Hello friends,

Kadhi is a very common dish in every Indian household. There are different variations of Kadhi that are more popular in certain parts of the country. I posted one such variety “Sindhi Kadhi” in past and received great feedback. Today, I am going to present “Kadhi-Pakoda” which is another variation of Kadhi and is more common in the northern  region and in the eastern region it is popular with the name of “Kadhi-Bari”. Adding pakora in the kadhi multiplies the fun. The core ingredients of making Kadhi are besan and curd/yogurt and the engrossing fact is that there is no besan in this kadhi instead of that I’ve used chana dal for making both kadhi and pakoras which enhances taste. Daal gives pakoras a very soft and melt in mouth texture and I used appe pan for making pakoras without deep-frying which reduces the calories. Let me know how it comes out in the comment section. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup- Soaked Bengal gram lentil (Chana daal)

Note: Soak daal for at-least 2 hours

• 4 to 5- Garlic cloves (Lehsun) (optional)
• 1 to 2- Green chilies (Hari mirch)
• 1 teaspoon- Cumin seeds (Jeera)
• 1 ½ teaspoon- Mustard seeds (Rai)
• ½ teaspoon- Fenugreek seeds (Methi dana)
• 1 to 2- Whole red chili dry (Khadi laal mirch sukhi)
• ½ cup- Plain yogurt/curd (Dahi)
• Turmeric powder (Haldi powder)
• Red chili powder (Laal mirch powder)
• Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
• Asafoetida (Hing)
• ¼ cup- length wise sliced onion (Lambi kati hui pyaaz) (optional)
• Salt (as required)
• Oil

Method:

• Take chana daal in grinder, garlic cloves, green chilies, salt and 1 or 2 table spoon water. Grind it into a fine paste.
• Divide the paste into two parts. Take one part of daal paste in a bowl. Add 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, 1 teaspoon red chili powder, a pinch of asafoetida and 1 teaspoon salt (or as required). Mix spices with paste, now heat an appe pan and brush it with some oil. Put the paste in appe mold to make pakora. Check after few minutes if the pakoras are cooked from one side then flip them and cook it from the other side. Now take them out in a plate and keep it aside.

Note: I’ve used appe pan to make pakoras to make it healthier/ less oily but you can also deep fry them as regular pakoras if you don’t have appe pan.

• Take another part in a big bowl. Add 2 teaspoons of turmeric powder, asafoetida and yogurt/curd. Mix everything with a whisk and add 4 to 5 cups of water. (consistency should be watery as shown in picture)
• Heat 2 tablespoons of oil a deep pan. Add whole red chili and splutter fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds and mustard seeds in hot oil. Now add sliced onion sauté it for 2 to 3 minutes. Add 2 teaspoons red chili powder, 4 teaspoons coriander powder and 2 teaspoons salt (or as required) and now mix spices with onions. Slow down the flame and slowly add daal and yogurt mix in the pan and keep stirring to avoid forming lumps.
• Cook kadhi on medium flame for 5 minutes and now cover the pan with lid and let it cook on low flame for at least 20 minutes.
• Now add pakoras which we have made earlier to the kadhi, stir it and cook it covered for few more minutes.
• Heat a tablespoon of heat in a tadka pan, now add whole red chili dry, 1 teaspoon red chili powder and 1 teaspoon coriander powder and turn off the flame. Put this tadka over kadhi.
• Serve hot with rice or chapati.

Kadhi is yet another most common side dish which is made in almost every Indian kitchen and liked by most. The usual Kadhi is made of Yogurt and Besan (Gram flour) also it has many variations e.g. Saadi (Plain) Kadhi, Kadhi Pakoda, Mutter Kadhi, Bathua Kadhi etc.Sindhi Kadhi, on the other hand, uses Imli (Tamarind) paste or Amchur (dry mango) powder instead of yogurt for the tangy flavour. This popular Sindhi recipe has a unique flavourful taste thanks to the mix of roasted besan, assorted vegetables and spices. You can add as many vegetables as you like e.g. Cauliflower, Drumstick etc. It is generally served with rice and/or roti/chapati. Alternatively, it can also be used as a soup. So, go ahead and try this fantastic variation of Kadhi and add a new option to your dining table.

Ingredients:

• ½ Cup- Gram flour (Besan)
• 1- Medium sized Potato (Aloo)
• 2- Tomatoes (Tamatar)
• 6 to 8- Okra/ Ladyfingers (Bhindi)
• 6 to 8- Green Beans
• 2 to 3- Small sized Eggplant (Chaukor Kate hue Baingan)
• ½ inch- Grated Ginger (kisi Hui Adrak)
• 1- Medium sized Onion (optional)
• 1½ teaspoons- Red Chilli powder (Lal Mirch powder)
• 1 teaspoon- Turmeric powder (Haldi)
• 1½ tablespoons- Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
• 1 table spoon- Cumin powder (Jeera powder)
• 2 teaspoons- Mustard seeds (Rai)
• ½ teaspoon- Fenugreek seeds (Methi Dana)
• 1 pinch- Asafoetida (Hing)
• 1½ tablespoon- Dry mango powder (Aamchur) or 1 table spoon- tamarind paste ( Imli paste)
• Dry red chilli (Sukhi Mirchi)
• Salt (as per taste)
• ¼ cup- oil
• 5 to 6 Cups- Water

Method:

• First of all Wash/ Clean vegetables.
• Cut potatoes and eggplants into small dices, slice okra into half and then chop into ½ inch pieces, chop beans into ½ inch pieces, slice onions lengthwise and chop tomatoes into small pieces. Keep chopped vegetables aside for later use.
• Heat oil in a pressure cooker.
• Splutter fenugreek seeds and mustard seeds into oil.
• Add gram flour and stir continuously on low heat till it roast and colour changes to light brown (Do not overcook).
• Add dry red chilli (whole), turmeric powder, red chilli powder, salt and dry mango powder/tamarind paste and roast this masala mix for a minute on low heat. Then slowly add water and keep stirring to avoid lumps. (Consistency should be running)
• Let it boil for 2-3 minutes on medium-high heat and then add all the chopped vegetables and mix well.
• Pressure cook for a whistle. Leave it on low heat for 2-3 minutes and then turn off the heat. Once the pressure of the cooker releases, open the lid of the pressure cooker and transfer in a serving bowl and garnish with fresh coriander.
• Serve hot with rice and chapati as a side dish or enjoy it as soup.