In a Marwari household, Holi is incomplete without Kanji Vadas
While some families make a mix of moong and urad badas, the ones I’ve grown up eating are the round, flat moong dal vadas – crisp outside, soft inside, soaking up that tangy kanji so beautifully.
| Course | Snacks |
| Servings | 8-10 persons |
| Preparation Time | 15 minutes + 3 hours soaking time + 2-3 days of fermentation. |
| Cook Time | 30 to 40 minutes |
Ingredients for the Kanji(1 cup=200 ml, 1 tbsp=15 ml) |
|
| 2½ to 3 ltrs | Water |
| 6 tbsp | Black mustard seeds |
| 3 tbsp | Yellow sarson seeds |
| ½ tsp | Haldi (turmeric) powder (little less than ½ tsp) |
| ½ | Asafetida |
| 2-3 tbsp | Homemade curd |
| Salt to taste | |
| ½ tsp | Black salt (optional) |
| Red chilli to taste (optional) | |
Ingredients for the Vadas(1 cup=200 ml, 1 tbsp=15 ml) |
|
| 1½ cups | Yellow moong dal |
| 2 tbsp | Green chilli ginger paste |
| 1 tbsp | Saunf crushed coarsely |
| 1 tbsp | Coriander seeds, crushed coarsely |
| 1 tbsp | Jeera seeds crushed coarsely |
| 3 tbsp | Whole wheat flour |
| 1 tbsp | Red chilli powder |
| Salt to taste | |
| ½ tsp | Haldi |
| 1-2 tbsp | Coriander leaves, chopped |
| 2-3 tbsp | Hot oil |
| Oil for frying | |
Instructions for the Kanji |
|
| 1. | Blend the black mustard seeds in a blender until fine. |
| 2. | Take the yellow mustard seeds, black mustard powder, salt, hing, haldi in a steel plate. |
| 3. | Add curd one tbsp at a time and whisk the mixture with your fingers. Keep mixing it with your fingers for 5 – 7 minutes until it releases the mustard aroma. |
| 4. | Now boil 3 litres of water and leave it to cool completely. |
| 5. | Add the cooled water to the mustard mixture and keep the mixture in a glass jar or steel vessel. Cover with a muslin cloth and keep the jar near sunlight for 3 days for the kanji to ferment and turn sour. (It took me 2 – 3 days) |
Instructions for the Vadas |
|
| 1. | Wash and soak the yellow moong dal for 3 – 4 hours. Drain the water completely and leave it on a sieve for 15 – 20 minutes. This removes all excess water. |
| 2. | Now grind the dal into a thick paste. |
| 3. | Now in a muslin cloth or sieve, put the ground dal for 1 hour, so all water, if any, is released. |
| 4. | Next, add in the green chilli ginger paste, haldi, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, saunf seeds, salt, hing, red chilli powder and the coriander leaves. Add in the wheat flour, whisk the paste well with your hands for 4 – 5 minutes to make the mixture light and airy. |
| 5. | Now add in 2 – 3 tbsp of hot oil to the mixture. |
| 6. | Heat the oil until hot. Now shape very thin round vadas on a muslin cloth tied to a round katori. (Keep water to dip your fingers each time) Now gently slide each vada and lower the flame to medium. Fry the vadas until golden brown. They should fluff up in the centre. (This batter makes 20 – 22 vadas) |
| 7. | After the vadas are fried, take a vessel with warm salted water. Dip the vadas in it. They should be completely immersed in the water. Keep this for a minimum ½ hour. |
| 8. | Drain the vadas and squeeze out the water completely. The vadas are now soft. Add these to the kanji which we made a day prior. Immerse the vadas in kanji until evening or for 6-8 hrs at least. |
| 9. | Taste the kanji. Once it is sour, keep in fridge to cool completely. Chill for 4 – 5 hours before serving. |
Note:
1. The kanji vada, once made, can be kept in fridge for 4 – 5 days.
