Pakode wali kadhi

This is one of my favorite comfort food and brings back fond memories of family, food and fun. No one can make this dish better than my Nani (grandmother) and therefore I had never tried to make it myself, until now. The dish itself is very simple with just a few ingredients but the trick lies in the way you beat the yogurt and gram flour and make it smooth and creamy.  Besan pakode, or gram flour fritters are added to the kadhi which would melt in the mouth. It is served with a tempering of  homemade ghee, cumin seeds, asafoetida, mustard seeds and red chili powder poured over it. I don't make too many fried things at home and so while I was frying pakodas for the kadhi I decided to make a few vegetable fritters using the same batter, since I already had the oil ready to go. I cannot say my kadhi was as good as Nani's but it was close and I am glad that I tried it.

Ingredients

 For Kadhi

3 cups yogurt

2 1/2 tablespoons besan (gram flour)

1tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp methi seeds

1/2 tsp asafoetida

2-3 dried red chillies

salt to taste



Plain gram flour fritters for kadhi



For pakode

1 cup besan

about 1/2 to3/4 cup water (enough to make it like cake batter consistency)

1/2 tsp carom seeds (optional)

a pinch of salt

For vegetable fritters, I used the same batter by making it a little thinner by adding more water and dipping vegetables in the batter and frying it. I used cauliflower, onions, potatoes, and green chillies.



Onions, potatoes, cauliflower, green chillies for vegetable fritters



Method 

Kadhi

Mix the gram flour in the yogurt and beat the yogurt very well. There should be no lumps and it should have a smooth and creamy texture. Heat oil in a deep pan and add the seasonings (cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, asafoetida and the dried red chillies). Now add the yogurt mixture and keep stirring it continuously till it comes to a boil. Now add 1-2 cups of water depending of the consistency you like. Add a pinch of turmeric powder, salt and boil for at least 10-15 minutes. Now add the prepared dumplings and boil for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and keep in cover for a while. Make the tempering by heating some ghee in pan and add cumin, mustard seeds, asafoetida and red chilli powder. Pour a teaspoon of this on the kadhi before serving.

Pakode

Beat the gram flour and water with the seasoning for about 5-10 minutes. To check if it is ready pour a drop of batter in a bowl of water, if the drop rises to the top the batter is ready for frying.

Heat oil for frying in a deep pan or kadhai. Drop spoonfuls of batter in the oil. Fry them and keep aside.
Once you have enough for the kadhi, add a little water to the batter and dip the vegetables and fry it to make vegetable fritters.

Vegetable fritters