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Nadru Monje – Fritters of Lotus Stem In Kashmiri Style

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Muskaan Shah, my best friend and sister, invited me to her place to help her mother in cooking. Why? Her brother Masroor Bhaiji was arriving from Srinagar with his family. She wanted me to meet them and interact with his family. I was busy in the kitchen, standing next to Mummyji (Muskaan’s mother) and completing various jobs like chopping vegetable for salads, grinding various spices, cleaning coriander leaves, etc.

At 4 o’clock sharp, the bell rang and I could see small kids running from the front door to the bed room and were excited to meet Muskaan. She introduced me to the entire family. After sometime, she called me again and handed over a bag. She said that the contents of the bag were called NADRU MONJE – her favourite snack. It was prepared by her sister-in-law. I started munching them and instantly mesmerised by the taste of it. They were the long strips and very crispy by texture.

Next moment I asked them to give me the recipe. She asked me to enjoy the dish and forget about the recipe. However, as the years passed by, I learnt the recipe. There are three different versions of the recipe. I would be sharing all three of them in this article.

Nadru Monje In Rice Flour

Ingredients Required

  • Lotus Stems-1 kg
  • Rice flour-3 cups
  • Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder-2 tablespoons
  • Asafoetida-1/2 tablespoon
  • Salt-1 tablespoon
  • Oil-1 kg
  • Water-1 cup

Steps For Preparation

  • Clean and wash the lotus stems properly under the running water.
  • Scrap the outer covering of the lotus stems.
  • Cut the long strips lengthwise from lotus stems
  • Place them in an utensil filled with water.
  • Take another utensil.
  • Add rice flour into it.
  • Add kashmiri red chilli powder into the rice flour.
  • Add salt into it.
  • Add asafoetida into it.
  • Mix them well with fingers.
  • Add water into the flour.
  • Blend all of them together in a smooth batter.
  • Take the precaution for not adding more water to the batter. The batter should be of thick consistency.
  • Take a large wok and place it on the gas stove.
  • Add oil into it and turn on the gas stove.
  • Remove the lotus stem strips from water.
  • Remove the excess water from the lotus stems
  • Add them to the batter.
  • Dip the strips properly into the batter.
  • Check if the oil has reached to its maximum temperature.
  • Place each dipped strip of lotus stem into oil.
  • Turn them to the other side once it is fried well.
  • Keep tossing the strips continuously in order to avoid them from charring in the oil.
  • Once the strips are well fried in the oil, remove them and place them on a tissue paper. This helps in the removal of the excess oil present in the fritters.
  • Serve them immediately with mint chutney or tomato sauce.

This is genuine and authentic recipe of nadru monje. I was surprised to know that this dish is prepared in a lavish manner and distributed to all the devotees and tourists visiting Hazrat Bal Mosque in Srinagar, Kashmir. Later on, I came to know that Sufi saints favoured the snack in the valley. Even now the snack is in great demand at this place. It is one of the starters in the Islamic Kashmiri Cuisine. The above mentioned recipe is relished by all kashmiri individuals.

The Nadru Monje In Gram Flour

Ingredients Required

  • Lotus Stems-1 kg
  • Gram Flour-3 cups
  • Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder-1 tablespoon
  • Salt-1 tablespoon
  • Water-1 cup
  • Turmeric Powder-1 tablespoon
  • Oil-1 kg
  • Cumin Seeds-1 tablespoon

Steps For Preparation

  • Clean the lotus stems under the running water.
  • Cut them legthwise and get the strips from the lotus stem.
  • Place them in an utensil filled with water.
  • Take an utensil and add gram flour, salt, kashmiri red chilli powder, turmeric powder and cumin seeds.
  • Add sufficient water in order to make the smooth batter.
  • Remove the excess water from lotus stems and add them to the batter.
  • Take a wok and add oil into it.
  • Place it on a gas stove.
  • Once the oil has reached to its maximum temperature, place the strips of lotus stems into it.
  • Fry them well in oil.
  • Remove them from oil and place them on a tissue paper.
  • Serve them with tomato sauce.

Yet there are others who would like to add one or two eggs in the rice flour to prepare the fritters. This gives an entirely different taste to the fritters. No matter what version one would like to adopt for its preparation, the snack is ready to be enjoyed by one and all in the family.

I like the first version of this snack. I came to know that the snack helps for individuals suffering from low blood pressure. It helps in the removal of the mood swings. It is best for the person in depression. I simply like the snack and prepare it whenever I desire for it and share it with all my folks back at home.

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