Rajasthani Kalmi Vada is a typical tea time snack which is deep-fried chana dal vada with onions, spices and served with green chutney, and tea.
This snack is double fried by cutting the regular circular vada and ends up being oblong or long sticks. This is the same as the South Indian Masala Vadai, except it is double fried and served as thinner pieces.
While Masala Vada is served as such or with coconut chutney, this Kalmi Vada is served with green chutney or imli chutney
So for Day 5 in the Mandatory Week of BM#104 Sweets & Snacks, we had picked Kalmi Vada from Rajasthan. I decided to make a Kalmi Vada with onions and spices in it. The vadas turned out super crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
As I mentioned yesterday, I had planned for three dishes which meant I ended up making six dishes and the spread was only with chana dal in different forms! While the Kothimbir Vadi was new, this was the same old masala vada in a new form for Hubby dear and he was quite happy when you had his first bite into the snack.
While this version is with onions, check out what’s on Cooking 4 all Seasons.
Week 1 - Sweets (Indian Traditional Sweets)
Day 1 is Arcot Makkan Peda
Day 2 is Burhanpur Jalebi
Day 3 is Ghevar
Day 4 is Motichoor Ladoo
Day 5 is Ghotua Ladoo
Day 6 is Bandar Laddu
Week 2 - Snacks from the same State (Andhra)
Day 1 is Kara Sev
Day 2 is Kobbari Chegodilu
Day 3 is Karam Gavvalu
Day 4 is Garlic Kara Sev
Day 5 is Venna Murukulu
Day 6 is Palakayalu
Week 3 - Snacks of our choice (Vada Varieties)
Day 1 is Ponk Vada
Day 2 is Palak Vada
Day 3 is Cabbage Vada
Day 4 is Sabudana Vada
Day 5 is Mulai Keerai Masala Vadai
Day 6 is Instant Rava Vada
Week 4 - Mandatory Week
Day 1 is Andhra - Palli Pappu Chekkalu
Day 2 is Gujarat - Baked Handvo
Day 3 is Madhya Pradesh - Ratlami Masala Sev
Day 4 is Maharashtra -Kothimbir Vadi
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Step By Step Pictures to make Kalmi Vada
Rajasthani Kalmi Vada
Ingredients Needed:
1/2 cup Chana dal / Bengal Gram Dal
1 cup Onion
6 cloves Garlic
Handful Coriander Leaves
1 to no Green Chilli
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
Salt to Taste
Cooking Oil for deep frying
How to make Kalmi Vada with Onions
Wash and soak chana dal overnight. The next day, drain the chana dal from water and add it to a mixer.
Grind into thick coarse paste sprinkling very little water if needed. The dal should be firm. Transfer the dal into the mixing bowl.
Add finely chopped onion, green chili, crushed garlic, coriander leaves, cumin seeds, red chili powder, and required salt to it.
Mix everything together into a thick soft dough.
Heat oil in a Kadai. When the oil is hot, simmer and take a small portion of the chana dal batter and pat down as circles with half-inch thickness, just like masala vadai.
Cook on a medium flame for the vada to be well cooked. When it turns golden, drain with a slotted ladle and continue making all the vadas.
Once you are done, let it cool down a bit for you to handle it.
Using a sharp knife, cut into fingers of about half-inch width.
Fry these fingers again until it gets crispy on the outside.
Drain again to a kitchen towel and serve with chutney.
Rajasthani Kalmi Vada
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Chana Dal / Bengal Gram Dal
- 1 cup Onion
- 6 cloves Garlic
- Handful Coriander leaves
- 1 to 2 no Green Chilli
- 1 tsp Red Chilli powder
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- Salt to taste
- Cooking Oil for deep frying
Instructions
- Wash and soak chana dal overnight. The next day, drain the chana dal from water and add it to a mixer.
- Grind into thick coarse paste sprinkling very little water if needed. The dal should be firm. Transfer the dal into mixing bowl.
- Add finely chopped onion, green chilli, crushed garlic, coriander leaves, cumin seeds, red chili powder and required salt to it.
- Mix everything together into thick soft dough.
- Heat oil in a kadai. When the oil is hot, simmer and take a small portion of the chana dal batter and pat down as circles with half inch thickness, just like masala vadai.
- Cook on a medium flame for the vada to be well cooked. When it turns golden, drain with a slotted ladle and continue making all the vadas.
- Once you are done, let it cool down a bit for you to handle it.
- Using a sharp knife, cut into fingers of about half inch width.
- Fry these fingers again until it gets crispy on the outside.
- Drain again to a kitchen towel and serve with chutney.
I have featured the entire list that you can prepare for Diwali on both SYL and C4AS Sweets and Snacks & Sweets & Snacks for Diwali.
vaishalisabnani says
This is a delicious snack , we normally do not have onions in the traditional recipe , as these wadas are used in chat . Though they taste amazing on their own too . Live these crisp sinful bites .
Suma Gandlur says
We enjoyed it too as it reminded me my favorite masala vadas. They were good without onions too but adding them makes more flavorful.
amaracooking says
We all enjoyed these vadas too, I also didn't add onions but I'm sure they added lot of flavour to the vadas.
Harini Rupanagudi says
Adding onions is interesting too and since they are the cousins of our very own masala vadas, I guess they get accepted at home easily 🙂
Sushma Pinjala says
This is a delicious snack, similar to south's masala vada. Adding onions is a great idea.
namscorner18 says
We all enjoyed the kalmi vada. My hubby thought its masala vada and ate. Yours look so crispy and crunchy