A delicious entrée for festive occasions

VIDEO

Ingredients for kadhi

• Bulgarian Buttermilk or low fat buttermilk                        1 quart
• Besan(Gram Flour)                                                                  ½ cup
• Salt                                                                                               2 ½ tsps- or to taste
• Haldi powder(turmeric powder)                                           1 tsp
• Red chilli powder                                                                      ½ tsp or to taste
• Red onion                                                                                   1 (sliced-optional)
• Green chilli                                                                                 1
• Ginger                                                                                          3/ 4”

Ingredients for pakodas

• Besan                                                                                      1 ½ cups
• Garam masala                                                                      ¾ tsp
• Salt                                                                                          ¾ tsp(or to taste)
• Chopped spinach                                                                 2 cups chopped(5 oz)
• Oil                                                                                           1cup –to fry the pakodas

Ingredients for Baghar

• Oil                                                                                           1 ½ tbsp
• Whole  red chillies                                                               2 (broken in big pieces)
• Mustard seeds                                                                       1 ½ tsp
• Jeera                                                                                         1 ½ tsp
• Hing                                                                                         a pinch
• Red chilli powder                                                                   ½ tsp

TOOLS REQUIRED

• 6 Quart All clad pot
• Hand mixer or beater
• Ladle
• Small ladle for Baghar
• Kadai or shallow fry pan for frying pakodas
• Frying spoon
• Seasoning or Baghar pan or ladle
• Bowl to remove the pakodas
• Serving Bowl

Method

1. Take 1 cup water and mix it with ½ cup besan. Mix it till smooth.
2. Take the big All clad pot, and add the buttermilk, besan mix, and 3 cups of water. Beat it with a hand mixer.
3. Add sliced green chillies, diced ginger ,haldi powder, red chilli powder and salt.
4. Add sliced onions if you like.
5. Bring it to a boil and then simmer on low for 10 mins.
6. Now in a mixing bowl, take the besan for the pakodas,add ½ cup water and beat it really well, till it is light.
7.  Add the chopped spinach,salt and garam masala.
8. Heat the oil for frying in a kadai or shallow pan.
9. Heat the oil. To test, if oil is ready, add a drop of pakoda mix in oil. If the batter floats, it is ready.
10. Make 3-4 pakodas at a time, while adjusting the temperature. Once the oil is hot, turn it on low. You will have to keep adjusting the temperature, so that the pakodas don’t cook very quickly on the outside. If that happens, they will look cooked on the outside, but when you cut in half, it will be uncooked inside.
11. Keep adjusting the temperature from low to medium to hot.  Each batch will take about 5-7 minutes to cook. Remember, each stove and gas is different so you have to adjust it according to your rangetop.
12. Remove and drain on a paper towel.

BAGHAR OR TEMPERING

1.  Remove the kadhi in a deep bowl.
2. Add the pakodas.
3. In a small fry pan or tempering ladle, add the oil for the baghar.
4. When oil is hot, add the red chili pieces. Stir.
5. Add the mustard seeds. When they just start to crackle, add the cumin seeds, and stir for a few seconds, till the crackling starts to stop.
6. Take it off the fire. Add the hing. Then add the red chili powder and sprinkle it on the kadhi.
7. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot with Basmati rice.

BASMATI RICE

• Basmati Rice                                                 1 cup
• Hot water                                                      1 ½  cups
• Ghee                                                              1 tsp
• Jeera(cumin seeds)                                     2 tsp

METHOD

1. Wash and soak Basmati rice for 10-15 minutes.
2. In a flat pan,heat the ghee.
3. Add the jeera and stir for a few seconds till light pink and slightly crackle.
4. Add the drained rice, and saute it for a few seconds.
5. Add hot water. Let it boil once.
6. Turn it on low and cook  for 10- 15 minutes , covered, or till done, and water is absorbed.
7. Turn it off and leave it covered for 5 minutes.
8. When slightly cool, fluff it with a fork.

NOTES-

The rice I cooked was slightly dry. And that is good. That makes 3 cups cooked.

Instead of jeera, you could add 3 Cloves and 1 stick of cinnamon and sauté a little till light brown.