Kanji Vada

Kanji vada is traditionally made on Holi. It works as an appetizer as one tends to eat a lot of fried and heavy food during the festival.

Vadas are fried lentil dumplings with fermented rai or mustard seeds water. As it is fermented kanji gets a tangy sour flavor.

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Servings: 1 liter water, around 12 vadas

Ingredients:

For Vadas:

• 1/2 cup urad daal (black gram skinned)

• 1/4 teaspoon jeera (cumin seeds)

• parchment paper

• water as needed

• oil for frying

For Kanji:

• 4 cups water

• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon black salt

• 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder

• 2-3 teaspoon rai (coarsely ground, red mustard seeds. See notes.)

• 1/4 teaspoon hing (asafoetida)

• 4 cups of water for soaking vadas after frying

Instructions:

• Soak urad daal for 4 hours in 2 cups of water.

• Drain the water and coarsely grind the daal, adding a tablespoon of water or no water at all (see notes).

• Place a deep heavy bottom pan or kadai with oil for frying on medium high heat .

• For making vadas take a piece of parchment paper and dab your fingers with a little water.

• Scoop a ball of daal mixture and place it on parchment paper and shape into vadas (doughnut shape) by flattening it and making a hole in the center.

• Sprinkle 3-4 cumin seeds on it.

• Gently slide the vadas into hot oil and fry them till golden brown .

• Take 4 cups of water in a big bowl and dip all of the vadas for 10 minutes and then drain the water.

• For kanji add 4 cups of water in a big, clean, glass jar. Add in salt, black salt, red chilli powder, mustard seeds, and asafoetida.

• Give it a good stir.

• Slide all the vadas one by one into the jar.

• Place this jar for a minimum of 3 days in sunlight.

• Stir kanji once during the day with a clean spoon.

• Consume kanji within 7 days.

Notes:

• Do not add too much water while grinding the daal.

• Fry the vadas on medium high heat.

• Make sure the glass jar is clean and sterilized.

• Serve kanji in a tall glass.

• If the daal grinds coarsely without water, the water is not needed.

• Rai photo is down below for reference:

Rai

• Vada picture: