Congress Kadlekai Recipe

Congress Kadlekai/Masala Peanuts Recipe is a popular snack from Karnataka made by dry roasting the raw peanuts and are seasoned with spice mixture and tossed until well incorporated.

In Karnataka, this is famously found in condiment stores and Iyengar bakeries. Also, you generally see the street chat stalls keeping a big box of congress kadlekai and adding them to the churmuri and other chat recipes.

It is nutritious, healthy, guilt-free, and a good time-pass snack for those lengthy chit-chats. And the best part is you can recreate it at home in just a few minutes, it's that easy. They can be made in under 5 minutes, if you already have roasted and de-skinned peanuts.

You can also try other Karnataka recipes like Girmit, Nargis Mandakki, Maddur Vada, Masala Puffed Rice|Spicy Garlic Puffed Rice, Mandakki Usli Recipe, Besan Masala Peanuts

Why Is Masala Peanuts called Congress Kadlekai?

There are quite a few stories that go back to 1970s. For example, one of the stories says that, following the split of the congress party, they started calling peanuts as Congress Kadlekai because we split the peanuts into two haves to make this spicy, crunchy snack.

Ingredients

• raw peanuts or ground nuts or kadlekai or shenga
• oil
• red chili powder
• black pepper powder
• turmeric powder(haldi)
• asafoetida(hing)
• curry leaves
• powdered sugar (optional)
• Salt

How to Make Congress Kadlekai Recipe

1. In a thick-bottomed pan/kadai, dry roast the raw peanuts until light brown under the medium-low flame. Peanuts will also start crackling. Take care not to burn the peanuts.
2. Cool the roasted peanuts and remove the skin by rubbing your hands between the peanuts, if not all. A little bit of skin on the peanuts is ok, and then halve the peanuts.
3. Place a kadai/pan on low flame. Heat the oil and add in curry leaves and fry until crisp.
4. Next, add all the spice powders like red chili powder, pepper powder, asafoetida, and turmeric powder. Give a quick stir. Make sure not to burn the spices.
5. Immediately add de-skinned and halved peanuts, salt, and sugar for taste. Adding sugar is optional, but I highly recommend it.
6. Mix well for a minute under a very low flame. The masala has to coat the peanuts well. Switch off the stove and keep it aside.
7. Once it is cool enough to mix with hand, crush the curry leaves well using your hands. Doing this will help in blending the curry leaves well with the peanuts.
8. Serve the spiced congress kadlekai recipe with some tea or top it on churmuri, tomato slice chaat, or any chat.

What to Serve with Congress Kadlekai?

Serve Congress Kadlekai as an evening snack with tea or coffee.

It is also topped on different chats like tomato slice chaat, churmuri, girmit, boti masala, and congress masala, or can be sprinkled on salads.

It is also eaten as a side with cocktail drinks.

Tips to make the Best Congress Kadlekai

• Roast the peanuts on low flame, or else it will not be crunchy. Also, it might get a side odor, and it would taste bad after a few days.
• Removing the skin is key to how the congress kadlekai tastes, but it's okay to have a little bit of skin left.
• Adjust spices according to your choice. While making the tempering, make sure the heat is low. If not, the spices will burn.
• Adding sugar to the spiced kadlekai recipe is completely optional, but store-bought congress kadlekai has little sugar in them.
• You have to wait until the peanuts cool down completely before you store them in an airtight container. The Congress kadlekai stays good for a month if stored well.
• You can roast peanuts on a stovetop pan or microwave. In a microwave-safe bowl, add peanuts and micro on high for 3-4 minutes, tossing them over every minute until they roasted well.
• If you already have roasted and de-skinned peanuts at home, this can be under 5 minutes.

More Snack Recipes

• Spicy Masala Makhana
• Poha Chivda
• Corn Bhel
• Mexican Style Golgappa with Fruit Pani
• Corn Pakoda
• Airfryer Beetroot Cutlet/Tikki
• Vegetable Rice Cutlet

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