Punjabi Kadhi

Punjabi Kadhi 

Kadhi Chawal and Punjabi taste go hand in hand. As someone who comes from a Punjabi family, Kadhi has always been one of the preferred dishes in our home's menu. The distaste for Lauki and Tori has been almost as blatantly obvious as the love for Kadhi and Rajma Chawal among the kids. During my entire life I have never witnessed a person getting bored of Kadhi Chawal and so, I thought of sharing the recipe of this luxurious dish. It's also a dish that reminds us of 'Maa ke Haath ka khaana'. As a recipe, it has been passed down by our ancestors and would forever hold their affection and love.

Our worries towards our health has grown during the past few decades and so the diminishing amount of Ghee is no surprise. However, once in a while consuming Kadhi with a tadka of Desi Ghee in an amount that reminds your taste buds what royalty tastes like won't hurt. My modern 'tadka' comes in the form of greens (my daughter still disproves it though). As someone who lives in a high rise apartment, kitchen garden is a luxury that I can't afford. Various planters, though a substitute, don't come that close to a kitchen garden. However the Palak and Methi from these planters add a beautiful colour, taste and nutrition to my dish. So, enjoy this recipe that has been passed down for ages now and relish the warmth that it provides.

Preparation Time : 30 Min

Resting Time : 30 min to 1 hour

Cooking time : 30 Min

Ingredients :  

Video : 

For Kadhi : 

• Gramflour besan 2 Tablespoon
• Sour Curd 2 Cup (or if you have a normal curd just add 1 tablespoon lemon juice and keep it on room temperature for 30 mins
• Onion 1 sliced
• Curry Leaves 8 to 10
• Mustard seed 1 Teaspoon
• Pinch of hing
• Garlic finely chopped 1/2 Tablespoon
• Green chilly chopped 1 Teaspoon
• Salt according to taste
• Red chilly powder according to taste
• Fenugreek seeds 1 teaspoon 
• Turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon
• Oil 1 tablespoon
• Water 3 - 4 cup

For Pakora : 

• Gram-flour besan 1/2 cup
• Onion 1 finely chopped
• Potato 1 small finely chopped
• Spinach 10 to 15 leaves finely chopped
• Salt according to taste
• Green chilly chopped 2
• Red chilly powder according to taste
• Oil for frying
• Water as required

For Tarka Tempering : 

• Ghee 1 Tablespoon
• Curry leaves 5 to 6
• Mustard seed1/2 teaspoon
• Dry red chilly 2 to 3
• Red chilly powder 1/2 teaspoon 

Procedure : 

• For Kadi : 
• In a bowl add gram flour, curd, salt, fenugreek seeds, red chilly powder, turmeric powder mix it well so that no lumps are formed, now add water to this slowly slowly till you get a smooth texture. Keep this aside for 30 to 40 minutes 

• In a big heavy bottom pan add a tablespoon of oil heat it. Now add pinch of hing, mustard seed and fenugreek seeds. 

• Now add curry leaves, chopped garlic and green chillies roast it for a minute 

• Now add sliced onions cook it for 2 to three minutes once it is slightly cooked, add curd mixture. Stir continuously till it boils. Once kadhi starts boiling lower the heat and allow kadhi to cook for 20 to 25 minutes. 

• In the mean time let's prepare the pakora. In a bowl add chopped onions, potato, spinach,green chilly, salt, chilly powder along with besan. Now add some water your pakora mixture is ready.

• In a pan heat oil drop a spoonful of pakora mixture. Deep fry pakora on medium heat till it is nicely cooked and golden brown from all sides. 

• Take out pakora on a tissue paper
• Before serving add pakoras to the kadhi 

• Transfer kadhi in a serving dish and top up with the tadka. For tadka heat ghee in a pan reduce the flame add mustard seeds, curry leaves, dry red chilly and chilly powder. Pour this tadka on hot kadhi . Serve with boiled rice and enjoy ...