The quintessential Punjabi kadhi and Guru ka Langar !

Here in the Roy household, we have officially renamed Sundays as "Languages Day" . Why did we do so? ...waiting to tell you that ...well , you see the kids have a Hindi class in the morning , a little break , then off to the Gurudwara in a neighboring city  for Punjabi class followed by sprinting to the other side of the said city  for  Bangla class. The classes for the latter two languages just started last Sunday which is a significant fact related to the blog. How ?? well , you see I didn't know how long it would take to commute from Punjabi class to Bangla class and thus rushed through the Guru ka Langar at the Gurudwara. Guess what was being served in the langar ? Kadhi ..my absolute favorite any given day and in the God's house, magnified in taste quadruple times.

 



Since then I have been craving it . I knew my rendezvous with kadhi was coming soon and when the skies decided to become overcast  , the pull was just too much . Suffice it to say , Punjabi kadhi found it's  way on the menu today . Yes, the quintessential Punjabi kadhi with fenugreek dumplings.. you simply cannot get any more authentic  than this. Coming straight from the heartland of the Punjab with absolutely no fusion element thrown in . The recipe is a rare untouched one that keeps passing from one generation to the generation without losing its "sanctity" in the process.

 

Ingredients -

 

Dumplings -

1/2 cup fresh fenugreek leaves ( washed and chopped)

1/2  cup gram flour (besan)

1/2  chopped coriander

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp carom seeds or ajwain

1 green chilli finely chopped

1/2 tsp amchur powder

1 small onion chopped

1/2 cup water for mixing

 oil for deep frying

 

Kadhi -

 2 cups sour yogurt ( add lemon juice for normal)

1/3 cup besan or gram flour

1 tbsp. ginger garlic paste

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

salt to taste

3 cups water ( by all means add more for thinner consistency)

3 tbsp. oil

5-6 cloves

10-15 black peppercorns

2 dried red chillies

2 onions sliced

1 tsp fenugreek seeds

1/2 tsp asofoetida

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/3 cup dried fenugreek leaves

1 potato cubed

1 tbsp. ginger garlic paste

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

 

Method -

Mix all the dry ingredients for the dumplings , add the water to form a firm batter .

Heat the oil in a wok  and fry the dumplings in small batches.

Now for the kadhi. In a separate bowl. with the help of a whisk , mix the yogurt with the besan adding just 1 cup of water first. When you have a smooth blend, add the remaining 2 cups and blend thoroughly .

In a wok , heat the 3 tablespoon of oil and add the fenugreek seeds , dried red chillis ,cloves, peppercorns and  asofoetida .When they begin sputtering , add the ginger garlic paste .

Saute for a few minutes and then add the sliced onions . When they become translucent , add the cubed potato and when  half done,add  cumin powder , turmeric , coriander powder , red chilli powder and salt.

Immediately , add the besan -yogurt mixture . Now, we have to keep on stirring it till it comes to a boil. Add more water if you so desire . Once that happens, reduce the flame and  let it simmer while stirring continuously.

After 10-15 minutes , add the dried fenugreek , garam masala and remove from flame . You can add the dumplings now or at the time of serving.

 Serve hot with roti or boiled rice . Do remember to share some with your neighbors as it customarily done.