Kamal Kakdi Ki Sabji is a traditional Indian curry made with lotus stems. It is a vegan and gluten-free main course dish you can make in a pressure cooker or instant pot.
About Lotus Stem
Lotus Root is a plant-based vegan and naturally gluten-free ingredient. It is widely used in Indian, Korean, and Japanese Cuisine. It has a fibrous texture and a hosepipe-like shape.
In Hindi, it is known as kamal kakdi, which translates to lotus stem or lotus roots.
In the Indian subcontinent, lotus stem is a seasonal ingredient. You can find them either during the summer season or during winter.
I am sharing a Punjabi-style kamal kakdi ki sabji recipe I learned from my mother-in-law. It is an easy, everyday curry recipe that you can make in under 30 minutes in a pressure cooker.
Apart from making curry, you can use lotus stem to make crispy stir fry or kofta. It tastes delicious.
Ingredients Required
Lotus Stem: Pick fresh, pale white with light tones of brown and unsoiled vents. There should be a crisp sound while snapping the lotus stem.
Tomato Paste: Blend two chopped tomatoes with ginger, garlic, and green chilli to a fine paste.
Spices: Cumin, Red Chili Powder, Turmeric Powder, Coriander Powder, Garam Masala , Kasuri Methi
Oil : I use flavourless refined oil for making kamal kakdi ki sabji. You can use mustard oil, ghee, or vegetable oil.
Other Ingredients: Onion, Salt, Water, and Fresh Coriander
How To Make Curry
Prepare Lotus Stem For Curry
Step 1) Peel the skin of the lotus stem and slice it into thin slices. Soak the sliced lotus stem in salted water for 5 minutes. This step ensures that all the mud and dirt are removed from the lotus stem.
Step 2) Drain the salted water and transfer the lotus stem slices to a colander.
Prepare Curry
Step 1) Heat the oil in a pressure cooker over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and onion. Fry them over low heat till it becomes light brown ( image 1 ).
Step 2) Add tomato paste, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt, and coriander powder. Saute the paste over medium heat till oil separates or starts oozing from the sides of the masala. This might take 5 – 6 minutes ( images 2 & 3 ).
Step 3) Add lotus stem slices to the pressure cooker. Stir to combine and saute for 2 – 3 minutes.
Step 4) Add water, mix, and seal the lid of the pressure cooker. Cook over low to medium heat for 3 to 4 whistles. Turn off the heat. Allow the steam to release naturally from the pressure cooker.
Step 5) Open the lid, and check the lotus stem for doneness. Add kasuri methi, garam masala, and chopped fresh coriander. Stir to combine. Allow kamal kakdi ki sabji to simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.
And it is ready for serving!
Serving Suggestion
Kamal Kakdi Ki Sabji is an Indian main course dish. Serve it with chapati, roti, paratha, or jeera rice .
My favourite meal combination is lotus stem curry, phulka, boondi raita , and kachumber salad .
More Indian Curry Recipes
Arbi Ki Sabji
Aloo Ki Sabzi
Paneer Curry
Gatte Ki Sabzi
Dahi Potato Curry
Lauki Kofta Curry
If you try this recipe and love it, please leave a comment and a rating. This helps us grow and reach other food lovers like you.
Ingredients
- ▢ 250 gram lotus root (kamal kakdi)
- ▢ 4 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ▢ 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- ▢ ½ Cup chopped onion
- ▢ ½ Cup chopped tomato
- ▢ 1 tablespoon chopped ginger
- ▢ 1 tablespoon garlic cloves
- ▢ 1 green chilli chopped
- ▢ 1 teaspoon coriander powder (dhaniya powder)
- ▢ 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- ▢ 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- ▢ 2 ½ Cup water
- ▢ 1 teaspoon Garam Masala see recipe here
- ▢ 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
- ▢ 2 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander
Instructions
- To prepare the Kamal Kakdi for making the curry, peel the skin of the lotus stem and slice it into thin slices. Soak the sliced lotus stem in salted water for 5 minutes. This step ensures that all the mud and dirt are removed from the lotus stem.
- Drain the salted water and transfer the lotus stem slices to a colander. Set them aside.
- Heat the oil in a pressure cooker over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and onion. Fry them over low heat till it becomes light brown. This takes less than 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add tomato paste, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt, and coriander powder. Saute the paste over medium heat till oil separates or starts oozing from the sides of the masala. This might take 5 – 6 minutes.
- Add lotus stem slices to the pressure cooker. Stir to combine and saute for 2 – 3 minutes.
- Add water, mix, and seal the lid of the pressure cooker. Cook over low to medium heat for 3 to 4 whistles. Turn off the heat. Allow the steam to release naturally from the pressure cooker.
- Open the lid, and check the lotus stem for doneness. Add kasuri methi, garam masala, and chopped fresh coriander. Stir to combine. Allow kamal kakdi ki sabji to simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Taste and if required add more spices and seasoning.
