• Add cilantro, besan, rice flour, salt, turmeric, garlic, and green chilies to a medium bowl. Gently crush the carom seeds in the palm of your hands and add to the bowl. Add oil, water and mix well.
• Add 1½ cups water to the Instant Pot insert. Set on Sauté mode so the water starts to heat.
Heating the water before placing the batter in the Instant Pot will result in light vadi. Make sure to do this about 5 minutes before you are ready to steam the kothimbir vadi. Boiling it for too long may cause a lot of water to evaporate.
• Grease a 7½ inch stainless steel bowl with cooking oil or spray.
• Add baking soda to the batter and mix well. Quickly pour the batter into the greased bowl. Place the bowl on the Instant Pot trivet and carefully place the trivet inside the Instant Pot. Close the Instant Pot lid with the pressure valve set to venting.
• Set Instant Pot to Steam mode, with an external timer for 12 minutes. Note: Timer function does not work with Steam/Venting, so an external timer is needed.
It is important to start the steaming process within a couple of minutes for the baking soda to work.
• Once the timer goes off, Press Cancel and open the Instant Pot after 5 minutes.
• Carefuly take out the bowl. Cut into small square pieces.
• Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat and add half the oil for pan frying. Scatter half the sesame seeds into the pan and arrange the Kothimbir Vadi pieces on top. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the bottom is golden and crisp, then drizzle the remaining oil and sesame seeds on top and carefully flip. Cook the other side for another 2 to 3 minutes until equally golden and crisp.

Serving

• Serve hot with spicy green chutney and ketchup as a snack or appetizer. They also make a wonderful addition to a Maharashtrian thali alongside dal, rice, and roti. The steamed as well as fried vadis also travels well and makes a great lunchbox or picnic food.