Friendship is a bond that develops between like-minded individuals.
I have friends, good friends
on whom I can depend on in fact they are like family to me. I have lived a
nomads life all the time so I have lost all the friends that I have made in
childhood its only now thanks to face book that I have started talking to all
old friends!
When I started making
friends with people online I was thrilled but slowly the bond has grown and now
the blogging marathon members are also my family. We hare from different places
but all of us are attached to a common thread cooking. That is our passion!!
Cooking is fun especially
when you are cooking with a friend. Yes I am referring to the time when
Vaishali visited. She brought us Lotus stems also known as Nadru. She made
these delicious fitters!!
Awesome that was the verdict
at home!!
But
wai,t I want to bore you up a bit I have researched so much… don’t worry I will give
you a watered down version as you are not coming for a history & geography lesson with a garnish of civics like my daughter
has pointed out!
Kashmir is the north-western
region of the Indian subcontinent.
In the first
half of the 1st millennium, the Kashmir region became an important centre
of Hinduism and later of Buddhism; later still, in the ninth
century, Kashmir Shaivism arose.
The word Kashmir is derived from Sanskrit कश्मीर (káśmīra).
The Buddhist Mauryan emperor Ashoka is
often credited with having founded the old capital of Kashmir, Shrinagari, now
ruins on the outskirts of modern Srinagar.
Kashmir was long to be a stronghold of Buddhism and a Buddhist seat of
learning.
Adi Shankara visited the pre-existing Sarvajñapīṭha (Sharada Peeth)
in Kashmir in late 8th century or early 9th century CE. The Madhaviya
Shankaravijayam states this temple had four doors for scholars from the four
cardinal directions. The southern door (representing South India) had never
been opened, indicating that no scholar from South India had entered the
Sarvajna Pitha. Adi Shankara opened the southern door by defeating in debate
all the scholars there in all the various scholastic disciplines such as Mimamsa, Vedanta and
other branches of Hindu philosophy; he ascended the throne of Transcendent
wisdom of that temple
In 1349, Shah Mir became the
first Muslim ruler of Kashmir, inaugurating the Salatin-i-Kashmiror Swati dynasty. For
the next five centuries, Muslim monarchs ruled Kashmir, including the Mughals,
who ruled from 1526 until 1751, and the Afghan Durrani Empire, which ruled from
1747 until 1820. That year, the Sikhs, under Ranjit Singh,
annexed Kashmir. In 1846, after the Sikh defeat in the First
Anglo-Sikh War, and upon the purchase of the region from the British under
the Treaty of Amritsar, the Raja of Jammu, Gulab Singh,
became the new ruler of Kashmir. The rule of his descendants, under the paramountcy (or
tutelage) of the British Crown, lasted until 1947.
This is the history of Kashmir. The serene
beautiful place that is famous for Daal Lake, Gulmarg, and the Amarnath caves
But me a foodie I am interested in Food!
Kashmiri cuisine includes dum aloo (boiled
potatoes with heavy amounts of spice), tzaman (a solid cottage cheese), rogan josh (lamb
cooked in heavy spices), yakhiyn (lamb cooked in curd with mild spices), hakh
(a spinach-like leaf), rista-gushtaba (minced meat balls in tomato and curd
curry), danival korme, and the signature rice which is particular to Asian
cultures.
The traditional wazwan feast
involves cooking meat or vegetables, usually mutton, in several different ways.
Alcohol is strictly prohibited in most places.
There are two styles of making tea in the
region: Noon Chai, or salt tea, which is pink in colour (known as
chinen posh rang or peach flower colour) and popular with locals; andkahwah, a tea for festive
occasions, made with saffron and spices (cardamom, cinnamon, sugar, noon chai leaves), and black tea.
So
not that I have bored you to death let’s see how Vaishali made these Nadru monje.
By the way she had brought more of these stems and out of the balance I made
this Wok Fried Lotus Stem and assorted veggies In Honey Chilli Sauce
But Nadru Monje is a snack from Kashmir, made from lotus stems. It is a popular street snack of Kashmir Valley.
But Nadru Monje is a snack from Kashmir, made from lotus stems. It is a popular street snack of Kashmir Valley.
Nadru monje/ Lotus Stem Fritters
Indian
State: Jammu and Kashmir
The recipe source: Wikipedia
- ½ kg lotus stems
- Salt or to taste
- 1 tblspn Kashmiri red chili powder
- 250g/ 2 cups rice flour
- 2 tblspn jeera/cumin seeds
- 2 cups water
- Oil for frying
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Nadru Monje/ Lotus Stem Fritters Sliced |
Method:
- Peel the lotus stems.
- Wash them under running water.
- Cut the stems into three big pieces.
- With the help of a knife make slices of the stems. We made long slices.
- Place the chopped stems in a bowl.
- Add salt, red chili powder, cumin seeds rice flour. Mix well.
- Add water to the mixture little at a time. Mix well all the ingredients together, until all of the stems are coated with the rice flour batter.
- Pour oil into a kadhai/wok. Place it on a gas stove and switch it on to heat the oil.
- Immerse the battered lotus pieces in the oil to deep fry. Use tongs or a slotted spoon.
- Keep moving the pieces from one side to the other so that they do not burn.
- Take the fritters out. Once the fritters acquire the desired reddish color and have a crispy texture, remove them from the oil.
- Place the fritters on a piece of kitchen paper towel or piece of newspaper to remove the excess oil.
- Traditionally the lotus stem fritters with Kashmiri onion chutney or tomato sauce.
Linking to Fabulous Feast Friday #10


Lotus stem fritters look crispy & crunchy. Nice teatime snack.
ReplyDeleteFriendship surely is a beautiful bond..and I guess all of us at BM have a bond which is difficult to build.Three cheers!!..and ya those FRITTERS ACTUALLY TASTED YUM..NICE AND SPICY!!
ReplyDeletethese fritters look irresistable
ReplyDeleteso much of detail about J&K... wow.. very well written.. this fritters are so delicious..
ReplyDeleteThey look nice and crispy. You sure had a good time when Vaishali visited.
ReplyDeleteThose fritters are asking me to munch some, crunchy and very crispy.
ReplyDeletei am yet to try lotus stems and this BM there are so many compelling recipes but this one takes the cake for the best one...for a novice to start
ReplyDeleteFritters look super crunchy and crispy,never tried fritters with lotus stem,sounds interesting...
ReplyDeleteThese fritters look absolutely inviting. Cooking with Vaishali must have been an awesome experience...
ReplyDeleteYummy crunchy munchy fritters..Looks great..
ReplyDeleteCan never agree more than what you said about friends..especially Vaishali, she's got in an entirely new meaning..so lovely to know that she got this for you..eheheh..yea yea read all your history notes..:)..nice fritters..
ReplyDeleteIrresistible fritters, Archana. I wonder if we get lotus stem also here.
ReplyDeleteThat seriously sounds like an addictive snack. Looks yummy!!
ReplyDeletehave never had these before - look so nice and crispy. It is so great about all these friendships we have especially with whatsapp - feel like I know you all eventhough we've never met :(
ReplyDeleteI have never tried nadru for fritter this is a must try dish for me , looks very tempting dear :)
ReplyDelete