Kadhi one of the most popular yogurt based gravy thickened with or without chickpea flour(besan) , prepared in minimum spices and tempered with fenugreek seeds/ mustard seeds /cumin seeds and curry leaves(optional) with chickpea fritters(pakora/pakodi)

Today I have here one of my favourite food. Kadhi Pakodi or Pakoda..I love Kadhi Pakora and I really miss Kadhi cooked by my mom. Whether I go to my parent's house or she comes to our place this is one thing that we all want her to cook for us. Whenever I make Kadhi, my kids always tell me "why don't you cook kadhi like naani(maternal grandmom)". The kadhi made by her is so perfect !! the pakoras are melt in mouth and she doesn't even add baking soda to it as many people add to the batter while making pakora for softness!!

Kadhi is a favourite comfort food among most of the Indians. It is very popular especially in the states of Uttar Pradesh(U.P), Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujrat. Other states too have their own version. Each version is equally delicious and comforting with it's own uniqueness. Kadhi from Gujarat is has a sweeter taste to it and it is made with or without besan/chickpea flour. In U.P it has a sour taste as it is made from Khatta dahi(sour yogurt). Punjabi Kadhi is very much similar to the one from U.P. In rajasthani kadhi no pakodi are added , also it is thinner in consistency and it is mainly served with Pyaz Ki Kachoris. Down in south India, yogurt based curries are popular but are made without the addition of chickpea flour and have different local ingredients like coconut.

The kadhi pakodi that I am presenting here s from U.P. I learnt this from my daadi(grandmom) and mom. My daadi used to make amazing kadhi and like my kids look forward to kadhi made by mom, we look forward to her preparation.

Traditionally we used khatta dahi/buttermilk for making it. In India, many people use homemade yogurt/curd. Every night they make a new batch. Due to the hot climate in India, the curd turns sour very soon . People avoid eating sour curd especially at night,as it is considered harmful to health.The leftover is stored for making butter and ghee. Buttermilk that is left from the butter preparation for ghee, is used for making Kadhi. The sour curd can also be used for making Kadhi. So, Kadhi is a weekly or fortnightly affair in many households.

The popular combination with Kadhi is Steamed Rice. But I like it even with chapatis. My mom always makes some Jeera Aloo along whenever she makes Kadhi. Kadhi Chawal(Kadhi and Rice) aur aloo ki subzi was one of our favorite weekend meal at my Mom's house. My hubby was not a Kadhi fan when I got married, and I was like.'why doesn't he eats Kadhi ? but slowly and gradually he also has started eating it?. My kids just love Kadhi Chawal but they like to have it without jeera aloo.

How to Cook Kadhi.

Kadhi means 'to cook on slow flame".Yogurt and chickpea flour mixture is cooked on slow flame till it thickens. When my grandmom lived in village she always cooked kadhi on Chulha a kind of earthen brick stove, though she had gas -stove too. It took around an hour or so to make it. But, the taste of the kadhi used to just so different and just so delectable.. Those who have eaten kadhi made on slow flame on chulla or have eaten at dhabas will agree with me. Still many people do that. Now a days, people don't have much time so and also to save the wood and reduce smoke they cook on gas stoves, in a heavy bottomed kadhai or pan. And with the introduction of Instant Pot/Nutripot(in India) we can now cook kadhi under 30 minutes from start to end. After I have bought my Instant Pot I always cook Kadhi in it. This is how things change with time and technology!!

Pakora/Pakodi for Kadhi

Pakora/Pakori as chickpea fritters that we add to Kadhi. You can make plain fritters or can also add finely chopped fresh spinach/fenugreek/coriander cilantro leaves to it.

For Pakodi, make the batter of besan/chickpea flour,add caraway/ajwain seeds and salt. The batter should be of thin consistency. Many people complain that the pakodi come out hard To get soft pakodi, keep these pointers in mind while making pakodi.. you will never get hard pakodi.

• To get soft and melt in mouth Pakodi, always beat the batter well. Just like the way we beat batter for Dahi Vada. The batter should be light and airy. This is the secret to making melt in mouth pakodi for Kadhi.
• You can also add a pinch of baking soda if you don't want to do all the muscle work!!
• Drop the batter into hot oil and fry till medium brown. Drop small lumps of batter you can use a tsp for that. The batter swells up
• To test whether the batter is light enough to fry and give soft pakodi, take water in a bowl, drop a tsp of batter in water. If it floats up the batter is ready.

Making Kadhi

To make Kadhi we need yogurt/curd/dahi,chickpea flour or besan. Kadhi is made by mixing besan with yogurt and water along with turmeric powder, salt. You can add some red chilli powder also along with it. If you don't like sour yogurt add a tsp of sugar to it.

I use mustard oil for making Kadhi and tempering it with fenugreek seeds and cumin seeds with hing or asafoetida. I also use garlic and onions for tempering kadhi when I cook it and also before serving it.

To temper Kadhi in pan, heat mustard oil till it's smoking point. Cool it a bit then add 1 tsp of asafoetida/hing. Add fenugreek seeds and cumin seeds along with whole red chillies. Once the spices give aroma, add coarsely garlic and green chilli(optional), saute till the garlic turns light brown. Add finely sliced onions and fry till light brown. Also, add chilli powder if you want. Add the tempering to Kadhi and cover with lid for a while, till the aroma of spices and garlic infuses in kadhi.

Few pointers to keep in mind to get the right consistency of Kadhi ..

• Mix besan/chickpea flour well in curd. Take care it does not form lumps. If you get lumps strain it through a sieve..
• If you are making Kadhi for first time, follow the recipes, later you can adjust the recipe as per your required consistency(thick or thin). Also, kadhi gets thickened once it starts to cool down. Add ,1/4 cup or as required lukewarm water to it before serving to get the right consistency.
• Soak the fenugreek seeds a 2-3 minutes before preparing tempering. Drain water and dry the seeds on a paper towel before adding to tempering.
• Once you add kadhi to pan to cook keep mixing it for first few minute, else it will curdle.

You can also add curry leaves to the tempering. Add a tsp of desi ghee before serving it. Ghee enhances the taste of Kadhi.

So let's see my version of Kadhi Pakora..

So, do try my version of Kadhi Pakodi either in Instant Pot or on stove top kadahi, I am sure you will surely like it. Hot Kadhi with steamed rice with some onions on side is for sure a comforting treat. I make a big batch of Kadhi and usually keep it at least for myself for the next day. I can even have it like a soup with any rice or chapati. I feel Kadhi just like Dal Makhani tastes better the next day. Temper it again with a pinch asafoetida, cumin seeds and red chilli powder before having it.

You can make it without pakodi or add some boondi to it, if you are on low-fat diet or don't like to add pakodis in it. Make Pakodi in Appe Pan if you have, for the non-fried version.

Skip garlic and onion for no-onion no-garlic version and for the gluten-free version skip asafoetida.

Linking my Kadhi Pakodi recipe to my Foodie Monday Bloghop Facebook group for the theme #191DahiDelights, suggested by Priya Iyer who blogs at The World Through My Eyes.Do check her blog where she has some amazing recipes from South Indian and Gujarati Cuisine.

Also,do check what my fellow bloggers have brought to the Dahi Delights!!

Hope you will love my version of Kadhi Pakora as much as we love it!! Do give it a try.

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