- Serve Kamal Kakdi Ki Sabji warm with chapati or jeera rice .
Recipe Notes:
- The cooking time of the lotus root may vary depending upon the quality. The tender roots takes less than 3 whistles to get cooked whereas the matured roots might take 4 whistles.
- Make sure to clean the lotus roots properly before cooking to get rid of all the mud and dirt particles.
Nutrition
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Kamal Kakdi Ki Sabji Recipe
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 250 gram lotus root (kamal kakdi)
- 4 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- ½ Cup chopped onion
- ½ Cup chopped tomato
- 1 tablespoon chopped ginger
- 1 tablespoon garlic cloves
- 1 green chilli chopped
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder (dhaniya powder)
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 2 ½ Cup water
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala see recipe here
- 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander
Instructions
- To prepare the Kamal Kakdi for making the curry, peel the skin of the lotus stem and slice it into thin slices. Soak the sliced lotus stem in salted water for 5 minutes. This step ensures that all the mud and dirt are removed from the lotus stem.
- Drain the salted water and transfer the lotus stem slices to a colander. Set them aside.
- Heat the oil in a pressure cooker over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and onion. Fry them over low heat till it becomes light brown. This takes less than 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add tomato paste, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt, and coriander powder. Saute the paste over medium heat till oil separates or starts oozing from the sides of the masala. This might take 5 – 6 minutes.
- Add lotus stem slices to the pressure cooker. Stir to combine and saute for 2 – 3 minutes.
- Add water, mix, and seal the lid of the pressure cooker. Cook over low to medium heat for 3 to 4 whistles. Turn off the heat. Allow the steam to release naturally from the pressure cooker.
- Open the lid, and check the lotus stem for doneness. Add kasuri methi, garam masala, and chopped fresh coriander. Stir to combine. Allow kamal kakdi ki sabji to simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Taste and if required add more spices and seasoning.
- Serve Kamal Kakdi Ki Sabji warm with chapati or jeera rice .
Notes
- The cooking time of the lotus root may vary depending upon the quality. The tender roots takes less than 3 whistles to get cooked whereas the matured roots might take 4 whistles.
- Make sure to clean the lotus roots properly before cooking to get rid of all the mud and dirt particles.
Nutrition
Medu Vada is a deep-fried, vegetarian snack from South India. Follow my tips to make perfectly crispy medu vada each time without fail. Be sure to watch the video!
What is ‘Medu Vada’?
Medu Vada is a spicy and savoury doughnut shape like fritter made with urad dal, onion, spices, and seasoning.
The word ‘medu’ in Tamil means soft, and the ‘vada’ is the word for deep-fried fritter. Hence, it is called a soft deep-fried fritter (medu vada).
In South India and Sri Lanka, medu vada, along with idli, dosa, sambar, and chutney, is the most popular vegetarian breakfast dish.
Types of Vada
Probably you might be confused between medu vada, maddur vada , and dal vada. All of these are a different variety of vada (fritters).
The distinguishing characteristic of the medu vada is its doughnut-like shape with a hole in the centre.
The Kumaoni Vada (Bada) is similar to the medu vada. The only difference between the two is – the former is prepared with split black urad dal (chilka urad) while the South Indian vada is prepared with skinned urad dal.
These all are one or the other form of vegetarian Indian fritters, equally delicious, crispy, and all-time favourite teatime snacks.
My Tried & True Tips
There is no shortcut to making an authentic medhu vadai. It has to be done from scratch. There are a few Indian recipes that require the love of labour, and this is surely one of those.
Soaking the dal: It is essential to soak the dal for vada for at least 5 – 6 hours before grinding. The vada batter is never prepared with unsoaked lentils.
Grinding the dal: Use very little water while grinding the dal ( by little I mean not more than 2 – 4 tablespoons ). If the batter seems thick, add a tablespoon of water at a time. It is a time and labour-intensive process but worth it.
Whisk the batter: After grinding without adding salt, whisk the batter for 10 minutes or till it is light, airy, and fluffy. I use my electric hand mixer for this purpose.
It does the job excellently. The perfectly fluffy dal batter results in a delicious restaurant-style vada.
Shaping Vada: It requires a bit of practice. Always wet your fingers with water before shaping the vada, or you can use a banana leaf also for the purpose.
Frying Vada: Before deep-frying the vada, ensure the oil is hot enough. Perform a test by dropping a small drop of batter into the oil. If it quickly floats to the surface, oil is ready. But if it sinks or gets stuck to the pan, wait for more time.
I prefer frying the vada at medium-high heat so that it gets perfectly cooked from the inside and crisp from the outside.
Let the vada cook and turn golden from one side, then flip, and cook from the other side.
