The curry which is loved nearly by all Indians is Pakora Kadhi (Chickpea dumplings in curd-flour gravy) which could be made without any vegetables. Kadhi could be prepared in many ways, the main ingredient being the curd or buttermilk(dahi). It is relished a lot by children too( I say so because my daughter is fond of it ;). There are different kinds of kadhi like Boondi kadhi, palak kadhi, kuttu ki kadhi, gujarati kadhi,Sol kadhi, Govardhan Bhoj, Bhajia kadhi, Potato kadhi etc.It is served with rice, chapati or any kind of bread or Baati.

INGREDIENTS:
1. Yoghurt/curd – 1 cup
2. Chickpea Flour( Besan)- 2 tbsps
3. water – 3 cups
4. turmeric powder(haldi)- ³⁄₄ tsp
5. Red chilli powder(lal mirch)- 1+¹⁄₂ tsp
6. Coriander powder (dhaniya powder) -2 tsp
7. Salt – 3 tsp or to taste
8. Cloves(laung) – 2
9. Fenugreek seeds(methi dana)- ¹⁄₂ tsp
10. Mustard seeds(Rai)- ¹⁄₂ tsp(optional)
11. Bay leaves(Tej patta)- 2 (optional)
12. Dried Fenugreek powder(kasoori methi) – ¹⁄₂ tsp(optional)
13. Dry whole red chilli – 3-4 or to taste
14. Curry powder(garam masala)- ¹⁄₂ tsp
15. Cooking oil – 3 tbsp
16. Clarified butter ( ghee)– 2 tbsp (for garnishing)

For Pakora(dumplings):
1. Chickpeas Flour(Besan)- 4 tbsp
2. Water – ¹⁄₂ cup or as required
3. salt to taste – ¹⁄₂ tsp
4. Red chilli powder – ¹⁄₅ tsp
5. Cooking oil- 1 cup or as required for frying

METHOD:
|Preparation time : 5 mins | Cooking time : 35-40 mins | serves 3-4 persons at a time |
1. Take dahi, besan, the powdered spices viz. salt, turmeric, coriander powder, red chilli powder, garam masala and water in a bowl. Stir them or whisk them properly till you see one even pale yellow color throughout.

1. Now take another bowl and add besan, salt, red chilli and water to make a thick consistency batter for pakodas. Beat it well in such a way that it gets light and fluffy. For checking the batter pour a drop in water and check. If it floats ,the batter is ready or else beat it again. Alternately, you may add baking soda – ¹⁄₂ tsp in it too.
   

2. Heat a wok with some cooking oil on high. Check the temperature by pouring a drop of the batter in it.If it comes up instantly with some sizzling, it is ready.

3. Now slowly pour the batter with a scoop or a ladle in the oil and fry them till they fluff up. Rotate them alternately for even cooking on all sides or you may rotate the oil slowly too. It takes 8-10 mins to fry all the pakodas from this batter.
   

1. Take the fried pakodas out on a paper towel lined plate , try to drain the excess oil as much as possible.
   

2. Once the pakodas are done, half the job is done. Heat the wok again( re-use the same or different) with cooking oil ( for tadka) in it. For making kadhi we generally prefer a large kadhai (wok).

3. Add the methi, rai, tej patta,hing and whole red chilli in it. Let them crackle for a while.
   

4. Now lower the heat and slowly add the beaten dahi-besan-masala mix to it and stir continuously. Always use a heavy bottom pan for making kadhi, else it would stick at the bottom.
   

5. Add 2 glasses of water to it and stir them well. Cook it uncovered. You may add the kasoori methi now and stir again.

6. Let it come to a boil. Lower the heat and at this point if you feel, that it has thickened a lot, then add more water to it. Stir in between.
   

7. If you are cooking it uncovered it will take just 20 mins on low- medium heat. But if you like to cook it more, you may cover it partially after first boil and lower the heat to minimum possible level.
   

8. When you see the consistency has reached the right level and no more besan particles are seen, then add the pakodas in steaming hot kadhi and turn off the heat. Cover it.

9. You may garnish it with red chilli powder in hot ghee and serve hot!!
   

[ Note :1. The batter for pakodas should not be very thick or very runny. It should be just smooth enough to be poured. If it is too thick ,the pakodas will be hard and dry. If it is thin, you will not be able to pour the batter, the pakodas formed will be too soft and would spread in the oil.
2.The oil for frying pakodas should not be very hot or they will burn instantly while frying and if the oil is not hot enough they will get hardened up.
3. The beauty of this recipe is it could be corrected at any stage while cooking. So adjust the spices, water level while cooking kadhi.
4. If you have ample time then you could add water at 4 intervals and cook for 2 hrs too. That is why it is called kadhi, i.e. a dish which is cooked for long in kadhai(wok) 😉 . But I found the taste similar in both the processes.
5. If your yoghurt is not sour or you are using a fresh home-made curd, then in the end just add 2 tsp lemon juice / amchur powder for sourness. ]

Please feel free to ask or suggest!! We warmly welcome your comments!!
Thanks ! happy cooking!! 😀