kadhi
Not really lentils but you can think of it as yogurt soup. kadhi and khichdi go together like peanut butter and jelly. However, while I loved khichdi growing up, I did not like kadhi at all! Until, I met Ameeshi at college who introduced me to her version of it. Thank you for this one, best friend!
1½ cup yogurt
¼ cup besan (chickepea or gram flour)
6 cloves garlic, pounded
1 chilli, pounded
2 tbsp ghee
2 inch julienne cut ginger (about 10-15 sticks)
14 curry leaves
¼ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp chilli powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup water
1 slit green chilli
1 tbsp ginger paste
Whisk the yogurt until smooth. In a different bowl, whisk the besan and ⅛ cup water together. Now, pass the besan mixture through a sieve and into the yogurt. Discard any lumps in the sieve. We want the yogurt mixture to be as smooth as possible!
Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a medium sized heavy bottom pot on medium heat. Temper the julienne ginger, 1 tsp garlic chili paste and 7 curry leaves until fragrant, about a minute. Next, add turmeric, chili powder and salt and cook for about 30seconds. Now add 2 cups water & bring it to a low simmer.
Now, add the yogurt mixture and stir frequently on VERY LOW HEAT. High heat leads to more chances of curdling. It’ll take 20-30 mins for the kadhi to come to its first boil. That’s when it’s done. Until then you just have to be patient & keep stirring frequently.
When the kadhi is ready, prepare the vaghar, which is basically a topping. In North India, vaghar is called tadka. Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a small saucepan on medium low. Add the chilies and rest of the garlic. Cook until fragrant for about a minute. Then add ginger paste and rest of the curry leaves. Cook for another minute or so. Pour over kadhi.
Serve hot with halvo khichdi or chuti khichdi.