For a Punjabi, the love for Rajma Chawal & Kadhi Chawal overrides the love for bae. Nope, it’s not a joke. It’s the ultimate truth. Give us our bowls of rajma/kadhi chawal & we’ll happily forget the world. These are like time machines that transport us back to simpler times; to childhood when meals were hearty, eaten with family, didn’t consist of processed foods, when organic produce wasn’t a separate category, when the skies were blue-er, when scraped knees were healed with haldi ki takor (dabbing of turmeric & hot mustard oil) & when school lunch dabba consisted of parantha sabzi or maggi noodles as an occasional treat. Uff, nostalgia!
For the ignorant lot (not you), Kadhi Pakoda is a Punjabi yoghurt & chickpea flour based gravy dish with onion fritters. It is tangy & is best enjoyed with steamed rice. I like it with phulkas too 😄 There’s no one particular way of making Kadhi, but here I share how we like it at home. My recipe is spicy, has a punch of flavour & yet fairly simple to cook. I hope you’ll love it 😊
Punjabi Kadhi Pakoda
Course: MainCuisine: IndianDifficulty: Medium3
servings20
minutes50
minutesA yoghurt & gram flour gravy dish with onion fritters. Kadhi Pakoda & Rice, a match made in heaven!
Ingredients
Curd (sour): 250 gms
Besan (gram flour): 3tbsp
Heeng (asafoetida): A generous pinch
Turmeric: 1/2tsp
Red chilli powder: 1/2tsp
Methi dana (fenugreek seeds): 1/4tsp
Coriander seeds: 1/2tsp
Jeera (cumin seeds): 1/2tsp
Dried red chilli: 2
Onion: 1 small; chopped
Green chilli: 2; slit
Ginger: 1tsp; chopped
Garlic: 1tsp, chopped
Water: 5 cups
Oil
Salt to taste
For pakodas:
Onion: 3/4 cup; thinly sliced
Besan: 1/2 cup
Red chilli powder: 1/8tsp
Coriander powder: 1/4tsp
Ajwain (carom seeds): 1/4tsp
Fresh coriander: 1/4 cup; finely chopped
Cooking soda: A large pinch
Oil for frying
Salt to taste
Directions
- In a pateela (deep pan) add the curd, besan & whisk well. Add 5 cups of water & the split green chillies. Keep this on the gas on low flame & allow to boil for 15-20 minutes. Make sure you keep stirring in between.
- In a kadhai, add some oil. Once it heats up, add heeng, methi & coriander seeds. Let them splutter. Then add the turmeric & chopped ginger garlic & stir fry.
- Next, add the kadhi to this. Bring to a boil & then let it simmer.
- Now we make the pakodas. In a bowl take the besan, red chilli & coriander powders and ajwain. To this, add some water & form a batter. Now add the sliced onions, chopped green coriander & mix well. Lastly, add the cooking soda. If you feel the batter is too thick, add a couple of spoons of water.
- Drop spoonfuls of the batter in medium hot oil & let them fry well. Similarly, use up all the batter to make pakodas.
- Add salt to the kadhi now & dunk the pakodas into the simmering gravy so they soak up all the goodness.
- Lastly, we add a tadka to the kadhi. In a small tadka pan, add some oil. Put in jeera & mustard seeds. Let them splutter. Now add the curry leaves & dried red chillies. Then tip in the chopped onions & let them fry till golden. Add some red chilli powder & the tadka is ready to be added to the kadhi.
- After you add the tadka to the kadhi, let it boil for a couple of minutes & serve hot with steamed rice!
Notes
- The curd should be at room temperature otherwise the kadhi can split.
- Sour curd makes a good, tangy kadhi. If you don’t have that, add some lemon juice at the end.