K is for KOTHIMBIR VADI and KOSHMIBIR

This article is part of a special series called "The A-Z of Marathi food". India is the land of diversity. Each of the 28 states in India has a unique cuisine but the Indian food served in restaurants represents only a tiny fraction of our culinary heritage. I come from the western Indian state of Maharashtra. Capital: Bombay (Mumbai). Population: 96 million (only 11 countries in the world have a population higher than Maharashtra). Language: Marathi. Traditional Marathi food is earthy and humble, diverse and very tasty. It also remains relatively unknown to non-marathis. Its time to change that. I invite you to join me on an alphabetical culinary tour of my state. We will go through the letters A to Z and make a dish with each letter to show-case Marathi cuisine.

K is for Kothimbir Vadi and Koshimbir.

I'm excited about the letter "K". The "K" of Marathi food is rich in foods that are used for day-to-day cooking: kanda (onion), kakdi (cucumber), kobi (cabbage) and karle (bitter gourd), which is about the only vegetable that I do not eat with gusto, although I will still manage to eat it. Kela (bananas) are the ubiquitous, affordable, nutritious fruit that I love. Another "K" word finds its way into almost every savory dish: kothimbir (cilantro), the one herb that I use a bunch of every week. Among prepared dishes, koshimbir (raita) is a side-dish that is served in some form at almost every meal (note how kothimbir and koshimbir sound very similar but are really two different things!). Some special "K"s (no pun intended) are kaju (cashews), kismis (raisins), kesar (saffron) and karanji (fried turnovers filled with a sweet coconut-poppy filling, containing kaju, kismis and kesar!). One "K" that is the universal Indian comfort food is khichdi-kadhi.
For "K", I chose two dishes that complement each other perfectly as part of a single meal.
{Foreground left: fried kothimbir vadi, Foreground right: koshimbir or raita}
The first is Kothimbir Vadi, a savory cilantro cake which is first steamed and then fried until crisp. This is a quintissential Marathi dish, and I so wanted to try making it myself! I am happy to report that is very easy to make and turns out very tasty indeed. Cilantro is my favorite herb and this dish really showcases cilantro instead of giving it the seemingly superfluous role of a garnish. Kothimbir vadi can be served as a snack with any chutney but I really love eating it as a side dish with dal and rice. I took this recipe from the Mumbai Masala site (it sounded quite authentic) and simplified it further. The one special equipment you need to make this dish is a steamer. If you own a pressure cooker, it was be used without the "weight" to steam this vadi. I chose to fashion a steamer from a pot of boiling water with a steel sieve fitted into it and the vessel placed on the sieve and covered (there is a picture below illustrating this contraption). If you own an *actual* steamer, well, you're lucky aren't you?
The steamed vadi is perfectly fine for eating on its own (a very tasty and healthy snack indeed). Of course it tastes even better when fried and crispy :) Alternatively, if you would like something in between, make a "tadka" of oil, mustard and cumin seeds and pour over slices of steamed vadi.

Kothimbir Vadi
(serves 4-6)
Ingredients:
2 cups packed cilantro leaves, chopped fine
1 cup chickpea flour/besan
1 tbsp. rice flour
1/4 cup mixed flours (ragi or millet flour/ atta or wheat flour/ any other you have on hand)
4 green chillies, minced fine
1 tsp. ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp. sesame seeds
1 tsp. poppy seeds
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. turmeric
pinch of asafoetida
1 tsp. garam masala
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. sugar
salt to taste
Oil for frying
Method:
1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, except for the oil.
2. Add enough water to make a thick batter and stir well to remove all lumps.
3. Grease a flat vessel. Pour the batter into the vessel.
4. Steam for about 30 minutes till a skewer inserted in the middle comes clean.

5. Let cool, unmold and cut into slices.
6. Heat 1/4 inch oil in a skillet and fry the slices till crispy and golden.

Our next dish is koshimbir. This Marathi version of raita is distinguished by the presence of peanut powder, which just makes it so much tastier! The koshimbir can be made with yogurt or without (in which case you might like to add a dash of lemon juice for the tang).

Koshimbir (Raita)

(serves 4-6)
Ingredients:
1 cucumber, peeled and diced fine
1/2 onion, diced fine
1 tomato, diced fine
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. cumin powder
1/4 tsp. coriander powder
2 tbsp. roasted peanuts, powdered
1 tbsp. cilantro, minced
4 tbsp plain yogurt
few tbsp. milk
Method: Mix everything together in a bowl, using milk if necessary to thin down the consistency.
That was a very satisfying meal! We meet next week for the letter "L"...wonder if there are any suggestions for this one?