ਕੜ੍ਹੀ

What does kadhi mean in Punjabi? Kadhi (ਕੜ੍ਹੀ) is the sour yogurt curry that Punjabi homes cook slowly with gram flour, called besan, whisked into the curd so it thickens without splitting. In Punjab it is made thick and creamy, with crisp onion pakoras dropped in at the end, and it is a regular lunch, not a festival dish.

What does kadhi mean in Punjabi?

The word names the sauce itself. Veg Recipes of India explains that kadhi denotes a yogurt sauce that has been slow cooked for a long time, and that pakora means fritters made from gram flour. The curd used is deliberately sour curd, so the finished dish tastes sour, spiced and creamy at once. Wikibooks lists the Punjabi dish in the same short form cooks use: ਕੜ੍ਹੀ ਪਕੌੜਾ, pakoras cooked in curd with gram flour. The besan does two jobs: it gives the kadhi its body and it keeps the yogurt from separating while the pot simmers, first with a tempering of cumin, fenugreek and asafoetida in mustard oil, then with onion, ginger, garlic and chillies.

How is Punjabi kadhi different from Gujarati kadhi?

Both start from yogurt and besan, and both are served warm with rice, but they finish in different places. Slurrp, comparing the two, says Gujarati kadhi is thinner and lighter, sweetened with jaggery or sugar, and made without fritters. Punjabi kadhi is much thicker, from a higher proportion of besan and the use of sour yogurt, it carries deep fried pakoras that soak up the gravy, and it goes through a dual tempering, which gives it a stronger, spicier flavour with red chilli, ginger and garlic. In short, the Gujarati bowl is a light sweet and sour sauce; the Punjabi bowl is a hearty meal in itself.

What is kadhi served with?

Most often it is served over steamed rice, and that pairing has its own name: kadhi chawal. Veg Recipes of India calls kadhi chawal, along with rajma chawal, a staple and much loved food in Punjabi homes, though kadhi is also eaten with roti or paratha. The pakoras are added once the kadhi is ready and left covered for about eight to ten minutes, so they soften and drink in the sauce without falling apart, and a final sprinkle of garam masala goes on before the pot reaches the table.