Gujarat is one of the neighboring states of Maharashtra. Born and raised in a suburb of Bombay, Gujarati snacks were staples in our household. Ans as we grew up, we learned to appreciate the Gujarati cuisine more and more. I am particularly a fan of how they integrate the various contrasting and complementing flavors in their dishes – sweet and salty and sour and spicy all at once! A Gujarati thali (unending home-style meal) is one of my favorite Indian culinary experiences.

Today I will share a recipe for one of my favorite dishes that I recently discovered was incredibly simple to prepare; the Gujarati Kadhi – a Sweet and Spicy Buttermilk Stew 🙂

Ingredients:

for the kadhi:

besan/chickpea flour – 1/4 cup (if you are not a frequent user of chickpea flour like me, this can be made at home by finely grinding chana dal or split chickpeas. I simply dry-grind the slit chickpeas in my spice grinder or wet-grind it in the mixer by adding water to the split chickpeas).
buttermilk or plain yogurt – 2 cups
water – 1-2 cups
ginger-garlic paste – 1 tablespoon
hing/asafoetida – 1/4 teaspoon
gud/jaggery – 1 inch piece (can be substituted with 2 teaspoons of sugar)
salt to taste

for the tempering:

ghee/clarified butter or oil of your choice – 2 teaspoons
jeera/cumin – 1/2 teaspoon
dried red chilies – 2 broken into pieces
curry leaves – 1 sprig

Procedure:

1. Making the kadhi:

a. In a medium saucepan, mix 2 cups of buttermilk (or plain yogurt) with 1 cup of water.
b. On medium heat, stir in the chickpea flour till it dissolves completely.
c. Add the ginger-garlic paste, jaggery (or sugar), asafoetida and salt.
d. Add more water to adjust consistency to your preference. Also, adjust salt and sweetness.
e. Increase to high heat and bring to a boil while stirring often.
f. Once the kadhi comes to a boil (it will froth on top), turn off the flame and transfer to serving bowl.

2. Tempering:

a. Heat 1 teaspoon of ghee (clarified butter) or oil of your choice.
b. Add cumin seeds.
c. Once cumin seeds start dancing (spluttering), add the broken dried red chilies as well as the curry leaves.
d. Once the red chilies start to brown, add the tempering mixture to the kadhi prepared earlier. Stir in the tempering and serve.

Aromatic flavor-filled Gujarati Kadhi is ready to serve 🙂

It is best served fresh on hot rice or khichdi (a rice and lentil dish) with a dollop of ghee on top 🙂 It is also a yummy side for parathas, particularly aloo parathas (potato stuffed Indian bread). You can prepare the kadhi in 10-15 minutes. I love the subtle sweet undertones that surface every so often. However, if sweet is not your thing, feel free to skip the jaggery. The kadhi keeps in the fridge for up to a week (I’d recommend 3-5 days at most) and reheats well.

This is yet another comforting recipe. I’m a fan!