Punjabi kadhi is an all-time comfort food especially in North Indian households. It's hearty and bursting with flavors, enjoy this irresistibly delicious kadhi with steaming rice or chapati and papad!!!
Ingredients
For Kadhi
- ½ cup besan (gram flour)
- 2 cups yogurt or curd (preferably sour)
- 1 medium onion (thinly sliced)
- 1 tablespoon ginger (finely chopped)
- 4-5 curry leaves (kadi patta)
- ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi dana)
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds (rai)
- 2 green chilies (slit into four)
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- A pinch of asafoetida (hing)
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 5 cups water
- Salt to taste
For Pakora (Fritters)
- ½ cup besan (gram flour)
- ¼ cup potatoes, diced small
- ½ cup onions, thinly sliced
- 1 green chili, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain)
- a pinch of baking soda
- 1 tablespoon cilantro/coriander, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon oil (to be added to the batter)
- Oil for frying
For tempering
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 2 dried whole red chilies
- ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds/saunf (coarsely crushed)
- 3-4 cloves/laung (coarsely crushed)
- a pinch of asafoetida (hing)
Instructions
For Kadhi
- In a large bowl, whisk yogurt nicely. Add water to it.
- Sieve the besan and add it to the bowl.
- Stir in turmeric powder and salt. Whisk until there are no lumps.
- Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Once it's hot, add asafoetida, curry leaves, methi dana, and mustard seeds. Let them sizzle for about a minute.
- Further, add ginger, onions, and green chilies. Saute for 3-4 minutes or till onions turn light golden.
- Add chili powder and coriander powder. Cook for another minute.
- Finally, stir in the yogurt-besan mixture. Let it come to a boil, making sure to stir frequently.
- Reduce the heat to low and let the kadhi simmer for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Adjust the salt and consistency of kadhi if need be.
For Pakora
- While the kadhi is on simmer, make the pakora.
- In a bowl, combine together besan, potato, onions, chili, green chili, cilantro, chili powder, turmeric powder, salt, baking soda, 1 teaspoon oil, ajwain, and water. The batter should neither be too thick or thin.
- Heat the oil for deep frying in a pan or kadhai over medium heat.
- Once it's hot, add spoonfuls of batter in the oil. Feel free to add the batter using your hands.
- Fry until it turns a nice even shade of golden brown.
- Put them aside in a bowl lined with a paper towel.
- Add pakora to the kadhi once it's ready.
- Transfer to a serving bowl.
For Tempering
- Heat ghee in a small pan over medium heat.
- Once it's hot, add hing, dried red chilies, mustard seeds, saunf, cloves and Kashmiri red chili powder, in that order.
- Turn off the heat. Pour the tempering over kadhi evenly.
- Serve piping hot kadhi with rice, roti, or paratha with pickle and papad on side!!!
Recipe Notes
- Adjust the consistency of kadhi before adding the tempering as per your liking.
- For a lighter kadhi, skip adding pakoras and it will still be just deliciousness.
- Final tempering in ghee along with hing, mustard seeds, whole red chilies, saunf, cloves, and chili powder is what really packs the punch. Don't skip this step.
