Kadhi pakoda
Kadhi pakoda is thick yogurt and gram flour based gravy from Punjab. The tangy yogurt gravy and the crisp pakodas with a bowl of steaming rice has always topped my list of Indian comfort food! Kadhi is very popular in India. Every state has it’s own version. Punjab kadhi is tangy, creamy & yellow while gujarati kadhi is mildly sweet and white in color. South indian kadhi has vegetables in them and use curry leaves and mustard for seasoning. Usually pakodas are made out of onions, but in this recipe I have used bottle gourd(lauki).
What you'll need
For Kadhi
1 cup yogurt 2 tbsp besan (gram flour) 2 cups water 1 green chilli finely chopped 1/2 tsp grated ginger 1 tsp ghee / clarified butter 1 tsp cumin seeds 1/2 tsp mustard seeds 1/2 tsp turmeric powder 3 cloves, 1 inch cinnamon 4-5 pepper corns 1 medium sized onion cut lengthwise into thin slices 1 tsp garam masala 1 tsp kasuri methi, coriander leaves 1 tsp asafoetida Salt
For pakodas
1 tbsp minced onion 1/2 cup bottlegourd grated 1/4 cup gram flour 1/4 cup rice flour pinch of cooking soda 1/2 cup finely chopped methi leaves (optional) 1 green chilli finely chopped 1 tsp each chaat masala, chilli powder and turmeric powder salt to taste
How to
Making Kadhi
Mix the yogurt and gram flour and whisk well until there are no more lumps in the mixture.
Heat a deep bottomed sauce pan on medium flame and add ghee. Add cloves, cinnamon, pepper corns and mustard seeds. When the seeds begin to sputter, add ginger, asafoetida, green chillies, cumin seeds, onions, turmeric and sauté until the onions turn translucent.
Now turn down the flame to low and slowly add the yogurt and gram flour mixture. Turn the flame to medium and continuously stir the mixture until it comes to a boil. If the mixture is not stirred continuously, it will curdle and the water and milk solids will separate out. Once the mixture comes to a boil, it turns thick. Add some water if needed achieve desired consistency. Add some salt if needed. Turn off the heat, add kasuri methi and chopped coriander leaves.
Making Pakodas
Place all the ingredients for pakodas in a large mixing bowl. Mix well and keep aside for 10 minutes. The grated bottle gourd releases water and this itself is enough to make a batter. If not, add about 2 tbsp of water and mix well so that the flour coats the mixture uniformly. The mixture should not be runny or watery. If so, add some more gram flour.
Heat oil in a kadai over medium flame. Check if the oil is hot enough for deep frying. Drop a pinch of mixture into the oil - if it comes floating to the top immediately, then the oil is ready for deep frying. Take small portion of the mixture by hand and drop it into the oil. Repeat this process for about 7-8 fritters depending on the size of the pan. Fry them in oil until golden and crisp. Place them on a kitchen tissue to remove excess oil.
To serve this dish, place the pakodas in a bowl and pour the kadhi over it. Sprinkle some coriander leaves serve with steaming rice.
