It finally rained here - what a relief! I feel as though I have been living in a steam bath for days!! With the rain the temperatures dropped almost 15 degrees and its so beautifully pleasant right now. And most importantly, no mosquitoes on the horizon yet. Keeping my fingers crossed that this trend continues and we can go to the local farm to pick some fresh vegetables and fruits.
Last night I made Kadhi and Palak ke Chawal (Spinach Rice) for dinner. There are so many versions of this delicious curry that has yogurt or buttermilk as its base. My brother had dropped in and I decided to make
pakore wali kadhi for him. He was delighted and asked if I'd make the Kadhi with Methi Pakoras. Methi Pakoras are fritters made with chickpea flour, spices, onions, and fenugreek leaves. I prefer to use dried fenugreek leaves or Kasoori Methi for this recipe as it really enhances the flavour of fenugreek in the Pakoras. The combination of tangy buttermilk and bitter fenugreek is amazing.
Ingredients:
1/3 cup chick pea flour
2 cups buttermilk
11/2 cups water
1" piece ginger, smashed
1/2 tsp zeera (cumin seeds)
1 dried red chili
1/2 tsp rai (mustard seeds)
1/8 tsp hing (asafoetida)
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp haldi (turmeric)
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp ghee (Clarified Butter)
Ingredients for Pakodas:
2/3 cup chickpea flour
1/2 tsp coriander cumin powder
1/4 tsp haldi (turmeric)
1/4 tsp lal mirch (red chili powder)
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 onion, diced
1/3 cup Kasoori Methi (Dried Fenugreek Leaves)
Method:
- First, make the pakoras. Sift the chickpea flour, salt, red chili powder, coriander cumin powder, turmeric, and baking soda.
- In a separate bowl, soak the Kasoori Methi in a bowl of cold water for 2-3 minutes. Drain completely, and squeeze out any remaining water.
- Add the diced onion, Kasoori Methi, and salt to taste to the chickpea flour mix with enough water to make a batter of thick dropping consistency.
- Pour enough oil for deep frying in a wok. Heat till smoking point, then reduce the heat to medium high.
- Gently drop a tablespoons of batter at a time into the oil till you have 5-6 pakoras in the wok.
- Fry until they are puffed and golden brown. Remove and drain onto kitchen towels. Repeat the same for the rest of the batter.
- For the kadhi, heat the oil and ghee together in a deep saucepan. Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, red chili, asafoetida, and ginger. Carefully pour in half a cup of water and allow it to simmer for a couple of minutes.
- In a mixing bowl, blend together the chickpea flour, turmeric powder, and the buttermilk and remaining water.
- Slowly pour the same into the saucepan, stirring all the time. Stir constantly, reduce heat. The curry will slowly thicken to a sauce like consistency. Now bring to a boil, add salt, reduce heat to low.
- Drop the pakoras into the kadhi, cover the pan, and let it cook on low heat for five minutes.
- Turn off the heat and allow kadhi to sit for at least half an hour before serving.
- This allows the pakoras to absorb the kadhi.
Enjoy Methi Pakode Wali Kadhi with freshly steamed Basmati rice.
Good to Know:
- It is important to keep stirring the kadhi as it cooks else it will stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Allowing the pakodas to soak in the kadhi is a must. This is what makes a pakode wali kadhi really tasty.
- Kadhi is best eaten fresh, though I know people who swear that it tastes better the next day. Be aware that any leftover must be stored in the refrigerator and it will thicken substantially upon refrigeration.
- Any leftover kadhi tastes best when it is well heated and then eaten with Parathas (Indian flat breads).
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Apu
