Blogging Marathon# 63 -Journey through the cuisines: Day 11
State: Maharashtra
Dish: Kothimir Vadi
Kothimir or Kothimbir is the Marathi word for cilantro and Kothimir Vadi is actually a cake or cubes of cilantro and chickpea flour. The traditional recipe is to mix, steam and then fry this spiced mixture of cilantro and besan. This vadi is perfect for evening snacks, served with a cup of hot Chai. It is a traditional Maharashtrian snack. If you happen to be around Mumbai, a small joint called Prakash Restaurant in Dadar is a must visit if you want to try some traditional Maharashtrian dishes. They have the best Sabudana Vadas, Thalipeeth, Poha and Kothimir Vadi.
Today, the letter in the Blogging Marathon is K, and as I have chosen the state of Maharashtra, Kothimir Vadi was my first choice. I tried it some time back, infact I started cooking for my first month long marathon with this recipe. I referred a few places to see the variations in Kothimir Vadi, and finally settled for this recipe.
Pretty straight forward way to make Kothimir Vadi, this recipe includes cooking the batter in the microwave followed by shallow frying the cubes. However, if you taste the pieces without shallow frying too, they are amazing. If you like a really crisp version, you can deep fry the vadis. I shallow fried them and took a long long time to get the crunch. However, given the lower calorie count, I thought the time and effort was totally worth!
Ingredients
To steam
Chickpea Flour/ Besan 2 cups
Cilantro Leaves 2 cups loosely packed
Peanuts crushed ¼ cup
Turmeric Powder ½ tsp
Red Chilli Powder ½ tsp
Ginger Chilli paste 1 tbsp
Asafoetida a pinch
Water 1 ½ cup
Salt
To Temper
Oil 2 tbsp
Sesame Seeds 1 tbsp
Green Chilli 1-2
Curry Leaves 1-2
Method
Chop the cilantro into small bits. I like to add some soft stems too, they give a great flavor. In a mixing bowl, add all the steaming ingredients except water. Mix well, then add 1 cup water. Make a batter that is fairly thick. Add as much of the half cup water as required.
Add a teaspoon of oil and spread it in a microwave safe flat bowl. Add the prepared mixture and microwave for 2 minutes with the lid on. Cook for more time if the surface does not become firm in 2 minutes. The sides will shrink too and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Once done, remove on a plate or tray. Let it cool. Then cut the vadi into cubes or diamonds. They taste amazing as is. Else, heat oil in a pan, add green chilli, curry leaves and sesame seeds. Shallow fry the kothimir vadi and serve immediately with green cilantro chutney and tomato ketchup.
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 63
Srivalli says
Smruti you must share your setup area..each picture turns out amazing..I love kothimir Vadi..yours are looking so sinful..
vaishali sabnani says
I am a big fan of Kothimbir vadi and yours has come out perfect..I am loving the presentation ..the mini ketchup bottles , the spices ..wow..awesome.
Amara’s cooking says
Kotimeer Vadi looks and sounds delicious Smruti. The entire process is very interesting, bookmarked the recipe:)
Suma Gandlur says
Spicy and flavorful vadis. This is one of the snacks I make regularly and enjoy.
cookingwithsapana says
Kothimir vadi are in my to do list since ages.They looks so addictive.
MySpicyKitchen says
I made these vadi one and it was a flop show. I should follow your recipe next time I try kothimir vadi. Again, beautiful setup.
Srividhya says
Love those mini ketchup bottles. this ais in my todo list for a long time.
The Pumpkin Farm says
they have the perfect layers....looks beautiful
Priya Suresh says
Very tempting kothimir vadi, hard to resist to them, love to munch some.
Nalini's Kitchen says
Perfectly made kothamir vada,love the way you cut it and present the dish
Gayathri Kumar says
I have tasted deep fried kothimir vadis. This version looks guilt free as well as delicious...
Harini R says
Stunning pictures and gulit free snack!
Unknown says
So beautiful pictures and this is one recipe I never tried don't know whybut would like to try it now. healthy snack...
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
This recipe has been in my to do list for the longest time. I am more and more tempted to make it after I see your pictures. Those mini ketchup bottles are adorable. Where did you buy them?
Kalyani says
I dont make these as often as I want to... but these look gorgeous.. bookmarked this semi-microwave version 🙂
eyeing those mini ketchup bottles like everyone else !! am sure we dont get them in India ! sigh ....
Chef Mireille says
cilantro is one of those things many people either hate or love - I am in the second group and would love to dig into this snack
Unknown says
loved the set-up. Beautiful clicks
veena says
Awesome pics. As valli has suggested you should be giving us step by step pics and I just cant take my eyes off the screen. Bookmarked!!