Sun-dried urad dal dumplings (badi) cooked in a spiced tomato and onion curry — the badi absorb the curry and become soft, protein-high additions to an otherwise vegetable curry. A technique of preserving lentils as a dry ingredient used across Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.
Ingredients
1 cup dried badi (dried urad dal dumplings — buy ready-made at Indian grocery stores; or make at home by soaking, grinding and sun-drying urad dal batter as described in the Bengali Bori recipe)
3 tbsp oil (mustard oil preferred)
1 tsp cumin seeds, 2 bay leaf, 1/4 tsp asafoetida
2 onions — finely chopped
1 tsp ginger paste, 1 tsp garlic paste
2 tomatoes — finely chopped
1 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp garam masala
salt, 1.5 cups water
coriander leaves for garnish
Method
Fry the dried badi: Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan on medium. Add the dried badi. Fry stirring for 2 to 3 minutes until they puff slightly and turn golden. Remove and keep aside. The frying rehydrates and puffs the dried dumplings.
Heat remaining oil: In the same pan heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil. Add cumin seeds — wait to crackle. Add bay leaves and asafoetida. Stir 10 seconds.
Cook onions deeply: Add finely chopped onions. Cook on medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes until very deep golden.
Add ginger and garlic: Add ginger paste and garlic paste. Stir 2 minutes.
Add tomatoes: Add chopped tomatoes. Cook 6 minutes until soft and oil separates.
Add spice powders: Turn to low. Add red chilli powder, coriander powder and turmeric. Stir 2 minutes.
Add water and salt: Add 1.5 cups water and salt. Bring to a boil.
Add the fried badi: Add the fried badi to the simmering curry. Stir gently.
Simmer 15 minutes: Cook on medium-low heat for 15 minutes. The badi will absorb the curry and swell — they should be soft on the outside from the absorbed curry while retaining a slight firmness inside. Add garam masala.
Serve: Scatter coriander leaves. Serve with steamed rice or roti.
Note: Badi Sabzi is made across the central Indian tribal belt — from Jharkhand through Chhattisgarh and into parts of Odisha and Bengal. The badi represents an ancient food preservation technique — sun-dried lentil dumplings that can be stored for months without refrigeration and then reconstituted in a curry. In communities where fresh vegetables are unavailable in certain seasons, badi provides both the textural element of a vegetable and the protein of lentils.