Maharashtrian Kothimbir Vadi - Coriander Fritters
5 July
With the onset of rains, the craving for having fritters and steaming hot tea comes naturally. Across the length an dbreadth of India some of the monsoon snacks remain same with subtle regional flavour differences - onion pakoda/kanda bhajji, mirchi vada, palak pakoda/pale bhajji, dal vada (lentil fritters), corn on the cob, dimer chop/ egg cutlet etc. are few of the common snacking items you will get almost everywhere in our country.
Just like Bengal which has its own array of famous street side food, similarly Maharashtra has some signature snacks which are iconic to this region. While vada pav, misal pav or pav bhaji are some of the names most people might be aware of. There are a few traditional snacks like, sabudana vada, aluvadi, thalipeet or kothimbir vadi which give you a taste of a typical and authentic Maharashtrian household and these dishes are worth craving for.
This post is about a delicious snack known as Kothimbir vadi. In Marathi 'kothimbir' or 'kothmir' means coriander leaves. The word ‘vadi’ means cubes or slices or wedges. So Kothimbir vadis are basically steamed coriander and gram flour cake cubes that are later fried or can be even had as is. Dont misjudge the dish if you didn't have a good experience at a restaurant eating a kothimbir vadi which was heavy on besan and with slight traces of coriander leaves. The ones made at home taste heavenly because they are loaded with fresh coriander leaves and spices. This is one recipe which is made best at home. I know because our office canteen used to serve this as an evening snacks and I never really liked them much. But then once, one of my neighbors made a batch of kothimbir vadis and gave me to taste. They were absolutely heavenly. I kept craving for them even after they were finished.
For ages coriander has been considered as one of the chief garnishing element in Indian cuisine. If some dish is lacking bold flavors then just add a sprinkle of chopped coriander leaves and even the biggest flaws get hidden. Also, chaats are incomplete without a dash of the spicy hot coriander chutney. There will hardly be a household which does not keep a consistent stack of fresh coriander in their pantry.
Me and a few of my friends in Instagram will be hosting a monthly collaboration on Instagram on grains , herbs and spices. Every month a group of Instagrammers will be posting recipes with the 3 core ingredients of the month from each of these categories. This month it is rice, bay leaf and coriander. I chose to make a dish from coriander. Plating and taking a enticing photo of rice has never been my area of expertise, hence I wanted to make something which I could make to look good! That is when Kothimbir Vadi came to my rescue. I had been meaning to make this recipe from a long time and this was a perfect opportunity.
This recipe is even gluten free. You take away the hing (asafetida) and this is an absolute gluten free recipe. To make it even more healthy, skip frying it all together. So the next time you have excess Coriander leaves in the refrigerator, don't just think of making a chutney. Try this easy Maharashtrian Snack recipe and I am sure you would enjoy it with your evening tea.
Checkout other snacks recipes on my blog:
- Kachki Macher Bora - Fried Anchovy Fritters
- Kumro Ful Bhaja - Fried Pumpkin flower fritters
- Besan Ka chila
- Coriander leaves (finely chopped) - 2 cups
- Besan (gram flour / chickpea flour) - 1 cup
- Red Chilli Powder -
- Ginger - Garlic Paste -
- Green Chilli (finely chopped) -
- Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp
- Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp
- Hing (Asafoetida) - 1 pinch (optional)
- Sesame Seeds - 1 tsp
- Garam Masala powder - 1/4 tsp
- Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
- Lemon Juice - 1/2 lemon
- Water - 1/4 cup
- Salt as per taste
- Refined Oil - as required
- Mixing Bowl
- Deep Kadai
- Trivet
- Steaming tray
- Skillet
Ready for steaming |
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