A taste long forgotten

Pushpesh Pant

Before the dawn of the era of climate change, Holi announced the onset of summer and the menus at home were traditionally adjusted to harmonise with the changing season. After binging on gujiya and thandai, one looked forward to a light one-dish meal or substantial savoury snacks. One such option is kalmi vada which, for some incomprehensible reason, has yielded ground to other vada like meddu, madder and rasa, not to forget the good old dahi vada.

We decided to try our hand at making a balanced meal out of what is believed to be a tea-time snack of Rajasthani origin by assembling a chaat with an assortment of partners, like boiled potatoes and chickpeas, draping it with a generous dollop of dahi. The twin chutneys — sonth and dhaniya — were indispensable. Sprinklers were not restricted to the usual suspects; roasted cumin seeds and black rock salt flirted with dried pomegranate and black pepper. Cucumber and carrot batons and tomato wedges completed our bliss. The idea here is not to go heavy on vada but to use them for the protein and crispy texture. Potatoes and chickpeas contribute body and contrast. Garnish with a few grapes and deseeded dates and you don’t even need dessert!

Kalmi vada

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chana daal
• 1/4 cup dhuli urad daal
• 1/4 cup dhuli moong daal
• 1-inch piece of ginger, scraped and grated
• 3-4 green chillies (deseeded, chopped)
• Pinch of hing
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 2 potatoes (boiled, peeled, diced)
• 1/2 cup chickpeas (boiled)
• 1 cup dahi (thick)
• Salt to taste
• Oil to deep fry

Sprinklers

• 1/2 tsp pomegranate powder
• 1/2 tsp dried mint powder
• 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
  (fresh ground coarsely)
• 1/4 tsp roasted cumin seeds powder
• 1/8 tsp black rock salt

Garnish/supplements

• 1 small apple (peeled, cored and chopped)
• 1/2 cup grapes
• 1/4 cup seedless dates (chopped)
• 1/4 cup walnuts

Accompaniments (optional)

• Tomato wedges
• Cucumber
• Carrot batons

Method: Soak the lentils overnight, drain water and grind together with ginger, chillies, baking soda and salt to obtain a coarse paste. Add water, if required. Heat oil in a thick bottommed pan and fry the vadas in batches on medium flame till golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon. When coo,l slice into 1/2 inch thick discs. Then refry on high flame to make crisp. Arrange in a bowl or platter. Cover with potatoes and chickpeas. Whisk dahi and pour on top. Sprinkle the listed powders. If you have a penchant for chaat, douse with sweet and sour sonth and green chutneys. If you prefer salads, catch hold of honey-mustard dressing and a fistful of grapes, figs and dates. You could replace potatoes with roasted sweet potatoes and chickpeas with mixed sprouts. Surely beats the run-of-the-mill dahi parhi chaat. Next on our agenda is making veg kofta curry with kalmi vada.