Kadhi Food

GUJARATI KADHI

Steps:

• In a bowl mix the gram flour (besan), green chilly-ginger paste, yogurt, sugar and salt with water.
• Beat to a smooth mixture without any lumps.
• In a saucepan heat oil. Keep the heat to low. First add mustard seeds and let them crackle and splutter.
• Then add cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, cloves, curry leaves, broken and deseeded red chilies, fenugreek seeds and asafoetida (hing). Fry on a low heat for a minute taking care not to burn the spices.
• Add the yogurt-water mixture which we had prepared earlier. Stir and mix well.
• Give a boil first on medium-low to medium heat. Then simmer for 5 to 7 minutes more or as required on low to medium-low heat. There should be no raw taste of besan.
• Continue to stir in between and often to avoid lumps from getting formed while the kadhi is cooking.
• Once done garnish with chopped coriander. Serve Gujarati kadhi hot or warm with steamed rice or phulka accompanies with a vegetable side dish, pickle and salad.
• Any leftover kadhi can be consumed on the same day.

KADHI RECIPE (PUNJABI KADHI PAKORA)

Steps:

• In a bowl take the sour curd and whisk it well till smooth
• Add gram flour, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder and salt to the whisked curd.
• Stir and mix everything again.
• Add 3 cups water and stir again.
• Stir very well to make a smooth mixture without lumps. If there are lumps, then break them with a wired whisk or a spatula or with your fingers. Set the curd slurry aside.
• You can use a blender to make this mixture, but make sure you don't over do it. You will get butter instead of a smooth blended curd.
• Take the gram flour in a bowl and add carom seeds, red chili powder, garam masala powder and salt.
• Add 1 cup thinly sliced onions.
• Mix everything well and set aside covered for 30 minutes.
• This will allow the onions to release their water in the mixture. Depending on the water content in the onions, the mixture will become very moist or just about moist.
• Then accordingly add water as required to make a thick batter. I added ¼ cup water.
• Heat oil for deep frying in a pan or kadai. Let the oil become medium hot. Then with a spoon carefully drop the pakora batter in the oil.
• When the pakora are partly cooked, then turn over and fry the other side.
• Fry till the pakora are crisp and golden.
• Remove the fried pakora and place them on a kitchen paper towel so that extra oil is absorbed. Fry the pakora in batches this way. When done set all of them aside.
• In another pan or kadai, heat mustard oil. Make sure to use a large bottomed pot so that while boiling, the kadhi does not spill.
• Add the cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds and asafoetida. Allow the cumin seeds to crackle and the fenugreek seeds to change their color. Fry on a low flame, so that these spices do not get burnt.
• Add chopped onions. Stir and sauté for 3 minutes on a low to medium-low heat.
• Then add chopped ginger, chopped garlic and chopped green chillies. Stir and sauté for a minute.
• Now add curry leaves, dry red chilies (halved or broken and seeds removed). Stir and sauté for a minute on a low flame.
• Then add the curd slurry.
• Stir very well.
• Increase the flame to medium and bring the kadhi to a boil. Keep on stirring often so that the bottom does not get browned. Time taken to cook kadhi will be around 14 to 16 minutes.
• After the kadhi has come to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for more 6 to 7 minutes. The kadhi will thicken.
• If the kadhi becomes too thick, then add some hot water.
• Now add the onion pakora to the kadhi and stir gently.
• Cover with a lid and let the onion pakora be soaked in it for 8 to 10 minutes.
• Lastly sprinkle some garam masala powder.
• Serve kadhi pakora with steamed rice or cumin rice, topped with few teaspoonfuls of ghee. You could also have kadhi with roti or paratha.

GUJARATI KADHI

Steps:

• Mix the water, yogurt, and chickpea flour together in a large saucepan until smooth; add the green chile peppers, ginger, sugar, turmeric, and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil and then immediately reduce heat to low; cook on low 5 to 10 minutes.
• Heat the oil and ghee together in a small skillet over medium heat; fry the dried red chile peppers, curry leaves, cumin seeds, mustard seed, and asafetida powder in the the mixture until the seeds splutter. Stir the mixture into the saucepan with the cilantro. Serve hot.