Mixed Fruit Kanji Vada — smoky and refreshing, elevate the classic holi dish with some fresh in-season lychee, strawberries, and oranges for a spring-inspired twist! With gut-healthy, fermented kanji that features mustard and an addictive tang paired with fluffy vadas, this is the ultimate dish to entertain with this time of year!

WATCH HOW TO MAKE MIXED FRUIT KANJI VADA:

We’ll start by grinding our yellow mustard, black mustard, and cumin seeds into a coarse powder. To this we’ll add salt, black salt, red chili powder, and water. Now we’ll let this kanji ferment for a day.

For the vadas, take soaked moong dal and blend coarsely with ginger and green chili. To this, add some crushed spiced and give it a mix. Pour over a mustard oil tadka and definitely don’t miss this, this will totally take your vadas to a new level.

Now we’ll fry the vadas until golden brown. I made these mini round ones but you can make the traditional flatter ones too.

Now, we’ll transfer the vadas into salted hot water and let soak for 20 minutes. Squeeze out the excess water and transfer to the kanji.

And now comes the most important step! We’ll give this a smoky twist using some charcoal, ghee, and hing. This adds a lovely depth of flavor, especially when smoked in a terracotta pot, which is how I’ve grown up having it.

After it’s smoked, we’ll cover and let the kanji vada ferment for a few hours just to help all the flavors infuse.

When we’re ready to serve, mix in fresh mint and any in-season fruits like lychee, orange, and strawberry. Sprinkle with some masala and you can serve this with extra charcoal on the side for a fun, smoky effect.

If you like this, please try my other recipes:

• Pina Colada Thandai
• Thandai Mahalabia With Rose Jelly
• Mediterranean Chaat Tarts

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Mixed Fruit Kanji Vada

Prep Time

30 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Fermentation

1 d

Total Time

1 hr

 

Mixed Fruit Kanji Vada — smoky and refreshing, elevate the classic holi dish with some fresh in-season lychee, strawberries, and oranges for a spring-inspired twist! With gut-healthy, fermented kanji that features mustard and an addictive tang paired with fluffy vadas, this is the ultimate dish to entertain with this time of year!

Course: Appetizer, Chaat, Snack

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: holi

Custom Category: Appetizers, Chaat (Indian Street Food), Holi, Snacks, Traditional

Servings: 10

Calories: 118 kcal

Author: Nidhi Bothra

Ingredients

Kanji:

• 1 1/2 tbsp yellow mustard seeds
• 1 1/2 tbsp black mustard seeds
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black salt
• 1/4 tsp asafoetida powder (hing)
• 1 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• 6 cups water
• 1 cup mixed fruits , chopped (I used lychee, oranges, and strawberries)
• 8 leaves fresh mint , torn with hands

Garnish:

• red chili powder
• roasted cumin powder

For Smoking:

• 1 piece coal
• 1/4 tsp ghee
• 1/4 tsp asafoetida powder (hing)

Vadas:

• 1 cup yellow moong dal (petite split yellow lentils) , soaked for 6 hours
• 2 small green chilies , roughly chopped
• 1/2 inch ginger , roughly chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds (saunf) , crushed
• 1/2 tsp coriander seeds , crushed
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds , crushed
• 3 tsp mustard oil

Instructions

1. To make the kanji, start by grinding the yellow mustard, black mustard, and cumin seeds into a coarse powder. Transfer this to a bowl and mix with turmeric powder, salt, black salt, hing, red chili powder, and water.

2. Cover with a cloth and let the kanji sit on the counter for a day to ferment.
3. To make the vadas, grind the dal, ginger, and green chilies into a coarse paste. If your batter becomes a bit thin, you can add 1-2 tbsp wheat flour or semolina (sooji). Whisk in the salt and all the spices, giving it a thorough whisk to incorporate air.
4. Heat mustard oil in a small pan until hot and add this immediately to the vada batter. Mix this in gently.
5. Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan on medium heat and fry until golden brown and crispy.
6. After frying, transfer these vadas into salted warm water (doesn’t have to be exact but I mixed 1/4 tsp salt into 2 cups of water). Let these soak for 20 minutes.
7. Squeeze out the excess water from these vadas and transfer this to the kaanji.
8. For a smoky twist, we’ll float a small bowl on top of the kanji vada and place a heated coal in it. Add the ghee and asafoetida on top and cover with a bowl as this smokes for 2-3 minutes. Carefully remove the bowl with the coal after.
9. Cover and let the kanji vada ferment again for 2-3 hours just to help the flavors infuse.
10. When ready to serve, mix in the fruit and sprinkle with red chili powder and roasted cumin powder. Enjoy!

Recipe Video

Nutrition Facts

Mixed Fruit Kanji Vada

Amount Per Serving

Calories 118 Calories from Fat 27

% Daily Value*

Fat 3g5%

Saturated Fat 0.4g3%

Polyunsaturated Fat 1g

Monounsaturated Fat 2g

Cholesterol 0.3mg0%

Sodium 395mg17%

Potassium 251mg7%

Carbohydrates 17g6%

Fiber 7g29%

Sugar 4g4%

Protein 6g12%

Vitamin A 177IU4%

Vitamin C 3mg4%

Calcium 33mg3%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.