GUJARATI KADHI ગુજરાતી કઢી

Kadhi is a very popular buttermilk (Yogurt/curd) sauce in Gujarat, Rajasthan (Sindh- pakistan)and Punjab. Of these, Gujarati Kadhi is the only Kadhi that has a balanced Yin and Yang taste.It is a sweet and sour yogurt based sauce which is a must with Khichadi , Rotla and Shrikhand.

Word Kadhi is a derivative of Kadha meaning reduced mother tincture . Ayurvedic preparation KADHA is a thickened liquid remaining after prolonged boiling. KADHAI (WOK) is the vessel used to reduce such liquids.
Kadhi is also similarly a thick preparation reduced to about 60 percent of original volume. In olden days, only Buttermilk was boiled and reduced, but nowadays, little chickpea flour is used to thicken the kadhi.Punjabi kadhi and Marwari kadhi have a large amount of chickpea flour as an ingredient or in the form of Vadis and Gattas.They are very thick and sour in taste. Sindhi Kadhi on the other hand does not use any yogurt or butter milk. It is actually akin to mix vegetable sambar of south but has no toor dal also. It is fashioned out of chickpea flour (besan).
So without much ado, let me come back to the most popular form of Kadhi. "THE GUJARATI KADHI."

BOWL OF KADHI



INGREDIENTS

300 gms. of fresh curds of not sour type
3/4 to 1 Tea spoon of Cumin seeds powder
Three to four cloves of Garlic (small)
2 to 3 Green chilli peppers (sliced)
One inch of Ginger finely crushed
Two table spoons of chickpea flour(besan)
1/6 cup of cilantro
1 to 2 Tbsp of Sugar
1 pinch of clove powder
2 pinches of cinnamon powder
Salt to taste


FOR TEMPERING

One table spoon of Ghee
1/4 Tsp of Fenugreek seeds
1/2 spoon of Cumin seeds
6 Cloves
One red chilli (broken)
Bay leaves One or two
2 sticks of Cinnamon 1" length
One sprig of Curry leaves



METHOD OF PREPARATION


Mix Two spoons of chickpea flour (Besan) in Buttermilk made out of Curds. See that you add only about 600 ml of water. The flour should be uniformly mixed and break any lumps if there are. Don't use Food processor to mix these two but churn with a hand held churner/blender. Add powdered cumin (Jeera) ,clove and cinnamon powders crushed Garlic now.Add further 1 cup of water. Boil this mixture on a medium heat for fifteen to twenty minutes first and then on low flame for at least ten minutes.The volume of kadhi will decrease to 60 to 70 percent of the original volume. Add salt to taste along with a spoon of sugar. Now add curry leaves.

Kadhi will turn light yellow with addition of cumin powder. Remember never add Turmeric powder to Kadhi to make it yellow. It spoils the taste. Now Temper the Kadhi with cloves, jeera, Red chillies Cinnamon and Bay leaves and Fenugreek seeds. When the cloves start bursting, add the tampering to Kadhi and immediately cover the vessel with a lid. Use only Ghee to temper and not oil.

Leave kadhi aside for at least an hour . Now garnish with freshly cut cilantro and serve hot.

KADHI WITH VEG. PULAO



VARIATION OF SEVALI KADHI

You can make fresh dough of chickpea flour with salt, chilli powder and Asafoetida .Make only one big dumpling sized dough. This should be of pliable consistency. Make sev (Noodles) with a machine and drop it in kadhi at the primary stage of boiling. The other method remains the same.

PRECAUTION

Kadhi preparation demands constant vigil while boiling . If you are nor attentive, the Kadhi will start overflowing on the stove. Kadhi tastes great with Chappathi, poori and also with Rice.It is a must with Khichadi. If you don't like sweet kadhi, you may avoid using sugar and use sour curds instead of fresh curds.