Last Saturday I gathered a bunch of my good friends to celebrate Diwali at a dinner party I throw every year. This celebration makes up for all the lost times back home. But I think we are past Diwali now, and onto Thanksgiving , a birthday and the excitement of Christmas coming up after.
For me, Christmas = warm sunny Sydney this year. I really cannot wait to get away from the New York area! For those who have started suffering this weather with me, I'm sorry that I won't be "enjoying" it for four weeks. But I remind myself, I will be back in the peak of winter.
To cope with this early onset of cold and even a sprinkling of snow, I've been making warm and spicy foods.And huddling indoors and swearing to never ever ever leave the house until the trees start budding again.
For someone who has been dissing kale all season, I find myself eating my words alongside this yummy sweet and warm Kadhi - which is a traditional Indian yogurt soup. I have a bag full of kale that I need to work my way through and I figured the wilted kale in this kadhi might be a good way to avoid the bitter crispiness of kale which I don't enjoy much. In this form, you really can't distinguish it from any other greens like spinach or fenugreek. You could easily sub either of them for kale. The ginger in this soup gives it the warmth that's much needed in this cold season. Besides adding flavor, I'm sure its also delivering all the goodness its so well known for.
Serve the kadhi by itself, or the Indian way with freshly made fragrant basmati rice. Comfort food at its best.
| RECIPE |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Prep Time : |
10 mins |
|
Serves: |
2-3 people |
|
|
|
|
|
Cooking Time: |
45 mins-1 hour |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
INGREDIENTS |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| > |
2 cups plain yogurt |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| > |
2 tbsp besan (chickpea
flour) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| > |
1.5" ginger (peeled
and minced) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| > |
2 green chillies (minced) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| > |
1 tbsp sugar |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| > |
1/2 cup Kale (chopped
thinly) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| > |
For Tempering |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| > |
2 tbsp Ghee/Clarified
Butter or Canola Oil |
|
|
|
|
|
| > |
Cumin Seeds |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| > |
Mustard Seeds |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| > |
ping of hing (asfoetida) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| > |
2 cloves |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| > |
2 dry red chillies |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
INSTRUCTIONS |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| * |
In
a pan, add ginger, green chillies, besan, sugar and yogurt and whisk together
nicely |
| * |
Once well mixed,add 2.5 cups of water and place it on low-medium
flame |
| * |
let the kadhi come to a boil and reduce for about 20-25 mins,
until the raw taste of besan is lost |
|
At the 10 min or so
point, add the chopped kale and let it cook with the kadhi |
|
| * |
If the kadhi thickens while reducing, feel free to add more
water. You want to end up with a fairly runny consistency and there is no
limit on how much water you add to make it happen. |
| * |
At the end, in a separate pan, add oil. Once hot,add mustard
seeds, cumin, hing and red chillies (in that order after the previous one
sizzles in the hot oil) |
| * |
While still hot, add the tempering to the kadhi and simmer for
2-3 mins |
| * |
Serve hot by itself or on
basmati rice. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| * |
Kadhi reheats easily in the microwave. Note, always to heat the
kadhi before eating. Cold kadhi is just wrong! |
|
|
|