Serving Suggestion
For an authentic South Indian breakfast at home, prepare – Rava Idli , Medu Vada, Sambar , Coconut Chutney , and filter coffee. It will be a blissful Sunday morning breakfast.
While most people choose to have vada in the morning, many love to binge on it as a teatime snack with a cup of tea or coffee.
Traditionally, medu vada sambar is the most popular meal combination; however, you can also savour it with a dash of slightly sweet, whipped curd as dahi vada or only with coconut chutney.
Watch Medu Vada Video
Yes, you can. It is a meal-prep-friendly batter. Transfer the dal batter to a clean, dry, airtight container. Store it in the refrigerator for 2 – 3 days. Before making the vada, bring the batter from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature. Lightly aerate the batter by whisking for 1 – 2 minutes once again, and fry the vada.
You can fix a watery vada batter by adding rice flour or a fine variety of semolina (rava/sooji). Once you have added any of these ingredients to the dal batter, whisk to combine well and let the batter sit for 10 minutes for rice flour or rava to absorb the excess liquid.
If the vada absorbs too much oil while deep-frying, there could be two reasons for the same. One, the oil is not hot enough. Second, too much water is added while grinding the batter. Finally, after you’ve fried the vada, drain them on an oil-absorbing paper towel.
Yes, you can. But it will not be traditional style medu vada. The taste and texture of the vada will not change.
I prefer reheating the vada in an air fryer or Instant Pot Crispy Lid. Arrange them on the basket of the fryer. Heat each side for 5 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius. Reheating in a microwave makes vada oily and soggy.
The trick is to whisk the dal batter to make it light and airy. If the dal batter is not whisked properly, the medu vada will turn out hard and not soft.
Any neutral-tasting oil with a high smoke point will work well for frying vadas. You could use refined sunflower, groundnut, vegetable, or peanut oil.
More South Indian Recipes
Lemon Rice
Curd Rice
Rava Upma
Coconut Rice
Tomato Rasam
Pineapple Rava Kesari
If you try this recipe and love it, please leave a comment and a rating. This helps us grow and reach other food lovers like you.
Ingredients
- ▢ 1 Cup skinned urad dal (dhuli urad)
- ▢ ½ Cup finely chopped onion
- ▢ 1 teaspoon chopped ginger
- ▢ 5 – 6 curry leaves
- ▢ 1 roughly chopped green chilli
- ▢ 1 teaspoon black peppercorns (sabut kalimirch), roughly crushed
- ▢ ¼ teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
- ▢ ¼ teaspoon turmeric (optional)
- ▢ Salt to taste
- ▢ Oil for deep-frying
Instructions
Prepare Batter:
- Rinse and soak the urad dal in water for 4 – 5 hours or overnight. Next day, drain the water from the urad dal and let it sit in the strainer for 5 minutes to drain the excess water. Now grind the dal in the mixer grinder.
- To get the smooth paste you need to stir the dal a few times while grinding. Turn off the mixer, stir and then grind. Repeat the process till you get thick, smooth dal paste. Use 1 tablespoon of water at a time to grind the dal. Do not add more than 2 – 4 tablespoons of water. Transfer the dal paste to a clean, large bowl.
- You can whisk the dal using an electric hand blender or manually. Continuous whisking of 8 – 10 minutes is good enough to incorporate air in the dal. Add 2 – 3 tablespoons of water if the batter is too thick and then whisk.
Season Batter:
- Add salt, chopped green chilli, onion, ginger, curry leaves, black pepper and spices in the dal. Mix nicely.
Prepare Vada:
- Heat oil in a wide deep frying pan.
- To shape the vada, keep water in a small bowl next to the dal paste. Soak the fingers of both the hands in water and pinch a lemon size portion of dal paste. Hold it with your one hand fingers and flatten it using the other hand wet fingers. Make a hole in the center of the flattened vada using your finger.
- Gently slip it on to the pan of hot oil to deep fry. For safety reasons, it is best to slide the shaped vada from the sides of the pan.
- Deep fry the vada over medium-high heat till they turn golden brown, crisp from both sides.
- Transfer to a plate lined with a kitchen towel. Serve Medu Vada warm with coconut chutney and sambar .
Recipe Notes:
- Use only white skinless urad dal for making the vada batter.
- It is an essential step to soak the dal for vada at least 5 – 6 hours before grinding.
- Use very little water while grinding the dal ( by little I mean not more than 2 – 4 tablespoons ). If the batter seems thick add a tablespoon of water at a time.
- After grinding without adding salt whisk the batter for 10 minutes or till it is light, airy, and fluffy.
- Always wet your fingers with water before shaping the vada, or you can use banana leaf also for the purpose.
- I prefer frying the vada at medium-high heat so that it gets perfectly cooked from the inside and crisp from the outside.
- Store the leftover vada batter in the refrigerator for 2 – 3 days.
Nutrition
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