PUNJABI KADHI PAKODA/ PAKORA KADHI

Punjabi Kadhi Pakoda is an Indian yogurt gramflour curry with fried dal/ besan vada/ pakoda/ pakora and seasoned with spices and usually served with rice. Easy to make and taste is delicious. Kadhi is a curd and gram flour based gravy from Punjab and when we need crispy pakoda to it, becomes kadhi pakoda or pakoda kadhi. It is traditionally served with steamed rice but it also goes well with kichadi and chapatti too. Yogurt based curries are very popular across India and there are many variations in kadhi recipes. Just like Punjabi ladhi recipe, we have Sindhi Kadhi, Gujarati Kadhi, Maharashtrian Kadhi recipe and down South Mor Kuzhmabu is somewhat close to kadhi recipe. A very delicious and healthy flavoured Punjabi Pakoda Kadhi is my new addiction in vegetarian food. You can make it more interesting by making different styles of pakodas like I have done here or you can make palak pakoda, cabbage pakoda, onion pakoda or capsicum pakoda for this recipe to make a variation. Here I made the pakodas with urad dal batter which is left over from the bhalla batter which is made for dinner the night before.  But it tastes yummy with this too.   Spiked the yogurt curry with tadka of spices and it was so amazing that yogurt curry did not taste sour at all. I will try this curry  someday with palak pakodas and will share the recipe how differently it will tastes. So here is the step-by-step picture recipe for you all, do try it and share your experience.

INGREDIENTS:

For pakoda:

1 Cup Besan Flour [ chickpea flour]

1 teaspoon Salt

Oil for frying

For Kadhi:

2 Cups Yogurt, can be substitute with buttermilk

½ teaspoon Red Chilli Powder

½ teaspoon + 1 teaspoon Turmeric Powder

¼ teaspoon Asafoetida

½ teaspoon Cumin Seeds [jeera]

½ teaspoon Fenugreek Seeds [methi]

½ teaspoon Fennel Seeds [sauf]

½ teaspoon Mustard Seeds [rai, mohri]

1 teaspoon Kasoori Methi

1 tablespoon Oil / Ghee

1-1/2 Cup Water

For Tempering:

2 teaspoon Ghee

1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds

1 teaspoon red Chilli Powder

1 Pinch Asafoetida

2 Dry Red Chillies

Curry Leaves

METHOD:

For Making Kadhi:

STEP 1 – In a bowl, take 1 tablespoon besan  and mix it with curd/ buttermilk and  water. Mix it well with the whisk and confirm the mixture has no lumps in it.

STEP 2 - Add turmeric powder, kasoori methi and red chilli powder to it and mix well.

STEP 3 - Heat oil in a pan and add cumin, mustard, methi, sauf in it. Let them crackle.

STEP 4 – Add chopped onion and sauté well till it becomes transparent.

STEP 5 – Add the yogurt mixture to the pan and give a nice stir.

STEP 6 – Add water to adjust the consistency of kadhi and season it with salt. Let it simmer.

For Making Pakoras:[see notes]

STEP 1 – Take besan and water in a bowl and add salt to it.

STEP 2 – Whisk it well and make a lump free batter like bhajiya batter. It should be thick and not runny.

STEP 3 – Heat oil in small pan, drop small pakoras in it and fry.

STEP 4 – Take a sauce pan and heat water in it to drop the fried pakoras in it to keep them soft.

STEP 5 – Once the pakoras get brown colour, remove it from oil and drop them in warm water.

STEP 6 – Let them rest for 10-15 minutes. Drain excess water from the pakoras and add them to the kadhi  and cook it for few more minutes.

Make a tempering:

STEP 1 – Heat ghee in a small tadka pan, add all the ingredients under the title “ tempering” and add this to the kadhi before serving.

NOTES: * Here I made the pakodas with urad dal for my kadhi:

INGREDIENTS:

½ Cup Urad dal

Salt as needed

½ teaspoon Cumin Seeds

1 teaspoon Green Chilli+ Ginger paste

A pinch of Soda-bi-carb [optional]

Oil for frying

METHOD:

STEP 1 – Rinse and soak the urad dal for 4-5 hours.

STEP 2 – Rinse again, grind it in mixer grinder without using water. 

STEP 3 – Add , cumin seeds, green paste and salt in it and mix it well.

STEP 4 – Heat oil in pan, drop small pakoras in it and fry well till golden.

STEP 5 – Follow steps after step no. 5 in above pakora recipe.