Holi is as much about vibrant colours and playful celebrations as it is about indulgent delicacies. The festival brings with it a spread of traditional treats that food lovers eagerly look forward to every year. Alongside the seasonal sweets, you need something tangy to balance the flavour palette. Now, actress Mini Mathur is sharing the recipe for her favourite Holi drink, kanji vada.
In a video posted on Instagram, she said, "Here's how to make the Kayastha Vadeki Kanji. It's Holi. I'm so excited. But it's actually a very simple, fermented drink that you can make in five minutes flat. It's great for the gut and it's yummy, but for me, it's a core childhood memory." See the video here.
Step-by-Step: Mini Mathur's Kanji Vada Recipe
1. Prepare The Spice Mix
Mini's preparation features rye powder, red chilli powder, salt and hing. This is the only pre-prep needed, along with homemade vadas soaked in water with a little salt.
2. Make The Kanji Mixture
Take warm water in a ceramic jar or glass container. Add plenty of salt, red chilli powder, mustard and hing to it. Stir the mixture and leave it out in the sun for 2–3 days until it turns sour.
3. Add The Vadas
Soak homemade vadas in warm water and squeeze out the excess water. Add the vadas to the martaban with the fermented kanji mixture.
"This is a drink that is always nice to serve it to people who don't want to have a beer or alcohol. They don't want to do sugary drinks. This is just perfect. It's your own homemade kombucha," she added.
Mini Mathur further revealed that she made several other delicacies for the Holi celebration. The actress wrote, "I started with achaars and mathri.. tried some gujiyas (turned out horrid) but my kanjis always hit the spot. I usually make kanji with kaali gaajar (black carrots- a winter wonder), but this year I'm trying the vada kanji." She also whipped up some kofte, chhunki hui matar and kulle ki chaat.