Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Kothimbir Wadi

This is a typical Maharashtrian snack! The main ingredient being... you guessed it, Kothimbir (Cilantro). This savoury cake is available in most restaurants who serve predominantly Maharashtrian cuisine. Shivaji Park (Dadar,Mumbai), is where I had my first taste of this wonderful snack.We used to do our Diwali shopping in SP and after the shop-till -u-drop session we would head for the nearby restaurant and tuck in!
There is also a place on the Mumbai-Pune OLD highway, where one takes a turn for Mum-Goa road.. (DattaGuru Snacks) where brisk business happens and the snacks (the usual highway snacks batata wada, samosa, pakodas and Kothimbir wadi are sold). This is one of the BEST places to get kothimbir wadi.
The first time I made this was at my cousin's house. She had to meet this guy (the arranged marriage scenario) when just an hour before the guests were to arrive, my Grandma bustled in with 2 bunches of fresh cilantro and said, "let's make kothimbir wadi.... the usual kande-pohe is so boring!"
So while my cousin went to get ready, I made this snack with my Grandma's directions.
2 bunches (fairly big) of Cilantro
1 cup Besan (chickpea flour)
2 Green chillies (+/ - to taste, I used Serano, so 2 were enough)
1/4 tsp. Tamarind paste ( I use readymade concentrate)
1/2 tsp. Jaggery
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
Oil
Sesame seeds to sprinkle on top
Water
2 tbsp Rice flour (Grandma's tip: to make the wadis crisp)
Steamer / pressure cooker (without the whistle/ weight)
Do the preparation... if you are using a presure cooker, do not use the whistle/weight, pour adequate water in the cooker/ steamer and get the water boiling.
Grase a pan ( I used a cake tin) with oil and set aside.
Wash and chop the cilantro. Keep aside 2 tsp. for garnish
Finely chop the green chillies
Add the besan,rice flour, salt, tamarind pulp, jaggery, soda
Add water and mix well.
The mixture must look like a thick cake batter at this point of time
Pour the mixture in the greased pan , sprinkle sesame seeds on top
Place the pan in the cooker/ steamer and steam for 20-25 mins (do the usual toothpick test, the toothpick should come out clean when inserted). This is how it looks:
Let it cool, then cut into squares. The traditional way is to deep fry them , but this time I shallow fried them (like patties/ tikkis) and they turned out great!
The steamed wadis and the fried wadis.. before and after

Garnish with the cilantro kept aside.Serve hot, with Coconut chutney, tomato ketchup.

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13 comments:

Nupur said...

These look so good! To tell you the truth, I had no idea these were served as tea-time snacks. I have only eaten them as an accompaniment to rice and dal, in place of papads. They taste sooo good!

FH said...

My mouth is watering!!:)

If it's grandma's recipe,I bet it is yummy.Looks so good Manasi,thank you:))

Anonymous said...

AAHHH!!!!! My ever favourite!!!! The ones in datta guru are just fab!!!! A bit high on oil but...... lets talk about that some other time :) Their batata wada and sabu dana khichdi is awesome too!!!!!

We used to make this a lot when I was at my mums place.... but after coming here.... cilantro is so horribly expensive!!!!!! One thin bunch of 2-3 strands is like 1$ plus!!!! and for this you need a real good quantity....Is it the same scenario there in US as well???

Manasi said...

Hi Nupur, Thank u so much! These taste good anytime!! I love them as a snack with tea!

Hi Asha, Thank u so much !! Yup Grandma's always right!!

Coffee.. U said it Gal, datta Guru Rocks!!Did u say $1+ for ONE bunch? Jeepers! out here I get 3 BIG bunches in $1! and just last week my friend went to Cost Saver and got 7 in $1 (and fresh ones too, no probs with that)!!!

TNL said...

lovely! I would love these with Chai...

Anonymous said...

I am "J"!!!!! You wont beieve, but this time when I came back from india I got a huge bunch of corriander and mint leaves with me!!!! No Kiding!!!! :)

Swapna said...

I love Kothimbir wadi..They r at the top in my list of fav snacks..The restaurant "Aswad" near SP serves the best wadis:)
Nice photos re..:)

Viji said...

This is so interesting recipe Manasi. Like to try. Viji

Anonymous said...

wow! i am hungry already! :-(

Anjali Koli said...

Manasi jaggery and tamarind is a nice twist. I love kothimbir wadi one more recipe for it. I guess every household has its tricks for this recipe.

Unknown said...

Hi Manasi,
This recipe would suffice how many people? I'm trying to make it as an appetizer for an upcoming party.
Thanks,
Kanchan

Manasi said...

Hi Kanchan, I made these SO long ago! As an estimate, I'd say the proportions make about 16-20 med. size wadis.

nisha said...

Came here looking for kothmir vadi , You have a yummy blog

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