Kadi is made flavourful with its choice of vegetables. You can have as many veggies as you want. (Photo: Shalini Rajani)
Parents’ home is a place where the good food waits for you. Where the table is always full of colours and your childhood memories are refreshed with your favourite meals. There is something special in those simple menus. For they have Mom’s touch and oodles of nostalgia. When I reached Aligarh two days back, I couldn’t resist sharing my stories with the world. I am thoroughly enjoying traditional Sindhi food and there is a lot of discussion happening over good food.
Upon reaching, I thanked myself for braving my own fears. It was way too much to handle in the past three months and now I was all set to relax in the lap of my own comforting childhood home. At least for the next few days.
Today when I thought of sharing a recipe with you all, I decided for something that will do justice to my state of mind. I wanted to share something my Mom is expert at making. And no matter how hard I try, I cannot be close to the taste of famous Sindhi Kadi that she makes. A comforting lunch at every Sindhi household, this Kadi brings back the flashing memories of my several birthday parties when every year the same menu never looked the same. You will agree, no memory is as colourful as those monotonous childhood birthdays.
Cooking up Sindhi Kadi would indirectly mean serving an extra dose of love, be it to your special guests or on any special occasion. It is yet another Lockdown recipe. You can find many more easy lockdown recipes in my recent e-book Quarantine Cuisine on Amazon. Read more for the step by step recipe of Sindhi Kadi.
Trust me, this Kadi is made flavourful with its choice of vegetables. You can have as many veggies as you want. In my family I have grown up eating Sindhi Kadi with loads of cluster beans, cauliflower, drumsticks, okra and other seasonal veggies.
The sourness is authentically achieved with Tamarind pulp. But sometimes shreds of seasonal raw mango (ambi) and dried kokum rinds do a fab job.
Traditionally Sindhi Kadi is served with Sindhi Aloo Tuk (Flattened deep fried potato chunks) but today the kids in my family asked for homemade potato wafers and we tweaked the platter as per their liking.
TRADITIONAL SINDHI KADI
Ingredients: (Serves 4)
2 tbsp – Gram Flour (Besan)
10-12 Bhindi (Lady Finger/Okra) , slit lengthwise
10-12 Gwar Phali (Cluster Beans)
2 medium sized Potato chunks
A few Cauliflower Florets
1 medium sized Eggplant roundels
1 medium sized Raw Mango thick juliennes
3-4 thick Green Chillies
2 tbsp – thick Ginger juliennes
1 medium Tomato chunks
4 tbsp – Sunflower Oil
1 tsp – Methi Seeds (Fenugreek Seeds)
1 tsp – Mustard seeds
2 Dry Red Chillies (optional)
10-15 Curry leaves
1/2 tsp – Heeng (Asafoetida)
1 tsp – Kashmiri Red Chilli powder
1 tbsp – Tamarind Paste (or 10-12 Kokum Rinds)
1 tsp – Turmeric powder (Haldi)
2-3 cups water (more if required)
Rock Salt to taste
Method:
1. In a deep pan, heat three tablespoons of oil. Add slit okras (bhindi) and shallow fry them on medium flame. You just have to fry till the slimy texture is lost. This will take five to six minutes. Drain excess oil and keep it aside to be used later.
2. Now in a same heated oil, add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, heeng, curry leaves and dried red chillies. As they crackle and split up, quickly add gram flour (besan) and turn the flame to medium low.
3. Lightly roast besan till it gets well coated with oil and the aroma is right. At this stage you may also add turmeric powder. Be careful to not over roast.
4. To this, gradually add two cups of water with continuous whisking assuring there are no lumps formed. Once mixed, allow it to come to a boil and then keep it on low flame for couple of minutes.
5. Add red chilli powder, rock salt, all veggies of your choice followed by fried okra, ginger juliennes, slit green chillies and tomato chunks.
6. Allow it cook on a low flame covered for 10-15 minutes till potatoes come out tender.
7. Once done, add tamarind pulp and kokum rinds to adjust the sourness. Please note, the sourness will increase with time. So, do not over do with sour ingredients.
8. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
9. Serve hot with steamed rice, sindhi papad, wafers or aloo tuk.
Enjoy this comforting meal while staying safe in your beautiful homes.
(Shalini Rajani is the founder of Crazy Kadchi and holds innovative and healthy cooking workshops for all age groups.)