Kanji Vada

Kanji Vada is a traditional Rajasthani dish where lentil fritters are added in a mustard fermented water. It is a must make for the Holi festival. Here is how to make it.

If you want to try more Rajasthani recipes, then give these also a try – Rajasthani Ker Sangri, Panchmel Dal, Rajasthani Baati, Rajasthani Haldi Ki Sabzi, Rajasthani Namkeen Oliya, and Rajasthani Mirchi Vada.

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• About This Recipe
• Ingredients
• Step By Step Recipe
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About This Recipe

Kanji Vada is a traditional Rajasthani dish, where crispy fried lentil vadas are dipped into mustard flavored fermented water or as called “Rai Ka Paani”. It is also made in some parts of UP and even in some Mathur households in Delhi.

The vadas in this dish are made with a combination of moong dal and urad dal, making it a high protein dish. These vadas are flavored with green chilies, ginger, and salt.

They are then fried and soaked into a mildly spicy fermented mustard water known as Kanji.

Make sure once you dip these vadas in the kanji, let them soak for 4 to 5 minutes before serving so that it soaks up the mustard flavor well

You should make the Kanji 3-4 day before so that the flavours come out nicely.

Chakundar Kanji or Beetroot Kanji is also popular in the state and is prepared especially during the festival of Holi. You can even add black carrots to kanji.

To make the Beetroot Kanji Vada, the vada recipe will remain the same, but the Kanji will differ a bit. In the Kanji, along with the mentioned ingredients, peeled carrots and beetroot are also added and then fermented. Beetroot gives a nice bright pink color to this drink, which makes it even more appealing.

This Kanji Vada is a great food that promotes aids digestion and also keeps your digestive system stable. It also detoxifies the liver, and thus promoting healthy digestion.

These Kanji Vada are,

• Vegan
• Delicious
• Spicy & Tangy
• Flavourful
• A popular snack in Rajasthan

Ingredients

For the Kanji: For kanji, we will need water, salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder, and yellow mustard powder. Mustard Powder adds a tangy aromatic taste, that enhances even more when fermented. You can use black mustard powder too.

For Vada: Vada is prepared with the combination of two dals, moong dal, and urad dal. Both are soaked for 5-6 hours.

For vada, you will need green chilies, salt, and ginger too, which adds a little spiciness to the Vadas.

It is then deep fried in oil. You can use any vegetable oil to deep fry these Dal Vadas.

For Soaking: For soaking, we will add a little salt and hing in the water and then deep the vadas. Let it soak for at least 10 minutes so that they become nice and soft.

Step By Step Recipe

For Kanji:

Boil the water and let it cool for some time.

Add salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder, and mustard powder in the water. Transfer the Kanji in a glass jar and cover the mouth of the jar with a muslin cloth. Place the jar in the sun for 4-5 days for fermentation. Bring the jar back inside at night and put it back again in the morning. Shake the jar everyday before keeping it in the sun.

For Vada:

Wash and soak moong dal and urad dal in water for 5-6 hours.

Drain the water and add the dal in a grinder along with salt, chilli and ginger.

Add some water and grind to make a smooth batter. 

The consistency of the batter should be like pakodi batter. Whisk the batter well until it is very light and fluffy.

Heat oil for frying the vada. When the oil is hot, drop small vada in hot oil and fry on low heat until browned.

Remove the vada from oil and keep aside.

For Soaking:

Mix hing and salt in warm water.

When ready to serve, add vada in warm water and let them soak for 10 minutes.

Remove the vada from the water and press them to remove any excess watering them.

Pour kanji in serving bowls. Add vada in the bowl and let them soak the kanji of 4-5 minutes. Serve.

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