbsp Malvani masala and stir for 30 seconds, then add 1 tomato and cook for 4 minutes until soft.
5 minStep 6: Add the chicken and fry for 5 minutes, turning, until it loses its raw look.
5 minStep 7: Stir in the coconut paste and the rest of the 2 cups water. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer over a low heat for 25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through: the juices run clear and the thickest piece reads 165°F/165 °F. The gravy should be pourable, not thick.
25 minStep 8: Heat 2 cups oil for deep-frying in a deep pan to 350°F (a pinch of dough rises at once). Divide the dough into 12 balls. Flatten each on an oiled sheet of plastic into a 10 cm disc about 4 mm thick.
Step 9: Peel each disc off and slide it into the oil. Press gently with a slotted spoon until it puffs, then fry for 1–2 minutes per side until golden. Drain on kitchen paper.
12 minStep 10: Scatter 3 tbsp coriander leaves over the curry and serve hot with the vade, 1 lime and 1 red onion.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 720 kcal
- Protein
- 46 g
- Carbs
- 58 g
- Fat
- 33 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does malvani kombdi vade take?
- About 95 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 55 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of ground turmeric?
- Leave it out (it mostly adds colour).
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
SakarpadaSweet fried dough diamonds
Sakarpada (shakarpara) are little sweet diamonds of a rich dough made with ghee, milk and sugar, fried until golden and crunchy. They are a Diwali favourite with tea, and the cubes go into bhusu too. They keep for weeks in an air-tight tin.
Paneer biryaniRice and moong dal in coconut milk
A mild, creamy biryani: rice and husked green gram roasted in ghee, then cooked in coconut milk with peas, carrots, potatoes, peanuts and cashews, and finished with soft fried paneer and a fresh coriander yogurt. Serve hot, garnished with more fried cashews and paneer.
Sabudana khichdiSago with peanuts and potato
Sabudana khichdi is the dish that sees Maharashtra through every vrat (fast), from Navratri to Ekadashi, but it's so good that people eat it any day of the week. Soaked sago pearls are tossed in a pan with crushed roasted peanuts, cubes of potato, cumin and green chilli until each pearl turns glassy and separate, then finished with lemon and coriander. It's soft, chewy, nutty and gently hot. Fasting rules vary from family to family, so check yours; this version uses rock salt and no asafoetida, onion or garlic. Traditionally it's cooked in ghee; use ghee instead of oil if you aren't keeping it vegan. Chef's tip: soak the sago in just enough water to cover by the height of the pearls themselves, no more; too much water is the reason khichdi turns into one sticky lump.
