A Comfort Food Called Kadhi

Kadhi is the blonde cousin of Indian dals. Its yogurty base is a great assurance on a cold winter day. A bowl of hot Kadhi from the pot its been slowly simmering in can give you a strange kind of comfort of being loved by a tangy, savory dish which is unashamedly simple to make.

In the normal run of things, Kadhi is made differently in different parts of India. Sometimes with chunky vegetables, while it could vary at other times with dumplings or fritters made of chickpea flour. Two recipes I recently saw on the Blog world are Soma’s and Aipi’s.

Mine is a satellite recipe and not necessarily the most traditional. But it works – from the slow buildup to the bubbling full point.

Ingredients for Kadhi are:

For the fritters/pakori:
One and half cups chickpea flour/besan
1 teaspoon red chili powder
One and half teaspoons turmeric powder
Pinch of baking powder
Salt
Canola or mustard oil for deep frying

In a mixing bowl, add together the besan, spices, baking powder, and salt. Add little water and make a thick batter. Beat the batter with your hand in a circular motion, till there are no lumps.

Heat oil in a wok till smoking. Take about a spoonful of the besan batter and drop in the hot oil. This is the pakori we make for the Kadhi. Deep fry these fritters in batches and keep aside. It takes about 3-4 minutes on medium heat for the fritters to cook through. Turn them midway of cooking. Make sure that the besan you are using is not an old stock, else the fritters will not be fluffy.

For the Kadhi base:
2 cups plain, sour yogurt/curd
Half cup chickpea flour/besan
2 teaspoons red chili powder
2 teaspoons turmeric powder
4 cups water
Salt

Whisk together everything and pour in the pot you will cook the kadhi in. Ideally you should use an open-face thick pan which can accommodate the base and the fritters.

Bring this mixture to a rolling boil, mixing continuously. Start from low heat and gradually crank it up. You will see that its runny texture begins to thicken because of the chickpeas. You can add little quantities of water if the kadhi is thickening up quickly. It took me slow to medium cooking of about 20-25 minutes to cook my Kadhi.

Add the fritters to the boiling kadhi only when the raw taste of the ingredients has left this base. The Kadhi isn’t complete without seasoning or tempering it with crackling dry red chilies and spice seeds like cumin and fenugreek.

For the tempering:
2 fat cloves of garlic, sliced
1 heaped teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
8-10 dry red chilies
2 tablespoons oil (leftover from frying the fritters)

Heat oil in a small pan to smoking. Add the slices of garlic, cumin, fenugreek and dry red chilies in no particular order. Let them cook on low heat for 1-2 minutes till they release their respective fragrances. Do not brown the garlic.

Pour this tempering on the Kadhi. Watch some sizzle action in a bowl while you get some fluffy white rice ready to go with the Kadhi.

The one thing you will be sure of after this meal of Kadhi-Chawal is that you will feel eternally fulfilled and you will even have leftovers for the next day.

Potty About Pottery

When P saw my work which I brought home last evening from pottery school, he said – you have graduated to the next level.

Earlier, in class, Mrs K, my teacher said she was very impressed with my work this time, and she had told people how it was for only three months that I had been doing pottery!

I was over the moon and had stars in my eyes. Just like a little girl’s. And here I am, bubbling with enthusiasm of the pure girlish kind, eagerly waiting to show you my work.

I am specially pleased with this copper and licorice serving platter with hand-sculpted roses. By far one of my best. Or so I think.

I could also use it as a fruit platter. No? I have plans to retire to an east Mediterranean island, dip my feet in an ocean inlet, and eat olives from it. You are welcome to join in.

Then I made these two soap dishes. With holes punched in them for the ease of drainage.

And then this, something inspired by my love for Sushi. These two dishes. A sea-themed Sushi/Sashimi tray and a blue-finned fish. Maybe maach bhaja will look good on it too.

This textured trinket dish was made one day with leftover clay, I used warm green and brown glazes on it to give the colors of Earth, a sign I belong to. I also hand carved some “grass”.

Okay, that’s all I got for this week. More from the past here if you still have some time.

