Kadhi (Gram Flour Fritters in Yogurt Sauce)

Today I am going to share a vegetarian dish with you and although it uses very few ingredients it is loaded with spice and flavor. The name of the recipe is Kadhi (Gram flour fritters in yogurt sauce). Now let me tell you, Kadhi is not a Bengali dish but my mom has always been an avid cook and we have always enjoyed different cuisines in our home. Be it Chinese, Punjabi, North Indian or South Indian dishes, all we had to do was request mom for it and she would try it for us and every once in a while she would surprise us by preparing this delicious dish.

As you know, I was in Delhi for more than seven years. I never thought that all those years of eating multi cuisines will actually help me while living alone. Punjabi food is very different than Bengali food and I just love it! Be it the heavy Parathas, Butter Chicken and Naan, Chole Bhature or Kadhi Chawal, I enjoy every bite of it.  I think it is important to know different cuisines because they make your life really easy. You have tons of foods to choose from and never have to eat the same meal everyday. I often used to get a plate of Kadhi Chawal from the office cafeteria and now I prepare it whenever I want. 

So, let me tell you more about this delicious dish. Kadhi is prepared in two phases. In phase one, we will prepare some gram flour fritters. Now if you have already tried my Pyaz Ke Pakore recipe, this is going to be really easy for you. In phase two, we will prepare a thick yogurt and gram flour based sauce. We will be using Asafoetida, Garam Masala, Cumin Seeds and Ghee to develop that delicious flavor and aroma in the sauce. Don’t worry about the list of ingredients, you should be able to find them in your local Indian store. 

When buying gram flour for this recipe, do check that it is not meant for preparing sweets. Gram flours are mostly of two varieties – fine and granular. The fine smooth flour is used for making the batters of fritters and Cheela while granular gram flour is used for making sweets like Besan ka Laddoo. Last time, I mistakenly got the granular gram flour packet and although it tasted the same, I could see that the fritters didn’t have that smooth texture. Before starting on the sauce, prepare the batter for the Pakoris and leave it for at least 15 minutes so that it absorbs water. You can also prepare some extra batter and use your favorite vegetables to prepare fritters. Store the gram flour in an airtight container away from heat and light.

Now let’s talk about Ghee (clarified butter). Although Ghee is higher in calories, it brings that aromatic flavor in a dish which cannot be substituted by anything else. However, if you are not planning to use it everyday, make sure to put it in fridge. When ready to use, keep it outside for a while so that the ghee softens. Do not heat the container in the microwave.

To prepare Kadhi, you will need a bowl, whisk, wok and spoon and a deep pan or wok for making the sauce. This recipe does not require any time consuming preparations like chopping a load of vegetables but the sauce is cooked on simmer so I suggest to start with the sauce then fry the Pakoris and then cook roti or rice.

While making the Pakoris do not add any baking soda in them. Kadhi Pakoris are dense unlike the Pyaz Ke Pakore which we want light and crispy. Dense Pakoris wont absorb the sauce thus retaining their shape and taste. If you are using the leftover Pyaz Ke Pakore in the Kadhi, add them in the sauce just before serving. Keep adding water and stirring the sauce till the gram flour added in it is all cooked. The stirring will also make sure there are no lumps in it. If you think the consistency is too thin, turn up the heat a bit so that it gets thicker.

Since Kadhi is prepared with yogurt it is considered a cool summer dish and is usually paired with steamed rice. However, I also love it with Rotis, onion rings and a green chili. Do not be afraid to add the red chili powder, it will bring a hint of heat in the mild dish.

Bon Appetit!

Ingredients (This recipe serves two):

For the sauce:

• Plain Yoghurt - 1 cup 
• Gram Flour – ¼ cup 
• Turmeric – ¼ teaspoon
• Chilli Powder - ¼ teaspoon
• Salt - to taste (about ¼ teaspoon)
• Garam Masala – ½ teaspoon
• Water - 3 Cups 
• Oil – 2 tablespoons
• Asafoetida - ½ teaspoon
• Cumin Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Whole Red Chili – 2 – 3

For tempering the sauce:

• Ghee – ½ tablespoon
• Red Chilli Powder - ½ teaspoon

For The Pakoris:

• Gram Flour – 1 cup
• Salt – to taste (about ½ teaspoon)
• Oil – 1-2 cups

Let’s do a little preparation for the Pakoris:

• Sift the Gram Flour to remove any lumps. 
• Add the Salt in it and mix well.
• Add about ½ cup of water in it. Mix well to form a smooth batter. It should have a thick consistency. 
• Let the batter rest for at least 15 minutes. 

Directions to prepare the Sauce:

• Sift the Gram Flour to remove any lumps. This also makes it light and easier to mix.
• Mix the Gram Flour, Turmeric, Chilli Powder, Salt and Garam Masala in a big bowl.
• Add the Yoghurt gradually to this mixture to form a smooth paste, when it becomes difficult to mix start adding the water.
• Heat the Oil in a large wok over medium high heat.
• Add the Asafoetida, Cumin Seeds and Whole Red Chilies.
• When the Cumin Seeds begin to sizzle, add the mixture prepared above and mix.
• Bring to a boil then turn the heat to low. Cover and cook.
• Keep cooking till the Gram flour cooks properly (about 15-20 minutes) stirring occasionally.

Directions to prepare the Pakoris:

• Heat a wok on medium high heat.
• Beat the batter with a spoon. 
• When you see small bubbles on the surface of the oil, carefully start dropping the batter in the oil using a small scoop or spoon. Do not add too many Pakoris in the oil all at once as it will drop the temperature of the oil and make the Pakoris greasy (Tip: Try to use a spoon with a long handle so that you can drop the batter closer to the oil, remember the farther you are the more it can spill making the oil jump).
• Fry the Pakoris till they are light golden brown in color. 
• Carefully remove with a spider spoon and place in a dish lined with kitchen paper.

Directions to temper the Kadhi:

Indian cooking often involves tempering hence my mom has given me a special temper pan. It’s a small pan about the size of a cup. It has a sturdy handle and a flat base which makes it easier to place on the stove top. Now, if you have even a slightest doubt that the pan will not stay put on the stove top, it will be best to hold the handle till it heats up and the spices sizzle. You can get the temper pan from Amazon.com using the keyword - Tadka pan.

• Add the Ghee and Red Chili Powder in the pan and heat it over medium high heat.
• Once the Chili powder melts in the ghee and you start getting an aroma, turn off the heat and carefully pour it over the Kadhi (cover immediately, sometimes the hot spices make the water in the dal or Kadhi jump).
• Add the Pakoris in the Kadhi and mix well.
• Serve hot with steamed rice or Roti.

Tip:

• If you don’t have a temper pan, use a small frying pan for this step.

We had a game viewing party and we cooked a couple of dishes. Debarshi prepared (from the top left) Tandoori Chicken, Coconut Lamb and Pulao. I prepared the Naan and Rajma.

Recommended Reading:

• Pyaz Ke Pakore
• How to deep fry food with confidence
• How to know when the oil is hot enough to fry
• Garam masala
• Excited to use new spices? Know more about Hing (Asafoetida)
• Indian Salad
• Boondi Raita
• Make Homemade Ghee from Spoiled Cream
• Jeera Rice (Rice flavored with Cumin Seeds)
• Alu Kulcha (Indian Flat Bread with Potato Filling)
• Korola Alu (Stir fried Bitter Gourd with Potatoes)
• Shadi wala Masala Gobhi (Spiced Cauliflower with Potatoes as served in North Indian Weddings)

This recipe has been featured on the #sharphomeusa instagram account.