One of Bengaluru’s most popular snacks, the Congress peanut, became a victim of fake news last week.
The rumour is that Sreenivasa Brahmins Bakery, which created the spicy snack in 1956, has changed its name from ‘Congress kadlekai’ to ‘Modi masala’. Kadlekai is Kannada for peanuts.
The message comes in the wake of Modi’s resounding electoral victory.
The bakery, located on DVG Road in Gandhi Bazaar, Basavanagudi, draws many who buy packets of the snack to take home and munch on. NRIs, who have migrated from Basavanagudi to the US, usually drop by for old times’ sake, and carry back generous amounts of the snack.
A Basavanagudi resident said Subbamma Angandi, a condiments store nearby, was being asked by some customers to change the name of its Congress peanuts to Modi masala.
Metrolife visited Sreenivasa Brahmins Bakery, and its management said several customers had asked whether the rumour about renaming was true.
Vatsalaa Ramasprasad Iyengar, owner, scotched the rumours, and recalled the history of the 63-year-old snack.
“It goes back to the time my father-in-law Ramaswamy Iyengar made Congress in 1956. Those were ration and quota days. Since maida was in scarce supply, he started preparing something edible out of rationed peanuts, and that’s how it all began.”
Modi masala from May 30. Fake news, says the bakery
What explains its fame?
My husband Ramaprasad Iyengar later took over the business. He did a lot of research and added some ingredients to enhance the taste. The fame comes from the high-quality ingredients we use to create an original taste.
Would you rename the snack after Modi?
No, we will never do that. Some small shop in the area could have something like that with their peanuts. This is our original product and we will never rename it.
What happened when the rumour spread?
Some TV news channels asked us why we had gone in for a change and went away once we told them that we had never renamed it. Many customers asked too.
Good joke
A joke going around after the Congress lost the last elections badly was that it remained strong only in one place: Sreenivasa Brahmins Bakery.
Two items
The most popular snack at Sreenivasa Brahmins Bakery is Congress: peanuts seasoned with salt, curry leaves, asafoetida, and turmeric. The bakery has also created the Congress bun masala: a bun sliced and filled with butter and Congress peanuts. Across south Bengaluru, evening food carts offer another dish: Congress garnished with coriander, raw onions and grated carrots.
How to make Congress peanuts at home
Dry roast two cups of peanuts on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes. Once it cools down, remove the skin of the peanuts. Using a towel for this process makes
it easier. You will also have to split the peanuts in half before you continue. On a low flame, heat the oil and fry curry leaves until crisp. Then add asafoetida, roasted peanuts, turmeric powder, chilli powder, pepper powder and salt. Continue to mix it on low heat for a minute or two. Once the mix cools down, mix it with your hand so that the curry leaves crush a bit in the process. Enjoy the peanut delight hot or wait till it cools down. It’s good either way. Store it in airtight containers.