Kadhi Pakora (Fried Lentil Fritters dipped in Yoghurt Sauce - North Indian Style)

       
          This is my version of Kadhi Pakora, a very common and a yummy dish in the Northern belt of India. It varies largely from one region to the other. There are some minor variations in the ingredients from the Kadhis of Punjab, Gujerat, Rajasthan and Haryana. 

          Basically it is fried lentil fritters dipped in yoghurt-chickpea based gravy and tempered with spices. In this version of mine, I prepared the fritters out of split gram lentil and tempered with panch phoron, a la Bengali style. It is best relished with steamed rice. But it does not taste bad either with any Indian bread.

Pakora-

• 1 cup moong dal (split green gram), soaked overnight
• 2 tbsp. rice flour
• 1 tsp. ginger, grated
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tsp. kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves), crushed
• 1-2 green chilly, chopped
• salt to taste
• pinch of asafoetida (hing)
• pinch of turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. roasted cumin powder
• 1 tsp. kalonji (onion seeds)
• 1 tsp. sesame seeds
• oil to deep fry

Kadhi-

• 3/4 cup yogurt
• 2 tbsp. besan (chickpea flour)
• 2 1/2 cups water
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. coriander-cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp. garam masala powder

Tempering-

• 2 tbsp. ghee
• 1 dry red chilly, broken
• 1 tsp. panch phoron (equal quantities of fennel, mustard, cumin, fenugreek and onion (kalonji) seeds
• 1/2 tsp. radhuni (celery seeds), (opt)
• 1/4 tsp. asafoetida (hing)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tsp. ginger, grated
• 1 tsp. garlic, grated
• coriander leaves & chili powder to garnish

          Pakoras - Grind the soaked moong dal with very little water into a coarse paste. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients, except oil and mix well. Keep aside.

          Kadhi - Make a batter with the yogurt and all other ingredients. Keep aside.

          Tempering - Heat ghee in a pan and temper with the red chilly, panch phoron and radhuni (opt). After it stops spluttering, add the asafoetida and the onion. Saute till light brown. add the ginger and garlic and fry for a few seconds.

          Add the yoghurt-besan batter and bring it to a boil. Then simmer on low flame (patiently) for 15-20 minutes till slightly thick. Add the pakoras and further simmer for 2-3 minutes.

          Garnish with coriander leaves and red chili powder. Serve hot with either steamed rice or parathas/naan.