Pakode wali Punjabi Kadhi

An Indian based,one of the most likeable must have dish consists of chickpea or gram flour gravy,sour curd or buttermilk with fritters or pakodas dipped in it.Kadhi is cooked with or without fritters and it’s ingredients are adjusted accordingly with taste.The variants includes onion,ginger,tomatoes, jaggery,raw mangoes which I have seen some cooking along with and some without it.Fritters for kadhi also have several variants,they are prepared with besan alone,onions, potatoes or spinach added to the batter.

The seasoning consists of mustard seeds,jeera or cumin seeds, asafoetida or hing,curry leaves, Fenugreek or methi seeds,whole red chilli.The curd used for kadhi must be very sour for its tangy taste else the kadhi will not taste best.

In my village,kadi is served without mixing sour curd or Buttermilk but the flavour is retained in the dish by adding tangy Tomatoes and is served with hot Puris.It can be considered as mandatory dish at my home home place that is served on special occasions when no halwai is appointed.It is cooked in no time and requires no additional ingredients that needs to be arranged specially.It is known as khaata at my homeplace.My mom used Fenugreek tadka for tempering in her kadhi.

Tips for enhancing taste

• Sour curd is a must for tangy taste in Punjabi Kadhi
• The pakodas or fritters should not be crispy but soft
• I personally add sliced onions and ajwain to pakodas for better taste
• Add a pinch of sodium bicarbonate in pakoras,makes the pakoras light and fluffy.
• Add full red chilli in tempering.Hot fat has an amazing ability to extract and retain the essence, aroma and flavor of spices and herbs and then carry this essence with it when it is added to a dish.
• Add lots of water in besan dahi batter so the kadhi is not so thick.
• Stir the curd besan water mix continuously until there comes first boil to the kadhi.This way the kadi will not split.

Ingredients

💜🖤For Kadhi

5 tbsp besan

½ tsp turmeric

1 tsp salt

1 cup curd / yogurt, sour

5 cup water

🖤💜For Tempering

1 tbsp ghee / oil/butter

1 tsp cumin / jeera

1 dried red chilli, broken

½ tsp kashmiri red chilli powder

½ tsp methi / fenugreek

pinch hing / asafoetida

5-6 curry leaves

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 onion, sliced

1 chilli, slit

2 tbsp coriander, finely chopped

🖤💜For onion pakora

2 onion, roughly chopped

¼ tsp ajwain / carom seeds

¼ tsp turmeric

1 cup besan / gram flour

½ tsp salt

2 tbsp curd

¼ tsp baking soda

oil, for frying

Follow simple steps

1.Firstly, in a large bowl take 5 tbsp besan, ½ tsp turmeric, 1 tsp salt and 1 cup curd.
Mix well forming a smooth paste

2. Heat a large kadhai and pour this besan curd mixture into it adding 4 cups of water to the mix.

3. Now half cover the kadai and simmer for 30 minutes.
Stir in between to prevent from burning.
add 1 cup water or as required and adjust the consistency.
kadhi is ready, keep aside

4. In a small bowl take all the ingredients for pakora,add a pinch soda,water and make smooth batter for pakora.

5.Fry the pakoras until it turns golden brown.drain off the pakoda onto the kitchen paper to absorb excess oil.

6. Drop in prepared onion pakora into the kadhi.
simmer for a minute or until the pakoda absorbs kadhi.

7. Prepare the tempering by heating 1 tbsp ghee or oil.
add 1 tsp cumin, 1 dried red chilli, mustard seeds,curry leaves,onion,green chilli,½ tsp chilli powder.

8. Pour the tempering over kadhi and add 2 tbsp coriander. mix well.
Finally, enjoy kadhi pakora with jeera rice or steamed rice.

Kadhi can be enjoyed anytime irrespective of season and is enjoyed by majority of members in family.Serve hot with steam rice,roti,paratha.I can eat this complete bowl with spoonful in a single go.