Indian · Kashmir · appetizer

Nadir Monje (Lotus Root Fritters)

Nadir Monje (Lotus Root Fritters) reads salinity 3.6, nutty 2.7 and allium 2.4 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Indian · Kashmir appetizer, about 42 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 3.9 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 2.4 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 0.0 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 2.5 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 3.3 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 2.8 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Salinity 3.6 · Nutty 2.7 · Allium 2.4 · Earthy 2.3 · Sweetness 2.1 · Richness 2.0 · Umami 1.8 · Warm Spice 1.7 · Floral 1.4 · Bitterness 1.4 · Herbaceous 1.2 · Funk & Ferment 1.2 · Fruity 1.0 · Heat 1.0

What's in it (11)

• lotus root — 500 g
• rice flour — 150 g
• chickpea flour — 15 g
• kashmiri red chilli powder — 10 g
• ground fennel — 5 g
• ground ginger — 3 g
• asafoetida — 1 g
• salt — 7 g
• carom seeds — 1 g
• cold water — 180 g
• mustard oil — 736 g

Time & effort: about 42 min (27 min active) · effort: medium

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 185.2 kcal, 2.9 g protein, 9.9 g fat, 22.3 g carbs

Dietary: Vegan — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (6 steps)

1. Scrub the lotus root well, especially inside the chambers where silt collects, and cut it lengthwise into batons about 1 cm thick, leaving them attached at one end if you want the traditional fan.
2. Whisk the rice flour and gram flour with the chilli powder, fennel powder, dried ginger powder, asafoetida, salt and carom seeds, then beat in the cold water to a batter just thick enough to coat a spoon and drip slowly off it. Rice flour is what makes these shatter rather than soften.
3. Rest the batter 15 minutes.
4. Heat the mustard oil in a deep pan to 180C (355F), letting it smoke first and then settle; raw mustard oil tastes harsh and the fritters will carry it.
5. Dip the lotus batons in the batter, let the excess run off, and fry 5 to 7 minutes, turning once, until deep gold and crisp and the bubbling has quietened. Lotus root stays firm and slightly crunchy inside no matter how long you cook it, so judge by the crust.
6. Drain on paper and eat straight away, hot, with green chutney and a cup of noon chai.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Vegetable Fried Rice with Crispy Fried Egg — Chinese-American
• Makdous (Baby Aubergines Cured with Walnut and Chilli) — Syrian
• Greek Eggplant and Chickpea Skillet — Greek
• Idli with Thengai Chutney — Indian · Tamil Nadu
• Beans Poriyal (Dry Green Beans with Coconut) — Indian · Tamil Nadu

Keep reading: what salinity, nutty, allium mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.