Aloo Wadiyan is a popular North India potato and lentil dumpling curry. Wadiyan is sun-dried spicy lentil dumplings that give you a flavor burst in every bite. This vegan and gluten free Punjabi curry is perfect for a delicious warm weeknight dinner!

Aloo Wadiyan in a bowl with roti and dahi on the side
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Straight from the state of Punjab, this spicy Aloo wadiyan recipe has many other names such as Amristari wadiyan sabzi, pubjabi wadiyan sabzi. It also has a sindhi counterpart known as the Sindhi Style Wadi Aloo Ki Sabzi.

While the aloo wadiyan uses only potatoes and sun-dried wadis, the Sindhi style uses brinjal and potato together with the wadis.

This aloo wadiyan recipe is an easy to make dish that is full of flavor. This sabzi is vegan and gluten-free and you can also use moong dal wadi in place of urad dal wadi. Moong dal wadi is less spicy when compared to urad dal wadi.

Check how to make punjabi wadi rice.

What is Amritsari Wadi?

Amritsari wadi is a summer essential in most North Indian homes. They are a mix of urad dal and spices ground together and sun-dried as dumplings. Once they are dry, they can be stored for a year. Usually, the wadis are broken into small pieces and used in curries or rice dishes.

The urad dal is soaked, grinded and fermented overnight and mixed with whole spices like pepper, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, red chili, salt and others. Then the batter is sun dried and those dumplings are stored for the year’s use. They are meaty in texture and can be used instead of soya or meat chunks.

The dried wadis are broken into small pieces and sautéed in oil. They are then cooked with vegetables usually potatoes but other veggies can be used as well.

They go well with rotis, naan, parathas and pulao.

You can find these Amritsari Urad Dal wadi’s or the moong dal wadiyan at indian grocery stores.

If cooking for kids, I would suggest to use moong dal wadiyan, which are typically not spicy.

How to make?

I will share how to make Aloo Wadiyan in a pan and also using a pressure cooker.

Before we get started on the punjabi wadi curry, we need to prep the wadi.

  • Gently crush the urad dal wadiyan into small chunks by breaking them with a rolling pin or in a mortar & pestle.
Urad Dal wadi - whole and broken into pieces
  • Then heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan on medium-high heat and add the crushed wadi to the oil.
  • Sauté the wadi until is lightly brown while stirring continuously so that the wadi doesn’t get burned.
  • Once the wadi is lightly browned, take it out and keep aside.
  • In the same pan, then heat the remaining oil and add cumin seeds.
  • Sauté the cumin seeds till they change color and then add the diced onions, ginger and garlic.
  • Sauté them till the onions become golden brown and add the chopped tomatoes along with the spices. Cook all of them well till the tomatoes soften.
  • You can also cover it with a lid to cook the tomatoes faster.
steps to make aloo wadiyan curry
  • Now add the chopped potatoes, wadi chunks and water. Stir them well.
  • Cook on high flame for 3-4 minutes until the curry comes to a boil.
  • Turn the heat to medium-low, cover the pan with a lid and let it cook for about 20-25 minutes until the potatoes and wadi are tender. Stir periodically.
  • Open the pot, garnish the punjabi wadi sabzi with fresh chopped cilantro leaves and serve it with roti, naan or rice.
Wadiyan aloo sabzi in a bowl

Making Aloo Wadi curry in stovetop pressure cooker

  • Follow the same steps as above in a pressure cooker and pressure cook the curry for two whistles on medium heat.
  • Release pressure naturally and open the lid of the pressure cooker.
  • Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro leaves and serve it hot with naan, roti or rice.
punjabi aloo wadi curry made in pressure cooker

Making Punjabi Aloo wadi in Instant Pot

  • Follow the same steps as above in an instant pot and pressure cook the curry for three minutes.
  • Release pressure naturally for 5 minutes, then quick release and open the lid.
  • Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve it hot with naan, roti or rice.

Tips

  • Amritsari urad dal wadiyan are known to be quite spicy, so I have skipped adding green chili or red chili powder. But, if you want, you can add a bit more spice to your taste
  • You can also puree the tomatoes if you like a smoother gravy.
  • You can substitute the Amritsari wadi with moong dal wadi, but they are not as spicy. So you might want to add a bit more spice to the curry.
  • You can replace the onion,tomatoes, ginger and garlic with onion tomato masala and adjust the spices to your taste.
Punjabi aloo wadiyan curry in a bowl garnished with cilantro

Enjoy this delicious authentic Punjabi Aloo Wadiyan curry recipe. Do share how it turned out!

