Besan ki Kadi- Serves 4

It is unfair of me to be writing a blog for my mum's recipes and not including this dish - Besan ki Kadi. The reason being this was one of my mum's all time favorite. I remember asking her to write this recipe for me and as i type it out today, i see a small footnote at the end of her handwritten recipe which says- 

" Oh! Yummy."

"Besan ki kadi " is a dish which is made primarily of besan - Gram flour. It is given the name Kadi because it is something which is made on simmer ( very low heat ). So, gram flour is cooked in the form of a buttermilk at low heat for almost an hour to give this dish its taste. Also,pakoras are dipped in this gram flour gravy. Pakoras are created by taking one or two ingredients such as onion, eggplant, potato, spinach,cauliflower and dipping them in a batter of gram flour and then deep-frying them. 

Ingredients:

For Kadi :

Gram flour- 1/4 cup for kadi

Sour Yogurt- 250- 300 gms- 1 big cup

Water- 1 litre

Salt- to taste

Red chilli powder- to taste

Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp

For Tadka:

Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves- 8- 10 leaves

Dried red chilli whole- 2

Fenugreek seeds- 1/2 tsp

Dried coriander seeds- 1 tsp

Asafoetida- 1 big pinch

Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp

Oil- 2 tbsp

For Pakora:

Gram flour- 3/4 cup

Onion- chopped - 1/2 

Green pepper - chopped- 1/2

Fresh Coriander leaves- 10 sticks- leaves - washed and chopped.

Salt- 1/2 tsp

Red chilli powder- 1/4 tsp

Garam Masala- 1/4 tsp

Baking soda- a pinch ( optional)

Water- 1/2 to 3/4 cup

Oil- to deep fry

Method:

For Kadi:

• Mix gram flour with yogurt , water, salt, red chilli powder and turmeric powder  with a big spoon to make it into a buttermilk. Stir it well so that the gram flour does not sit at the bottom of the vessel.
• Heat oil, add tadka ingredients and when they begin to splutter, then add the buttermilk and let one boil come.
• Reduce the flame to simmer and keep on cooking the kadi at least for 45-50 minutes stirring regularly in between.

For Pakora:

• Take 3/4 cup of gram flour in a bowl. To this add chopped onions, coriander leaves, capsicum ( green peppers) chopped . 
• Add salt, red chilli powder, garam masala, soda and mix with water to make a batter.
• Deep fry into a desired shape to make pakora. Keep ready separately.
• When you want to eat the kadi, heat it and then add pakora and let one boil come and serve very hot with steamed rice.