Recipe for Kadi Pakoda

Kadi is an Indian gravy dish made with yoghurt and gram flour. The two are mixed and simmered for a long time ( about an hour) till the gram flour is completely cooked and the gravy becomes thick and creamy. It is then tempered with some basic Indian spices and served with rice.

Each Indian state has its recipe for Kadi. The prime difference is the spices that are added, which give Kadi from each state a different taste.

Today, the recipe I am sharing is a Punjabi version of Kadi. It is also called Kadi Pakoda because small fritters (called Pakode in Hindi) are added to the Kadi.

Since the recipe has two components, I am breaking the recipe into three parts.

Part 1 : Preparing Kadi

Part 2: Preparing Pakode – 3 recipes

Part 3: Combining, tempering, and garnishing.

So, let’s start.

PART 1: Preparing Kadi

Ingredients needed for making Kadi

1. Yoghurt: 500 gms/ Buttermilk: 1 lt
2. Water: 800 ml
3. Besan ( Gram Flour): 3 tablespoons
4. Onion: 1 medium-sized, thinly sliced
5. Curry leaves: 7-8
6. Ghee/Mustard Oil: 2 tablespoons
7. Cumin seeds: 1 teaspoon
8. Green chilies: 2-3, chopped
9. Dry Red Chilies: 2-3
10. Kashmiri Red Chili Powder: 1 teaspoon/ Red chilli flakes ( if you want the kadi to look more yellow)
11. Turmeric Powder: 1 teaspoon
12. Coriander Powder: 1 tablespoon
13. Garam Masala: 1 teaspoon
14. Asafoetida: 1/4 teaspoon
15. Kasuri Methi ( dry fenugreek leaves): 2 tablespoons
16. Garlic: finely chopped, 1 tablespoon
17. Ginger: finely chopped, 1 tablespoon
18. Salt: 2 teaspoons, or to taste

Method to make Kadi:

1. Mix yogurt, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder and 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder, and gram flour and whisk them together.
   
   
   
2. Now add 500 ml water and whisk it till no lumps of gram flour are left.
   
   
   
3. Now start cooking. On high heat, let the mix come to a boil.
   
   
   
4. When the first boil comes, reduce the heat and let it simmer for 30 minutes, occasionally stirring and mixing it with the whisker.
   
5. While the Kadi is cooking, prepare the 1st tempering. Heat ghee in a pan.
   
6. Add cumin seeds, asafoetida, green chilies, garlic, and ginger. Fry them on low to medium heat.
   
   
   
7. Then add onions and fry on medium heat till they are translucent.
   
   
   
8. Add 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1/2 teaspoon of red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala, and Kasuri methi ( dry fenugreek leaves). On low heat, fry for about 30 seconds.
   
   
   
9. Put this fried mixture into the simmering Kadi( roughly after the Kadi has simmered for 30 minutes). Mix.
   
   
   
10. Now add salt and 300 ml water and let the Kadi simmer for another 30 minutes stirring and mixing with a spatula from time to time.

Now, while the Kadi is simmering, move to PART 2 of the recipe, I,e making the Pakode. Here I am sharing three recipes. You can choose any.

PART 2:Preparing Pakode

Recipe 1

Ingredients needed for making Pakode:

1. Gram Flour: 7-8 tablespoons
2. Onions: 2, medium-sized, finely chopped
3. Fresh Coriander leaves: 2 tablespoons, finely chopped
4. Salt: 1/2 teaspoon
5. Ajwain seeds( carom seeds): 1 teaspoon
6. Water: About 1/4 cup
7. Oil: for deep frying

Method to make Pakode:

1. Mix onions, salt, gram flour, coriander leaves and carom seeds.
   
   
   
2. Now slowly add water spoon by spoon and mix. Stop when you get semi-solid consistency. The batter should neither be very loose ( else it will drink up a lot of oil while frying) nor too thick ( else the pakode will be too hard).
   
   
   
3. Heat oil in a deep-bottomed pan. Take small portions of the batter ( with this much batter, you can make a total of 18-20 pakode) and deep fry them on medium heat.
   
   
   
4. Remove when they are light brown from the outside. Let them cool completely.
   
   
   
   

Recipe 2

Ingredients needed for making Pakode:

1. Gram Flour: 6-7 tablespoons
2. Salt: 1/2 teaspoon
3. Baking Soda: 1/8 teaspoon
4. Water: 1/3 cup
5. Oil for frying

Method for making Pakode:

1. Mix baking soda, salt, and gram flour.
   
   
   
2. Add water. With a whisker or fork, beat the batter continuously for about 5 minutes.
   
   
   
3. Fry small portions of the batter in medium hot oil.
   
   
   
4. Remove and let them cool completely.
   
   

Recipe 3:

Ingredients needed for making Pakode:

1. Gram Flour: 7-8 tablespoons
2. Onions: 1, medium-sized, finely chopped
3. Ginger: 1 tablespoon, finely chopped
4. Garlic: 1 tablespoon, finely chopped
5. Spinach: 2 cups, finely chopped
6. Salt: 1/2 teaspoon
7. Turmeric Powder: 1/2 teaspoon
8. Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder: 1/2 teaspoon
9. Ajwain seeds( carom seeds): 1 teaspoon
10. Baking soda: 1/3 teaspoon
11. Oil: for deep frying

Method to make Pakode:

1. Mix spinach, onions, ginger, garlic, salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and carom seeds.
   
   
   
2. After about 5 minutes, the mixture will release water. Now add gram flour and mix. You should be able to bind the mixture without extra water.
   
   
   
3. Add baking soda. Now shape them into small balls and fry them on medium heat.
   
   
   
4. Once fully cooked from the inside, remove and cool them completely before adding them to the Kadi.
   
   

PART 3: Combining, Tempering, and Garnishing

Ingredients needed:

1. Ghee: 1 teaspoon
2. Fenugreek seeds: 1/2 teaspoon
3. Curry leaves: 7-8
4. Dry red chilies: 2-3
5. Coriander leaves: Chopped, for garnishing

Method:

1. Heat Ghee in a pan.
   
2. Add curry leaves, dry red chilies, and fenugreek seeds and fry them on medium heat till the fenugreek seeds turn slightly brown.
   
   
   
3. Now, to the kadi, which has been simmering for 1 hour, add the fried pakode ( which are completely cooled) and the tempering ( prepared in Steps 1 and 2 above).
   
   
   
4. Give everything a mix. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve with steamed rice.
   
   

Although making Kadi Pakode doesn’t require much effort, it certainly requires time. The slow cooking of Kadi makes it rich and creamy and makes for a hearty lunch. Kadi Pakode and rice are prepared as a weekend lunch meal in most homes.

Here is a complete Kadi Chawal Meal:)

Check out other recipes from my kitchen here.

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