Boondi ki Kadhi

                            Boondi Ki Kadhi

 

 

 One theory traces the origins of kadhi to dairy-rich, grain-based Rajasthan, where buttermilk and yogurt often make up for the scarcity of water, and chickpea is used extensively. The dairy-rich diet is offset by the use of digestive spices like fenugreek, and asafoetida. All these come together in kadhi. 

 According to Ayurveda, cooking buttermilk helps pacify its vata-inducing properties. So, kadhi is particularly light on the stomach and the spices that typically flavour a kadhi help boost the digestive fire.

One food writer thinks that “It is easy to think that it was devised as a clever way of using up buttermilk that was not fresh any more. Masking the staleness with spices and giving it body with some sort of thickener seems to be common."

 Its intrinsic ability to adapt and adopt makes the kadhi a fantastic base to add vegetables, lentil dumplings, fritters and even boondi, giving the dish textural contrast.

 “In Marathwada, a one-pot meal called kadhi shengole—buttermilk kadhi with freshly made, loop-shaped ‘pasta’ made from horse gram flour (or the more accessible besan), called shengole cooked in it—is very popular."

 The star of a Banarasi kadhi is the superbly airy fulouris, or chickpea flour dumplings with a hollow centre. “The fulouris soak up the liquids that ooze out when you break it."

 There are several versions that use no yogurt or buttermilk. Instead, souring agents like tamarind, the pulp of raw mango, kokum or even amchur slice and lime juice are used. My mom-in-law used to make amchur slice kadhi often.

 

 

Ingredients:

1. Boondi-1/2 cup (soaked in warm water)
2. Buttermilk or curd-3 cups
3. Besan or chickpea flour-3 tbsp.
4. Water- Upto your desired thickness 
5. Mustard oil-3 tbsp.
6. Ghee-2 tsp.
7. Onion-1/2
8. Garlic-5-6 fat cloves or 10 thin cloves
9. Coriander powder-1/2 tsp.
10. Coriander whole-1/2 tsp.
11. Asafoetida-1/2 tsp.
12. Fenugreek or Methi seeds
    
13. Turmeric powder-1 heaped tsp.
14. Chili powder-2 tsp.
15. Chili whole red-3
16. Salt to taste
17. kashmiri Mirch powder-1 tsp.

 

Procedure:

• Grate or blend onion and garlic.
• Heat mustard oil in a pot. You can use refined oil too, but kadhi tastes best in mustard oil.
• When oil is hot, add fenugreek seeds, asafoetida and dry red chili.
• As soon as fenugreek seeds turn brown, add blended onion garlic,turmeric powder, chili powder, coriander powder, salt.
• Bhuno well on medium low flame.
• Meanwhile smoothly mix besan in buttermilk or curd and add desired quantity of water.
• When masala is well cooked and oil comes to surface, add this buttermilk mixture and cook on slow flame.
• You need to stir it continually till boil comes.(if you strain the curd with a sieve, no need to stir continuously!
• Add boondi after slightly squeezing water and let it simmer on slow heat for at least about 30 minutes.
• You can serve it as such, but I prepare a tadka which gives it a nice color and aroma.
• Heat ghee and when ghee is hot, add hand crushed coriander and seconds later, turn off the flame while adding kashmiri chili powder. Pour this in Kadhi.
  
• Serve with steamed Rice.