Nadir Monje are deep fried lotus stem fritters and a crunchy street food from our beautiful state Kashmir . While Exploring the Flavours of street food from different states Nadir Monje sounded very interesting .
Nadir is the other name for lotus stem and Nadir Monje are fritters made from these lotus stems . Lotus Stem are a favourite with Sindhi’s , Punjabi and Kashmiri ‘s and make it regularly in various forms . Sindhi and Punjabis call them Bhea. and make Sai Thoom wara Bhea , Bhea ji Tikki and many more lotus stem dishes.
We normally use besan for any kind of pakoras , but these are made with only rice flour . Lotus stem is a hard root and we need to clean it well and normally boil before using them . You could read more on how to prepare them here. Nadir Monje are made with raw lotus stem . I was very very hesitant while making these so just made a small batch . The fritters turned out awesome , they do not cook through and through but do not taste raw , they have a super crunch to them and you just don’t stop eating them.
I am not sure if the Kashmiri’s serve walnut chutney with Nadir Monje but I made some . The walnut chutney is a authentic Kashmiri chutney and has a super texture and flavour . I could use it as a spread on my roti or bread as well .
All in all Nadir Monje is a quick and delicious street food from Kashmir which is a must try .
Nadir Monje
Ingredients
2 long sticks lotus stem
1 cup rice flour
1 tsp red chilly powder
Pinch cumin seeds
Salt to taste
Water to bind
Method
Cut the lotus stem into 2”long thin pieces.
Wash well and make sure you remove all traces of mud.
After washing , drain the water and let stand in a sieve for 5 minutes .
Add them to a big mixing bowl .
Add rice flour , red chilly powder, cumin seeds , salt to taste.
Mix well with hands.
Sprinkle a little water and mix till the lotus stem is coated with the flour mixture .
Heat oil .
Drop the coated lotus stem chips into hot oil.
Make sure you drop them one by one .
Deep fry till nice and golden.
Remove on a kitchen towel.
Serve with walnut chutney.
Walnut chutney
Some Kashmiri Dishes
Here is what I have been posting under Explore the Flavors
F – Fariyali Sabudana Khichadi
Nadir Monje
Ingredients
- 2 long sticks lotus stem
- 1 cup rice flour
- 1 tsp red chilly powder
- Pinch cumin seeds
- Salt to taste
- Water to bind
Instructions
- Cut the lotus stem into 2”long thin pieces.
- Wash well and make sure you remove all traces of mud.
- After washing , drain the water and let stand in a sieve for 5 minutes .
- Add them to a big mixing bowl .
- Add rice flour , red chilly powder, cumin seeds , salt to taste.
- Mix well with hands.
- Sprinkle a little water and mix till the lotus stem is coated with the flour mixture .
- Heat oil .
- Drop the coated lotus stem chips into hot oil.
- Make sure you drop them one by one .
- Deep fry till nice and golden.
- Remove on a kitchen towel.
- Serve with walnut chutney.
Notes
Where to find Nadir Monje
Vendors hurtling Nadir Monje in their carts is a common sight around Sufi shrines in the valley and the Hazratbal shrine in the capital Srinagar.
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Wow absolutely incredible, never had or seen this nadir monje, what a lovely crispy fritters. This dish rocks Vaishali, feel like making some soon. Drooling here..
Seriously, you’re rocking this theme, Vaishali. What a unique street food and most of the recipe that you have shared already are totally new to me including this one !!! Nadir Monje looks so crunchy and with those walnut chutney, it must be delicious and awesome combo for evening tea !!!
lovely pick ! I am looking at the blue tray and its a great pick in all 🙂 the crunch from these fritters seems awesome
Superb find, Vaishali. Love the fritters, presentation and the props used as well. Is that an almond leaf the fritters are placed on? I love the walnut chutney.
Yes Harini you are right it is the almond leaf !
wow… Never knew lotus stems are edible. From where you source them? This is quite interesting and thanks for the share.
Srividya, Lotus stems are found in ponds and I guess you shall get the frozen ones in your country. Here they are available in the local vegetable market, though it is stocked only by very few vendors.
What an interesting find. I have never worked with lotus stems, but looking at the pictures, I can say that they are so delicious. The walnut chutney sounds so good too..
That lotus stem fritters look sooo crispy and delicious. Good street food find from Jammu. I’ve made walnut chutney a while back and remember it tasted awesome. I’m sure these fritters must have tasted with that chutney.
Beautiful pics and lotus stem fries are a good variation to the regular potato fries.. Yummy street food!!
Those crisp lotus stems must be yum and the walnut chutney must be a tasty accompaniment. BTW the first thing that caught my attention was your blue tray. With that blotchy paint, it makes an awesome prop.
Thanks Suma, this is a tray that I made and was so hesitant to use…now that it has got approval from my friends here, I shall use it without any hesitation..
Last year just before Diwali I attended a Kashmiri Brahmin wedding. One of the snacks was this crispy lotus stems and I had forgotten the name. It came back as soon as I read the name on your post. These are so delicious and we couldn’t stop munching on them. It was served with normal chutneys as I don’t think the hotel would make walnut chutney. Love your photos Vaishali. So rustic.
Fantastic recipe and what a lovely texture it has got…Though I am yet to taste lotus and its varies forms, your dishes surely tempt me Vaishali..very good pick for the letter!
Wow Vaishali this is an awesome find! This is an exotic fritter for sure! Love the combination of walnut chutney and crispy fritters
Fritters with lotus stems sound so interesting, another versatile street food for the letter N from you.. Loving the crispy texture of this delicious snack from kashmir.. Accompanying this crispy delights with walnut chutney is such interesting combination. Love the setup and captures di !!
We only make bhey kofta and or aloo bhey curry but this Kashmiri version of crispy fried lotus stem sounds very interesting. I am eyeing that walnut chutney of yours. Lovely presentation and beautiful clicks.
That is such a unique dish Vaishali and love the crispy Nadir Monje. I so adore your patience and research. The walnut chutney sounds so much fun and wish I could taste some.
Such a lovely and unique dish Vaishali! It looks so crisp and inviting. That walnut chutney must have been a match made in heaven! I will have to hunt the local market to see if we can get fresh lotus stem
wow very interesting munching snack.. Awesome crisp and delicious.