Congress Kadlekaai | Kadlekai Beeja | Spicy Peanuts

 Congress Kadlekaai is a household name in Bangalore . Available at all bakeries ,congress kadlekaai are the perfect evening tea time munchies with a cuppa of hot filter coffee .

Walk into any Iyengar Bakery and you will for sure find these delicious spicy, tangy and very flavorful congress kadlekaai beeja packed in small packs of  50 or  100 gms for easy pick up .

This was my mom's favorite snack along with Khara Buns without which we would never get back to Bombay after our summer holidays. 

I would say Congress Kadlekaai is a perfect snack for weight watchers or those on diet as we hardly use 1 tsp oil .Also,peanuts are a good source of protein and also helpful to keep us filled from our mid morning hunger pangs .

Loaded with very simple spices, the highlight is the use of curry leaves and slightly extra asafoetida/hing which gives it a very delicious flavor .  These masal kadle are also used as topping in various street snacks like nippat masala , girmit , tomato slice chat etc.  You can also try Peanut Chaat from Sujata's blog using these spicy congress kadlekaai for a change .

It has been raining every evening last few days in my city and congress kadlekaai are just about perfect to munch on with hot kaapi and light drizzle spraying on our face as we sip the coffee in our balcony. 

Some other popular snacks from Karnataka on my blog for your taste buds 

Kodbale

Masal Puri 

Baked Nippat

Maddur Vade

The NAME....... 

I am sure you are all wondering what is the name Congress got to do with this wonderful snack ? There are many stories that float around this name .

Some say that this snack was invented sometime around 1960s when the prestigious Indian Congress party underwent a political split due to some political reasons and also as this snack is made using split peanuts,  this name got associated. 

While some quote ,this was a popular snack that was served during party meetings with tea and hence the name .

Making congress kadlekaai is very easy except for the roasting and deskinning of the peanuts . If you have microwave then it is all the more easy to  roast and de skin the peanuts . I prefer to use the microwave for roasting the groundnuts as there is no fear of them getting over roasted or burnt .

Some people like to retain the skin after roasting ,I prefer to remove it as that is how I have been having congress for the past so many years. 

Preparation Time - 10 mins
Cooking Time - 5 mins
Complexity - Simple 

Serves - 2 

Ingredients

1 cup raw peanuts 

1/2 tsp red chilli powder 

1/4 tsp pepper powder 

1/4 tsp turmeric 

Asafoetida/hing

Fresh curry leaves 

Pinch of salt 

Pinch of powdered sugar 

1 tsp oil.

Method 

• Place the peanuts in a microwave safe plate and set the timer to 2 mins . Open the microwave and let the peanuts rest for a while.  Alternatively you can also roast the peanuts in a dry pan on a medium flame until you see the skin peeling off from the peanuts .
• Once the peanuts are warm enough to touch transfer them to a clean and dry kitchen towel.  Cover it well and rub the peanuts over the cloth with your palms,this way the peanuts get deskined easily.  Carefully open the kitchen towel and blow away the peeled skin and yiu will have clean deskinned peanuts. 
• Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan , add the curry leaves followed by the spice powders (pepper,turmeric and chilli) ..fry it on low and donot burn. 
• Add the peeled peanuts with salt and asafoetida and mix well ..continue to roast on low flame for 2 to 3 mins till all the flavors coat well .
• Turn off the stove, add the powdered sugar mix it nicely and transfer to a wide plate for it to cool down .
• Once it is warm enough to touch powder the fried curry leaves with your fingers and mix it well with the congress kadlekaai .
• Store in a dry container and enjoy. Delicious bakery style congress is ready .

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