There is always a personal, regional or cultural take on most recipes and Pakora Kadhi is no exception to that. Yo may well be familiar with this gram flour and yoghurt based sour stew, with deep fried pakoras/fritters dunked in, served over rice or with chapattis/naan.
In Muslim households where almost everything includes some form of meat, this was indeed a well loved dish to be made on ‘naga’ – meatless days.
The beauty of the presentation of this dish lies in the tarka – tempering of spices in hot oil, then literally dropped over the ready kadhi. Please choose to skip this stage for a healthier kadhi.
Despite there being many varieties of recipes online, I will revert to the one my mum makes, of course am totally happy to be accused of prejudice.
Ingredients
Pakoras/Fritters
- 250 gm onions chopped fine
- 250 gm potatoes chopped fine
- 2 tbs finely chopped fresh coriander
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp red chillie powder
- half tsp turmeric
- half tsp ajwain
- 1 tbs whole cumin
- qtr tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tbs crushed dry coriander
- 1 cup gram flour/baisen
- oil for deep frying
Kadhi
- 2 cups full fat yoghurt (add 2 tbs lemon/lime juice if its not sour)
- half cup gram flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp red chillies
- half tsp turmeric
- 1 tbs crushed onion
- 6 tbs oil (can use leftover oil from frying pakoras)
- 1 tbs ginger and garlic crushed
- 6-10 curry leaves (can omit)
- 2 green chillies cut into quarters
Tarka (Optional)
- Skip this stage for a healthier version
- half cup oil
- 5 whole dried red chillies
- 1 tbs whole cumin
- 2 tsp Kashmiri red chillies
- 6-8 curry leaves
- 2 tbs freshly sliced green coriander
Method
- Put all the pakora ingredients except the oil into a bowl, mix well and keep aside for half an hour for the vegetables to release moisture.
- Mix once, if required add a tablespoon of water at a time and mix until a thick batter is formed.
- Heat the oil to medium in a karahi or wok, drop a spoonful of batter into the oil and continue adding batter until you have about 10 pakoras in the oil. Once you see the batter firm up, use a fork to turn over, let both sides turn light brown in colour and until vegetables are cooked.
- Remove onto paper kitchen towel and keep aside. Fry another batch if you have leftover mixture.
- Put the yoghurt, gram flour, salt, red chillies and turmeric into a blender. Add 1.5 litre of water, blend well and keep aside. You can mix all these ingredients in a bowl using a fork instead of a blender.
- Put the oil into a large pan, add the crushed onions, saute for 2-3 mins, add the ginger, garlic, curry leaves and green chillies, cook together for 2 mins.
- Add the yoghurt and gram flour mixture, bring to the boil and then keep on simmer for 40-50 mins you may need to add a cup of water if it becomes too thick.
- Taste and add salt and chillies if required.
- Once it resembles a thick soup, add the pre-fried pakoras/fritters, bring to the boil, keep on a rolling boil for 5 mins. Can be served at this stage for a healthier kadhi.
- For the tarka (tempering) add oil to a frying pan, add the whole dried red chillies, cumin, curry leaves and Kashmiri red chillies, stir together, when the mixture starts to splutter, drop onto the bubbling kadhi and switch off heat. (Omit for healthier version).
- Pour into a soup tureen or deep bowl, garnish with fresh coriander and serve with plain boiled rice or naans/chapattis.
