Tea-time snack recipes are a must, these snacks are not like everyday staple food items. You cannot get away by making rice, dal, saaru, roti, chapathi, sabzi/palya. Tea-time snacks need to have variety but they cannot be deep fried snacks always. Something that goes with your favourite masala chai is definitely kottambir vadi. I learnt this recipe from a magazine clipping I had saved.
Kottambir vadi is nothing but loads of coriander leaves mixed with different masalas and made into tikkis. The specialty about these kottambir vadi is they are steamed like idli first then roasted on a tawa till crisp. Crisp roasted mungphali/groundnuts add crunch to these Maharashtra special kottambir vadi.
For vrat/festivals avoid garlic and add sendha namak. To serve kottambir vadi make a quick tamarind chutney. Here’s how I made it: 2 tsp tamarind paste, stalks of coriander, black salt, jeera powder, red chilli powder, jaggery, grind into paste, add to yogurt/curd. Try more snack recipes from FOI, hara bhara kabab, sweet potato tikki, rajma sandwich, Bombay sandwich, roasted mung dal, baked nippattu, sabudana tikki etc.
- 1½ Cups chopped coriander
- ¾ Cup besan/gram flour/kadale hittu
- ¼ Cup groundnuts
- ½ Tbsp dhania/coriander seeds
- ¼ Tsp - turmeric
- ¼ Tsp garam masala
- ½ Tsp red chilli powder
- ¼ Tsp jeera powder
- ½ Tsp amchur powder
- A pinch of hing
- ½ Tbsp sesame
- 1" ginger
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- 1 green chilli
- Salt to taste
- 1 Tsp sugar
- Water to make batter
- Oil to grease
- In a small pan, roast groundnuts till crisp
- When the groundnuts cool, pound them in a mortar or pulse them in a mixer
- In same pan, roast dhania, allow to cool
- Pound them or powder them, keep aside
- Crush ginger, garlic and green chilli in a mortar, set aside
- Clean, pick and wash the coriander leaves, dry on paper towels
- Finely chop the coriander and add into a bowl
- Next add besan/gram flour and pounded groundnuts
- All masalas can go in next, crushed dhania, turmeric, red chilli powder, garam masala, amchur powder and hing
- Mix the dry ingredients well
- Add crushed ginger-garlic-green chilli
- Sprinkle sesame seeds
- Add sugar and salt to taste
- Pour about ¼ Cup water
- Mix lightly, add little more water and make a thick batter
- To steam the vadis, grease tatte idli containers or deep plates with oil
- Pour batter, and repeat with other plates
- In a steamer, steam for 15 minutes or till done
- Demould the steamed vadi and cut into pieces
- Heat a tawa or skillet, roast the steamed vadi till they turn lightly golden and crisp on the outside
- Serve with pudina chutney or sweet tamarind chutney!
You can also use dhania powder if you do not want to roast and pulse. But it does make a difference
Ensure the coriander leaves are fresh and green, do not use hard stalks
Kottambir Vadi Stepwise:
In a small pan, roast groundnuts till crisp
When the groundnuts cool, pound them in a mortar or pulse them in a mixer
In same pan, roast dhania, allow to cool
Pound them or powder them, keep aside
Crush ginger, garlic and green chilli in a mortar, set aside
Clean, pick and wash the coriander leaves, dry on paper towels
Finely chop the coriander and add into a bowl
Next add besan/gram flour and pounded groundnuts
All masalas can go in next, crushed dhania, turmeric, red chilli powder, garam masala, amchur powder and hing
Mix the dry ingredients well
Add crushed ginger-garlic-green chilli
Sprinkle sesame seeds
Add sugar and salt to taste
Pour about 1/4 Cup water
Mix lightly, add little more water and make a thick batter
To steam the vadis, grease tatte idli containers or deep plates with oil
Pour batter, and repeat with other plates
In a steamer, steam for 15 minutes or till done
Demould the steamed vadi and cut into pieces
Heat a tawa or skillet, roast the steamed vadi till they turn lightly golden and crisp on the outside
Serve with pudina chutney or sweet tamarind chutney!
