Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Bengaluru street food: the humble peanut

Got back from Bengaluru weighing some x pounds more. Among the seven sins, I might surely die of gluttony. Can you believe me if I said I ate 5 types of peanuts in Bangalore? Yes, even before chaat, chinese or any others took over the Bangalore street-food scene, there was the humble peanut in its many varieties.

Raw
Sold on carts on the street. Juicy. High in protein.

Roasted
Usually roasted over coal or hot sand stoves. Crunchy munchies. Some eat it with a piece of jaggery. Some eat it with chilli and lime.

Boiled
Boiled in water with a spoonful of salt. Soft and succulent goodness.

Bonda kadalekaayi (Bonda peanut)
Battered in spicy chickpea flour and fried in oil. Can we make it any less healthy? Unlikely. Can we make it any more tasty? Unlikely.

And last but not the least, the Congress:
When Mrs.Indira Gandhi decided to split the Congress party, the snack makers of Bangalore decided they would follow the leader and split the humble peanut. While she split the party, added politicking masala and ruled roost over India, the snack-makers split the peanut, added masala, roasted and ruled over Bangalore. Thus was born the Congress kadaLekaayi (peanut) or simply 'Congress'. A mind-numbing, tongue-burning, cant-stop-eating peanut snack, the likes of which Bangalore had never tasted before.

11 comments:

  1. You were in Bangalore? And didn't let me know?
    *turns back and sulks*

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  2. how fun. Just reading about it all makes me want to go eat some...

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  3. My fave is the boiled kind. And "Congress"? LOL, never heard that one before.

    Good to have u back in form :)

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  4. OMG!! The Congress kadle is like a thing to be worshiped at our place! I mean...if my FIL comes over and his luggage does not smell of the pungent hing....well...we don't know because that never happens. Maybe the universe would collapse into itself or something....

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  5. Starry: Heartfelt apologies. I didn't call or email any of the BLR bloggers. The loss is truly mine.
    MFT: Yes!
    Sands: Come on over.
    TPL: Me too loves the boiled kind.
    Clueless: Hey, how are you? Congress with chopped onions and stuffed inside buns seems to be the new rage. :)

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  6. i'm miffed too!
    just glad ur trip was fun! :)

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  7. What's with karnataka and reference to politics for everything? We had weeds in the Mangalore house that grew like crazy and they were called "Communists"!! My toothless grandma pronounced it "communiSHttt"!
    PS: I love peanuts and eat it with everything.. in fact I think the hard skin on my feet is actually peanut shell!!

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  8. Meanderer: Sorry! :(
    Guddi: The parthenium weeds are called 'Congress' too, really.

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  9. 'congress' for once sounds good!

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  10. Congress kadlekayi is my all time favourite ... I especially like it when a little zing is added with onion, coriander and lime ... simply delicious .... what was that called ... if I recollect right "Raja's special" I think :D

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