Kadhi, also spelled as Karhi, is an Indian sauce, which is more of a yogurt based gravy and is often served with khichdi or contains fritters called pakodas made by deep frying vegetables coated with chickpea flour. Sometimes, this dish is also served with roti and rice. The recipe is more precisely a North Indian dish and is a part of everyday meal in most houses. Though not as popular, kadhi recipe is popular in the western part of India too in some states, most notably Gujarat. The North Indian form generally has a thicker consistency than the kadhi recipe of Gujarat, which most resembles custard sauce.
Ingredients Used and Popular Methods of Preparation according to Kadhi Recipe
The main ingredients used in the kadhi recipe include chickpea flour (also called gram flour or besan), freshly grated ginger, black mustard seeds, yogurt, turmeric, cumin, asafetida, ghee or oil, salt and water. Many even prefer to add fresh chili pepper or dried chili powder, cinnamon, cloves, fenugreek seeds and fresh cilantro leaves in the preparation of kadhi. The method of preparation includes whisking together flour, water, yogurt, salt, chili, turmeric and ginger into a smooth gravy over a medium heat and then simmering the mixture with constant stirring until the fat of the yogurt starts to separate and the gravy thickens. The other ingredients of the kadhi are then fried in the ghee or the oil and added to the cooking gravy. In Hindi, this is called chaunk while in Gujarati, it is called vaghaar. The combination is cooked for some more time and then, made ready to serve.
Serving and Eating Karhi
Kadhi is best served hot over piping hot steamed rice. The North Indian version is generally served with pakore or dumplings. Kadhi preparations are a must during the weddings in North India, where the dish may be prepared in one or several variations and served as one of the meals in the lunches and dinners preceding the day of wedding.
Popular Kadhi Recipe Variations
Often, vegetables are added to the kadhi recipe while cooking the sauce. In many parts of India, people prefer to eat kadhi cooked with chopped spinach called palak kadhi or with fenugreek leaves called methi kadhi. Several variations recipes of kadhi are made with diced potatoes, okra, aubergines, carrots and other such vegetables, which aren’t traditional, but recipes which have been experimented and introduced over the years. The Sindhi kadhi has a tangy taste and is made by the Sindhi community of North India. The Sindhi version of kadhi usually contains tomato along with other vegetables and is served with steamed Basmati rice. The South Indian karhi doesn’t include turmeric or vegetable fritters like the western recipe. This dish should be consumed the sooner it is made so as to prevent the yogurt in it from curdling. Gujarati and Rajasthani kadhi preparations are generally sweeter in taste as one of their main ingredients includes jiggery or sugar. Bhinda ni kadhi made with okra is a popular western variety of kadhi recipe.