5 from 5 votes

Aloo Wadiyan

Aloo Wadiyan is a popular North India potato and lentil dumpling curry. Wadiyan is sun-dried spicy lentil dumplings that give you a flavor burst in every bite. This vegan and gluten free North Indian curry is perfect for a delicious warm weeknight dinner!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients 

  • 3 tablespoon Oil, divided
  • 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
  • 1 1/4 cup Onions , diced
  • 1 teaspoon Ginger, grated
  • 1 teaspoon Garlic, minced
  • 1 1/4 cup Tomatoes, diced
  • 2 Potatoes , medium, cut into 3/4 inch cubes, I used russett potatoes
  • 2 Urad Dal Wadi , crushed into ½-1 inch pieces, about 3/4 cup after crushing
  • 2 cup Water, (reduce to 1 cup if cooking in an instant pot)
  • Cilantro, to garnish

Spices

Instructions 

Prepping the Wadi

  • Gently crush the urad dal wadiyan into small pieces by hitting them with a rolling pin or in a mortar & pestle.
  • Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a pan (or if using in a pressure cooker) on medium-high heat. Add the crushed wadi and sauté it until it is lightly browned while stirring continuously. This takes about 2-3 minute. Take out and keep aside.
  • In the same pan heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Then add the cumin seeds and sauté for 30 seconds.
  • When the cumin seeds change color, add onions, ginger and garlic. Sauté for 3-4 minutes until the onions become golden brown while stirring frequently.
  • Add tomato and spices. Stir and let them cook for 4 minutes until the tomatoes are softened. You can optionally cover with a lid. 
  • Add potatoes, wadi and water. Cook on high heat for 3-4 minutes or until gravy starts boiling.Then turn the heat to medium-low, cover the pan and cook 20-25 minutes or until potatoes are fully cooked. Stir occasionally.
  • Garnish with cilantro. Serve aloo wadiyan with roti, naan or rice. 

For stovetop pressure cooker:

  • Follow the same steps as above in a pressure cooker, until adding the potatoes, wadi and water. Pressure cook for 2 whistles on medium heat. Let the pressure release naturally. Open lid, garnish with cilantro and enjoy!

For instant pot:

  • Follow the initial steps as above, until adding the potatoes, wadi and water. Stir and scrape off anything stuck to the bottom of the pot. Press Cancel and close lid with vent in sealing position.
    Change the instant pot setting to manual or pressure cook mode at high pressure for 3 mins. After the instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then quick release the pressure manually. Open the lid, garnish with cilantro leaves and enjoy!

Notes

Spicy: Amritsari urad dal wadiyan are typically quite spicy, hence I have not added any green chili pepper and red chili powder. But if you like, feel free to add more spice to your taste. 
Use tomato puree:  I just chopped the tomatoes, but you can also puree them to get a smoother gravy.
Wadi: I used Urad Dal wadi in this recipe. You can also use the same recipe for moong dal wadi. You might want to add more spice, as they are typically not as spicy as Urad Dal wadi. 
Make this curry with the onion tomato masala: Use 3/4 cup of the onion tomato masala. Skip adding onion, tomato, ginger and garlic in this recipe and adjust the spices to your taste.
Created: This recipe was created in a 6qt Instant Pot DUO60 Multi-use Programmable Pressure Cooker.

Nutrition

Calories: 194kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 7gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gSodium: 595mgPotassium: 210mgFiber: 6gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 472IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 39mgIron: 2mg

Additional Info

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Diet: Gluten-free, Nut-free, Vegan
Tried this recipe?Mention @pipingpotcurry or tag #pipingpotcurry!

About Meeta

I strongly believe that each one of us has a chef inside us, we just need to explore the ingredients and create great food. My passion is to share easy, healthy, and wholesome recipes made using Instant Pot & Air Fryer, that are well tested, so you can cook with confidence.

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5 from 5 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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5 Comments

    1. Hi Roli – I’m so glad to hear that the recipe brought back fond memories of your mom’s cooking in India! 😊

  1. This recipe was very good. I didn’t know anything about wadi so it was interesting to try something different. Always enjoy your recipes because they are so authentic. Thanks!