Name: Lentil Dumplings in a Buttermilk-Coconut Sauce (Vadai Morekozhambu)
Yield: Makes about 30 Dumplings (Serves 10)
Cuisine: India
Ingredients: 3 or 4 fresh green Thai, cayenne, or serrano chiles, to taste, stems removed; ½ cup shredded fresh coconut; or ¼ cup shredded dried unsweetened coconut, reconstituted (see Note); ½ teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon canola oil; 1 tablespoon coriander seeds; 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds; ½ cup heavy (whipping) cream; 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems; 12 to 15 medium-size to large fresh curry leaves; 1 teaspoon black or yellow mustard seeds; 2 red Thai or cayenne chiles, stems removed; 1 teaspoon coarse kosher or sea salt; 1 tablespoon rice flour; 2 cups buttermilk; 1 recipe Lentil Dumplings (see Step 1)

Preparation info

Makes about 30 Dumplings (Serves
10
)

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

660 Curries

By Raghavan Iyer

Published 2008

About

South Indians reserve this delicacy for special occasions, and I confess that when I make it, it becomes my sole mission to eat every one of the dumplings. But sharing is a good thing, as we all learn in kindergarten. Some of the other appetizer curries start with these same dumplings, but because they absorb the sauce they’re in, they taste different in each case. Here it’s a creamy buttermilk sauce that’s loaded with flavor: coconut, chiles, curry leaves, coriander, fenugreek … Who could