Lunch. Dinner
Kadhi Rice with Peashoots
Kadhi
Kadhi — which is not “curry”, not soup, not gravy and not lentil. Honestly, it’s as unique as its name which I can’t even say it right (there is no phonetic sound for “dh” the way it’s pronounced in Hindi).
It’s a blend of fragrant spices cooked in a yogurt base. This recipe is my grandma’s, it’s my favorite kind of Kadhi. Each family makes it their way and they are loyal fans of their family recipe.
Serves 4 | Cook time 30 mins | Prep time 5 mins
A deep heavy bottom pan and a ladle to cook. Dutch oven works great.
A small saucepan for tempering.
Ingredients
Tadka (tempering) #1:
Asafetida - 2 pinches
Curry leaves fresh - 4 or 5
Ghee or Avocado Oil - 2 tbsp
Garlic- 6-7 cloves minced
Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Turmeric - 1 tsp
Whole dry red chillies - 2
Fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Yogurt base:
Whole milk plain yogurt - 2 lb
Gram Flour - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste - 2 tsp approx
Tadka (tempering) #2:
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Deggi Mirch (red chili powder for color not heat)
Method
Make a paste of minced garlic, coriander powder, turmeric powder, and red chili powder with little water.
Blend or mix with a whisk yogurt and gram flour. Add water to mix it well. The consistency should be thinner than a batter.
Heat the pan on medium flame and add the ghee or avocado oil. Add asafetida, curry leaves, fenugreek seeds and whole red chillies. When they begin to sizzle, add the garlic paste.
Saute till this is fragrant and the oil begins to separate.
Add the yogurt base. Stir continuously and cook on medium flame. When it begins to boil, add salt to taste.
Let it simmer for 15 mins on low heat.
Prepare the second tempering by heating ghee and adding the red chili powder. Keep a bowl of water ready to prevent it from burning. The trick is that when it starts simmering, reduce heat and add a little water and let it boil. Be cautious and maintain good amount of distance as this might splatter.
Transfer the Kadhi to a serving bowl and top it off with Tadka #2
Some people add fritters to this base. I like it plain with boiled white rice. I have tried frozen store bought fritters and added them to the kadhi at times and they work great.
This recipe is tried, devoured and written by Annika Srivastava