Curries & Stories: Maharashtrian Kothimbir Vadi

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:

Preparation Time : 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients :

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

Ingredients :

Mixing Bowl
Deep Kadai
Trivet
Steaming tray
Skillet

Procedure (steaming):

1. In a mixing bowl, add the chopped coriander leaves, besan, chopped green chilli, red chilli powder, lemon juice, sesame seeds, turmeric, coriander powder, cumin powder, ginger garlic paste, hing, garam masala powder and salt as per taste. Combine everything together with hand. Squeeze the coriander leaves with hands, they will release some water into the mixture.

Tip 1: Sift the Chickpea Flour for a lump free dough.

Tip 2: Wash the coriander leaves well and drain them completely before chopping.

Tip 3: If you want a gluten free version skip the hing.

Note: The quantity of coriander leaves should always be double the amount of chickpea flour used.

2. Now add the water and knead everything together. It will become a sticky soft dough.

Note: Add the water only when the mixture is damp

3. Now grease a tray with oil. Grease your hands also with oil and add the batter into the tray. Flat it out with the help of your fingers.

Ready for steaming

4. Boil water in a steamer or a deep bottom pan. Place a trivet in center and once the water comes to a rolling boil, place the tray with the batter. Cover and steam for about 10-15 minutes on medium flame.

5. Insert a knife or a toothpick, if it comes out clean take the tray off the heat. Let it cool down.

6. To remove the steamed cake, with a butter knife loosen the edges and cut it into thick squares. You can store it in an airtight box in the refrigerator for 48 hours if you don't plan to consume immediately.