I was talking to my mom the other day, asking her to suggest some recipes for #monsoon . Her immediate reaction was that her mom ,that is my Nani used to make Kalmi Vada during monsoons. She didn't remember much but gave me a gist of how these are made. That was enough for me to give Kalmi Vada a try.
Surprisingly my mom never made these for us so she had very faint memory of how my Nani used to prepare these.
These turned out to be super gorgeous . If ,I may say so. My mom also said that I had successfully replicated what my Nani used to make.
These are crispy on the outside and absolutely melt in the mouth on the inside. Do try these monsoon treats this season.
Ingredients
Chana Dal 1/2 cup
Red Chili Whole 1
Ginger 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Asaefotida a pinch
Eno 1/2 tsp
Lemon juice 1 tsp
Method
Wash and soak chana dal for 4 hours.
Drain and coarsely grind along with red chili, ginger, turmeric powder, asaefotida.
Use water as less as possible.
We want the paste to be thick.
Mix in salt.
Line a 6" square tin with parchment paper.
Grease it with oil.
Heat water in a steamer.
Place Eno over the batter.
Pour lemon juice over the Eno.
Mix properly and quickly pour the batter into the prepared tin.
Steam on high for 6 minutes and then lower the heat to medium and steam further till a knife or skewer inserted comes out clean. Approximately 15 minutes.
Remove the tin from the steamer.
After 10 minutes turn it over on a wire rack.
Let it cool completely.
Now cut into desired shape. I cut it into 3" long fingers that were 1 " broad.
Keep them on a plate. Cover with plastic wrap and keep in the frigde for 4-5 hours.
You can also keep them overnight.
Just before serving:
Heat oil in a deep karahi/wok.
Once the oil is hot, fry these on high till golden and crispy on all sides.
Don't crowd them in the karahi. Dry 2-3 at a time.
Remove them with the help of s slotted spoon on a kitchen towel, so as to absorb excess oil.
Serve immediately with ketchup, green chutney or tamarind chutney.
Tip
While steaming, wrap the lid of the steamer in a muslin cloth so that the condensed steam doesn't fall on the batter. This can done while steaming any food.