Pakode wale Kadhi

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Pakode wale Kadhi – a firm favourite and comfort food now. The first time I came across this dish was when I began to take an interest in cooking, some decades ago. This was in Femina Magazine and  was described by a celebrity. I learnt words such as bagar for the first time.

My recipe does not follow the one I read in the magazine, as that required the bagar to be added to the kadhi in the end, while I actually add the curd basen mixture to the fried onions and condiments, and then do a ghee, jeera, mirch, tadka in the end . I use a lot of onions, and curd that is a day or two old.

Pakode wale Kadhi

Course: Main Dish

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 4 serving

Author: Sujata Shukla

Hot phulkas or Rice with Kadhi Pakode, a very nice dinner on a rainy evening! Made with plenty of onion and garlic, with deep fried pakode and tempered with cumin and chili.

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the Kadhi:

• 2 cups yoghurt - Plain
• 1/2 cup Bengal gram flour - (besan)
• 2 cups water
• 2 tbsps sunflower oil
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds
• 2 Green chillies
• 2 Onions - large
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 inch ginger - 1" piece
• a few curry leaves - -
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 1/4 tsp turmeric Powder
• 1 tsp cumin Powder
• 1 teaspoon salt - or to taste

For tempering:

• 1 tbsp ghee
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds
• 1 red chilli - (dry)
• a few curry leaves

For the Pakode:

• 1 cup Bengal gram flour - (besan)
• water - for mixing the batter
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin - powder
• a few curry leaves
• a few cilantro - leaves
• 1 tsp baking soda
• to taste salt
• 1 onion - about 1/2 cup when sliced
• 1 piece ginger - 1" piece
• 2 tablespoons cilantro - minced

Instructions

• Finely chop the onions and mince the garlic, ginger, green chilli, curry leaves and cilantro as per the ingredients list for the kadhi, and set aside. Mince onion, ginger and cilantro, curry leaves for the pakode and set aside.
• To make the Pakode:
• Mix the salt, turmeric, cumin powder, chilli powder and baking soda into the gram flour, add water and whisk to make a soft batter. Add the minced onion, ginger, curry leaves and cilantro and mix well. The batter should not be very fluid as it needs to be shaped into pakodas.
• Drop spoonfuls of batter into hot oil and fry in batches. Drain the pakode and set aside till needed.
• To make the Kadhi:
• Add the gram flour to the yogurt and whisk till its smooth. Add cumin powder, turmeric powder, chilli powder, pepper powder to the mixture and whisk again till all the ingredients are blended. Add water, and add salt to taste, and whisk.
• Heat 2 tbsps of oil in a large pan, sauté the cumin seeds for 10 secs. Add the chopped chilli and let them scald. Add onions and sauté till they are translucent, about 3 minutes, add the garlic and saute for 20 secs. Add the ginger and sauté for 10 secs.
  
• Pour the yogurt flour mixture into the pan. The yogurt may begin to bubble and splash, so keep the pan partially covered, except when stirring.
• Keep the kadhi on low flame, stirring frequently as it can easily catch on the bottom of the pan and char. Cook the kadhi for 10 minutes.
  
• Add a few pakode to the kadhi. If you add all of them, the pakode will be soggy, hence reserve most of them.
• Temper with curry leaves, cumin seeds and a dry red chili in hot ghee. Garnish with cilantro leaves.
• Add some more pakode just before serving.
• Serve hot with phulkas or with basmati rice.

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