A super yummy, healthy and easy to make kebab recipe with lotus roots/stems (nadru), from India’s crown state Kashmir. Flavour packed and shallow fried, these kebabs make for a great appetizer and/or snack
After my mutton yakhni pulao (pilaf) and Kashmiri chana dal gosht recipes, I have yet another gem from the Kashmiri cuisine. These are nadru ke kebab or lotus stem kebabs – a delicious, vegan Kashmiri recipe. These are so yummy that, I have been wishing I made these kebabs much earlier. Made with boiled lotus stems and combined with potatoes, Indian spices and herbs, these make for an amazing tea time snack. Or even a great brunch recipe. The addition of crushed fennel seeds, an important spice in Kashmiri cuisine, is the signature of these kebabs. And their fragrance shines through them even after being cooked. Pair them up with some tamarind chutney and onion rings, and bask in the deliciousness of these lotus stem patties.
Lotus stem is known as nadru in Kashmiri and kamal kakdi in Hindi. And since there are so many lakes in the region where lotus grow, these are available in abundance in India’s crown state. As a result, you will find a lot of lotus stem recipes in the valley’s cuisine. There is a super flavourful, yoghurt based curry, called nadru yakhni, another where thin nadru slices are deep fried and sprinkled with spices and many more. These nadru ke kebab (lotus stem kebabs) are also a very popular snack. Many a times, these kebabs are further cooked in a tomato based gravy, to go with rice and naans.
Also check,
Healthy kebabs
Apart from tasting absolutely yummy, nadru or lotus stems are also good for health. These roots improve digestion, reduce cholesterol, boost immune system etc. Not only this, but they are also a rich source of vitamins and minerals. You can read more about their benefits here. So, once in a while if you can include lotus stems/roots in your diet, it will be great. Since I do not have access to fresh ones here, I go with the canned ones. But if you do, then nothing like it! Also, I hope to share more lotus root recipes soon, so you better find your lotus stem source soon. 🙂
Easy recipe
The nadru kebab (lotus stem kebabs), are super easy to make to are also a one pot recipe. Since I have used canned stems, I did not have to pre-cook them. But if you are going to use fresh stems, you will throughly need to wash them first, to get rid of the dirt. And then, you will need to boil them in salt water, until soft, before proceeding to make the kebabs. After this, the process is fairly simple and quick. You will have to mix the boiled and minced stems with boiled potatoes and spices, and the shallow fry them. You could also deep fry the kebabs.
I have purposely not completely mashed the cooked/canned stems but minced them for the recipe. This ensures that you are able to bite into the nadru pieces, as opposed to not experiencing them at all. So, this small step not only gives the patties a great texture but a bite too.
Party snack
The nadru kebab (lotus stem kebabs) make for an amazing party appetiser and snack. You could easily make and shape them the previous day and freeze them. Simply fry them up just before serving. Serve the kebabs with some green chutney and chai and enjoy them fresh and hot!
Eat hearty!
Nadru ke kebab (lotus stem kebabs)
Equipment
- Frying pan
Ingredients
- 300 g lotus stem (nadru) canned
- 200 g potatoes boiled & mashed
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 2 tbsp ginger finely chopped
- 2 tbsp garlic finely chopped
- 2 tbsp green chilis finely chopped
- 4 tbsp fresh coriander finely chopped
- 3 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp chili powder optional
- 1½ tsp coriander powder
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds (saunf) crushed
- 1 tsp coriander seed powder crushed
- 2 tbsp chaat masala
- salt to taste
- ¼ cup oil for frying
For the batter
- ½ cup bread crumbs
- 3-4 tbsp flour
- 6-7 tbsp water
Instructions
- Drain the canned lotus stems/roots or nadru and mash them up*
- Mix and combine the mashed potatoes with the mashed roots well
- Add all the other masalas, vegetables, salt and mix well, again
- Divide the whole potato and nadru mixture into 14 equal parts. Shape each of them into patties (at this point you could freeze them up to fry at a later time)
- Mix the flour with water, dip each kebab in this and coat them in the bread crumbs. Heat a pan, over medium flame, with the oil and shallow fry the kebabs until golden brown
- Serve the nadru ke kebab (lotus stem kebabs) fresh and hot off the hob, with mint chutney, along with chai. Enjoy!
Notes
- *In case you are using fresh lotus stems/roots wash them throughly, boil them until soft with some salt, cool them down and then mash them
- If you don't have bread crumbs, you can even mix some roasted gram flour (besan) in step 3 and fry directly. In this case you don't need to crumb coat them
- g - grams
- tsp - teaspoon
- tbsp - tablespoon
- 1 cup = 250 millitres
darun
Thank you so much x
Awesome recepie and wide variety….
Thank you so much Shinjini!
[…] 14. Nadru Ke Kebab – Lotus Stem Kebab […]