Lotus Stem fries(Nadur Monji) – Kashmiri Street food

Beautiful crunchy snack food that is a “must ” try. If you are tired of French fries, do try the high fiber content of the unique  lotus stems.  Also know and Nadur Churma and sold in the streets all over Kashmir is this mouth watering snack that is so very easy to make.

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Lotus Stem is very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Dietary Fiber, Thiamin, Vitamin B6, Phosphorus, Potassium, Copper and Manganese, and a very good source of Vitamin C.

The actual stems at my local Asian market in Virginia look like this:

food for the soul (1)

 

The recipe is so simple and just takes the lotus stems cut in length, salt cayenne ( Kashmiri chili pepper) and some rice flour. You could also use gram flour. I have fried these in coconut oil here.

 

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Nadur Monji

  • Servings: 6
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients:

  • 1 long lotus stem scraped cleaned washed and cut into 2 inch lengths
  • 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • 1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
  • 1 cup rice flour
  • 1 tsp black cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp thyme leaves
  • water
  • Coconut oil for frying

 

Putting it together:

  • Scrape the top dark skin of the Lotus Stems.
  • Thoroughly wash the lotus stems and cut in strips like french fries.
  • Dry with a towel
  • Sprinkle with sea salt and some chili pepper
  • Make a slurry of rice flour and water, add pounded cumin and thyme leaves and combine the strips thoroughly
  • Deep fry in oil until golden brown
  • Dry on a paper towel or newspaper to get rid of the extra oil.
  • Sprinkle some more salt and chili pepper
  • Serve hot and crisp with a coriander mint chutney.

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Perfect for the party at Fiesta Friday. Thanks to Angie and the wonderful co hosts,Elaine @ foodbod and Julie @ Hostess at Heart.

22 thoughts on “Lotus Stem fries(Nadur Monji) – Kashmiri Street food”

    1. Thank you Hilda…these grow wild in Kashmir and are so very delicious. I visited your blog and absolutely loved the the recipes from foraging. Will go through it at leisure. Thanks much for visiting my blog.

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  6. I’ve never had lotus stem fries before! Typically, in Taiwanese families, we cook them in soups. I’ll need to try this recipe someday! They look delicious 🙂

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  7. I don’t think I have seen Lotus stem in my entire life. 😀 And now I am intrigued. These fries look so good and I want some right now! Happy FF102!

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      1. I remember seeing the Lotus fruits when I was a child. They are all over the nearest fish pond in my home. But still, I haven’t tried the stem.

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  8. This is such a neat way of using lotus stems! I didn’t know that they were eaten in India as well! How are lotus stems usually served in traditional Kashmiri cuisine?
    I’ve tried them a number of times in Japanese dishes, where they’re usually cut into round slices and cooked with soy sauce. They are also sometimes used in tempura. I bet the crunchy texture would be awesome for fries though!

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    1. Thanks much Elle….they are eaten in north india (Kashmir) in various ways. This one is more of a street food version that is simple and easy. I bet it is very close to Tempura. I have a couple of other recipes posted for main/side dishes that use the round sliced version. https://foodforthesoul00.wordpress.com/category/kashmir/
      If you have a Japanese recipe you like, do post it as I would live to try it out. I am fortunate that here in Virginia we get both the fresh and frozen versions in the asian markets. Thanks for stopping by!

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  9. Zeba, I have never had these fries but can imagine what a treat these must be! I love lotus root taste and crunch and then these are spiced and fried in my favorite coconut oil! Yum!

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