The rains have started in our part of the world and I feel like drinking cups of hot ginger tea, watching the rain from my balcony. Wouldn’t it be nice, to have some crispy crunchy snacks to go with it?! After all, the season demands it. I am not the one to love deep fried food – neither cooking nor eating. I am always searching for easy, quick and yet, healthy snack options. Congress Kadalekai ticks all the right boxes, makes for a delicious snack for anytime of the day.

Congress Kadalekai or Kadle Beeja is a Bangalore specialty – spicy roasted masala peanuts. You can see this being roasted on the pushcarts during evenings, with the aroma wafting all around and one cant resist it at all. It is however interesting to know how congress kadlekai got its iconic name of a political party. There are many stories floating around and one of it is how these peanuts are split in half before roasting, very similar to the split in the congress party in late 1960s. The other story talks of how this legendary recipe was built by the owner of a popular bakery joint – Bangalore Iyengar’s Bakery, to make up for the unavailability of baking supplies like maida. Whatever is the reason behind name and recipe, all I can say is, it is really delicious.

As much as I love my Microwave Masala Peanuts, I would love this simple snack for how easy and effortless it is. I particularly love to have this with my evening tea or coffee and the best part is that it requires less than 2 teaspoon of oil to make it. It is crunchy and spicy, with classic South Indian spices. Curry leaves are an important addition to this recipe of Congress Kadalekai. In a unique twist, roasted curry leaves are crushed by hand at the end, lending a great flavor to the roasted peanuts. Although I removed the skin of the peanuts, I usually don’t do this often. Also, to save time peanuts can be roasted in microwave. Just set them in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 3-4 mins at high power, tossing every minute or so. That’s it! So, enjoy this guilt-free snack next time you crave something crunchy with your evening tea/coffee 🙂

How to make Congress Kadalekai | Spicy Masala Peanuts

📖 Recipe

Detailed step-wise picture recipe of making Congress Kadalekai | Spicy Masala Peanuts

  1. Heat a thick bottomed pan, add raw peanuts. Dry roast them on low flame, giving a constant stir.

  2. As the peanuts pop and are aromatic, remove from heat. Let them cool down.

  3. Remove peanut skin by rubbing peanuts between your palms, there by breaking each peanut in half.

  4. In the same pan, heat oil. Add curry leaves followed by red chilli powder, black pepper powder, turmeric powder and asafoetida. Fry for few seconds.

  5. Add de-skinned peanuts and mix them well so that the spices are coated.

  6. Add salt as needed and fry for a minute. Remove from heat.

  7. Crush the curry leaves and once cooled down, store in an airtight container. Serve with coffee/tea.

Recipe Notes

Adjust spices as per preference. Peanuts can be roasted on stove top or microwave. In microwave safe bowl, add peanuts and set them on micro high for 3-4 mins, tossing them over every minute until they are roasted well.

I would be delighted to know if you have tried this recipe, don’t forget to share your feedback and comments below. If you have any questions, you can e-mail me! I am also available on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter 🙂