Kumbakonam Special Kadappa • The Magic Saucepan

Kumbakonam Kadappa is made of Onions and potatoes cooked with fennel, garlic and coconut. A perfect side dish for Idly / Dosa or any South Indian tiffin items. An authentic side dish from the Thanjavur/Kumbakonam region.

Idly and Dosa being the staple dish of the South Indians and consumed almost every day for breakfast, we have quite a few options for its accompaniment. Each one has their own taste preference as to what to have. Some like (me) like the fiery Milagai podi (Gunpowder!) or some like to have different chutneys or some have sambhar poured all over the dosa and few (again like me) like to mix all of the above and have it with Dosa / Idly.

But if you enter a Tanjore house, you will find a unique dish that is in between sambhar and dahl – Kadappa. Onions and potatoes cooked with fennel and garlic flavoured coconut gravy. A perfect side dish for Idly / Dosa. An authentic side dish from the Thanjavur region. My dad was born and brought up in Nagapattinam,  a place close to Thanjavur. This is one of his favourites and he relishes it so much. Whenever my dad and his brothers meet, we will have this for sure on our breakfast menu. It is more like a family get together dish!

Stepwise Pictorial representation of Kadappa

Notes

1. The colour of the dish is pale white in colour. But if you want a vibrant colour, you can add a pinch of turmeric. 
2. The consistency of the dish is neither too thick or as diluted as soup. The consistency is thinner. The amount of moong dahl should also be less. Otherwise, it will taste like a normal Dahl dish. I didn’t add much water to my dish as I prepared more than what is required for two people and I did not want to waste. So my recipe is slightly thick with consistency. 

Kadappa Kumbakonam Special

Onions and potatoes cooked with fennel and garlic flavoured coconut gravy. A perfect side dish for Idly / Dosa. An authentic side dish from the Thanjavur region.

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Indian, Tamil Nadu

Keyword: Easy Side dishes, Side dishes for Idli and Dosa

Servings: 3

Author: Nisha

Ingredients

• ¼ cup  split yellow gram (moong dhal)
• 3 medium sized  potatoes,cubed
• 2 tablespoons oil
• ½ cinnamon stick
• 2 cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 3-4 curry leaves
• 2-3 green chillies, slit lengthwise
• 10-12 red pearl onions, halved
• Coriander leaves for garnishing
• 1 tablespoon lemon Juice

For grinding

• ¼ cup grated coconut
• 1 teaspoon  fennel seeds
• 2 garlic pods

Instructions

Prep Work

1. Pressure cook the dahl until its mushy. Keep it aside.

2. Cook the potatoes. Microwave on medium-high power for about 5 minutes or cook them on the stove top.

3. Grind all the ingredients mentioned under “to grind” with little water into a smooth paste. Keep it aside.

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a pan; add cinnamon stick, cloves, bay leaf and curry leaves.

2. Once they start spluttering, add the pearl onions and green chillies; sauté them until the onions turn translucent.

3. Then add the ground paste and sauté them until the raw smell of the fennel seeds goes off; around 3-4 minutes.

4. Then add the cooked potatoes and dhal. Add some water to dilute it. Once it boils together, garnish it with coriander leaves. 

5. Turn off the flame. Squeeze the lemon juice. Serve with idli & dosa. 

Recipe Notes

1. The colour of the dish is pale white in colour. But if you want a vibrant colour, you can add a pinch of turmeric. 
2. The consistency of the dish is neither too thick or as diluted as soup. The consistency is thinner. The amount of moong dahl should also be less. Otherwise, it will taste like a normal Dahl dish. I didn’t add much water to my dish as I prepared more than what is required for two people and I did not want to waste. So my recipe is slightly thick with consistency.