Shrimply Delicious, Chili-Garlic Prawn

Some days are such, I want dinner made under 10 minutes. This does not necessarily mean I pop in the microwave a TV dinner. By now, you know my habit of cooking fresh and homemade and from-the-scratch. Well, its not really a myth to do all that in 10 minutes. Or 20 maybe.

Here is something that will give Rachael Ray a run for her money – my Chili-Garlic Prawn, with an approximate cook time of 10.

Ingredients for Chili-Garlic Prawn are:

10 large shrimps, remove shell, keep tail and devein. I used the black colossal tiger shrimps from St. Lawrence Market.

For the marinade: 
3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
3 tablespoons tomato ketchup
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 heaped tablespoon cornstarch
Pinch of black pepper powder
Pinch of sugar
White of 1 egg

Mix all the above ingredients in a bowl and dunk the shrimps in it. Keep for 20-30 minutes.

For the sauce:
1 medium size onion, yellow or red, cut into quarters and petals separated
5-6 fat cloves of garlic, sliced
3-4 green chilies, sliced
3 tablespoons Sambal Oelek
2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon white vinegar
Pinch of sugar
3+3 tablespoons canola oil

Heat half the oil in a Chinese wok. Remove the prawns from the marinade and shallow fry them in the hot oil, turning them mid way. Give each side of the shrimp about 2-3 minutes in the heat, so that its tail curl up and it turns pink. Do this in batches if your wok is small. Keep them aside.

Start with a clean wok to make the sauce and finish the dish. Heat the remaining oil and add the garlic and green chilies. Sauté for a couple of minutes without turning the garlic brown. Toss in the onions. Sweat them on high for 3-4 minutes.
In a bowl, mix together the tomato ketchup, sambal oelek, soy sauce, and sugar. Pour it on the onions, etc. Give it a good stir and let it cook for 3-4 minutes on high heat. Check the seasoning and adjust accordingly. Add the vinegar. I did not add any salt to my dish as all the sauces have ample salt in them.

Now add the prawns to the sauce. Coat them well, cook for 2-3 minutes in the sauce and turn the heat off. Serve immediately with steamed rice or a fried rice you like.


Now who was keeping the time?

Soma’s Eclectic Opulence

That cycle still welcomes you in Soma Ghosh’s home. Its another story that, now its parked in her Mumbai home, which is nestled in one of the finest residential townships of India’s tinsel town.
Soma treasures her vintage possessions and her great editing skills have ensured she has a clutter-free, comfortable and welcoming home.

What would you say of the ceramic vermillion case with a Belgian mirror on its cover, sitting snugly amidst Soma’s silver. That ladies and gentlemen, belonged to her great grandmother!

Soma’s home never bores even a fastidious (read fickle) person like me. The welcoming colors of her urban retreat hold me in a trance, making me wait longer, to linger on and savor each delightful corner with cherished appreciation.

Soma’s decor mission is clean and artistic. Her home is a blend of her own personal style, interests in books and writing, and her knack to rearrange her treasured pieces, if only to celebrate her favorite memories.
I totally am mesmerized at how mere spaces between walls can be completely rehabbed into a nest of eclectic and modern abode.

Thank you, Soma for sharing what you care for.

Rediscovering Apartment 408

Sunlight is becoming a rare sight these days in TO. Sub zero temperatures are looming large o’er my little head. I am like a little plant, I perk up when I have sunshine on my shoulders. As an easy alternative, I now derive my cheer from lights, candles and fixtures in my home which are not tragically expensive. And in the process of rediscovering my home this winter, I am also organizing clutter to make streamlined displays.

This is an African book end, which also doubles up as a tea light holder. Enough to keep the dark lady and me warm.

See the halo around the Buddha? Look closely and you will see just a lamp.

A stoneware bowl in white, red and green to float tea lights and petals.

This little tea light in the aromizer is for warmth from a close range.
That little Moroccan lantern just fills both my heart and home with so much warmth every evening.

Something to keep the Goddess’ feet warm too.

Even the walls cried out loud for some attention and look what they got! This curved henna wall sconce. It makes for great mood lighting on my wall of paintings and photographs. It was hand made by artisans of Marrakech, Morocco. I was told its made of stretched goat skin, natural vegetable dyes and the design you see on this sconce is made from henna. Who is afraid of winter now! I have enough reasons to keep my home warm and toasty.