KOTHIMBIR VADI

A popular traditional Mahrashtrian savory snack recipe made with fresh kothimbir/ coriander. Here Kothimbir means coriander and Vadi means fritters, so basically these are coriander fritters which are crispy from outside and soft from inside. These vadi are either steamed or deep/shallow fried. It is little spicy but I guarantee you your kids also going to like it. There are different versions of making the kothimbir vadi, of which one I have already shared on my blog. It is really easy and simple yet delicious. If you are health cautious then serve only the steamed once or you can shallow/ deep fry them and serve them. You can serve this vadi for breakfast/ as an evening snack. You can also serve them as a starter for your parties at home.  It tastes great even without any dipping sauce. So let's see that how to make Kothimbir Vadi and what we need to make it.   

INGREDIENTS:

2 Cups fresh Coriander

1 Cup Besan/ Chickpea Flour

½ teaspoon Garlic, chopped

½ teaspoon Ginger, chopped

1 Green Chilli, chopped

1 tablespoon Sesame Seeds

2 tablespoon roasted Peanuts, crushed coarsely

½ teaspoon Red Chilli Powder

1 teaspoon Cumin Powder

1 teaspoon Coriander Powder

¼ teaspoon Turmeric Powder

Salt to taste

¼ Cup Water [adjust accordingly]

Oil for shallow frying

METHOD:

STEP 1 – Clean and rinse coriander leaves very well.  

Put it on a colander to drain excess water.

STEP 2 – Remove any discoloured leaves if any. Spread on a cloth/ kitchen towel to remove excess moisture.

STEP 3 – Now chop coriander very fine and keep aside.

STEP 4 - Grind ginger, garlic and green chilli in mixer grinder and make a coarse paste. Alternatively, you can even crush the garlic, ginger and green chillies in a mortar-pestle. [ I already have it ready in my fridge]

STEP 5 – In a mixing bowl, add chopped coriander, besan flour, green paste, sesame seeds, crushed peanuts, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, cumin and coriander powder and salt. Mix well.

STEP 6 – Add water in small batches and start mixing the batter.

STEP 7 – Make a thick but smooth dough. Add water as required and in parts.

STEP 8 – Now pour 1-2 glasses water in pressure cooker/ steamer and bring it to boil. Keep a steel stand in the steamer/ cooker with the help of tongs .

STEP 9 – Grease a tray/ plate with oil.

STEP 10 – Now add the dough in it and spread it evenly with greased fingers.

STEP 11 – Using tongs gently place the tray over the steel stand in the steamer/ cooker.

STEP 12 – Cover it with a lid and steam it for 15-20 minutes over medium heat.[see notes]

STEP 13 – After 15 minutes, check it with a tooth pick or knife. Insert a tooth pick in the centre and if it comes out clean then it is properly cooked. If not, then steam and cook it for more 5 minutes.

STEP 14 – After cooling for 5 minutes in the steamer, remove the tray from steamer. Cool it to room temperature for another 5 -10 minutes.

STEP 15 – Run a knife on the sides of the tray to loosen the edges,

cut into small square or diamond shaped pieces.

Invert the tray on a plate so the steamed vadi will come out easily.

STEP 16 – Heat 2-3 tablespoon oil in a wide pan over medium flame.

STEP 17 – Place 4-5 pieces in a pan depending on the size of the pan. Shallow fry them until bottom surface turns light golden in colour. Flip a couple of times more and fry till the sides are crisp and golden.

STEP 18 – Flip them carefully and shallow fry another side until light golden brown.

STEP 19 – Remove them using a slotted spoon on the tissue paper in a plate to drain excess oil.

STEP 20 – Likewise, shallow fry the next batch. If needed add more oil to fry the next batch of vadi.

Serve kothimbir vadi hot with any spicy green chutney, coconut chutney or tomato sauce. It also goes well with plain curd.

NOTES: *You can serve only steamed vadis for healthier option.
                    * For more crisp to the vadis, you may add sesame seeds while shallow frying.
                  *You can add more green chilli / red chilli powder to make it more spicy according to your taste.
               *Do not make a fine powder of peanuts, roughly crushed peanuts will give nice crunch.                   
                  *For a no garlic version you can skip garlic.
                  *Recipe can be doubled or halved.
             *If using pressure cooker, then do not forget to remove the rubber and the whistle from the cooker.