Bihari kadhi is thin on purpose. Where the Punjab thickens its kadhi until it stands up on the plate and the Sindhi kitchen sours its own with tamarind and leaves the yoghurt out altogether, the kadhi of the Gangetic plain is calibrated to soak — poured over rice, thin enough that every grain takes the sour, and eaten as a gravy rather than a curry in its own right. The badi that gives the dish its name are not the sun-dried nuggets a household keeps through the winter; these are made fresh, a besan batter beaten with carom, nigella and onion, dropped into hot oil in spoonfuls and lifted out golden, then slid into the pot at the last minute so they stay puffed rather than dissolving. It is Saturday food, festival food, and the thing an aunt makes when there is nothing much in the house, because the whole of it comes from gram flour, sour curd and a tin of spices.
INGREDIENTS
- 400 g full-fat natural yoghurt (sour)
- 4 tbsp gram flour (besan, for the kadhi)
- 1 litre water
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- 150 g gram flour (besan, for the badi)
- ½ tsp carom seeds (ajwain)
- ½ tsp nigella seeds (kalonji)
- 1 small onion (very finely chopped)
- 2 green chillies (finely chopped)
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- oil (for deep frying)
- 3 tbsp mustard oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp fenugreek seeds (methi dana)
- ¼ tsp asafoetida
- 3 dried red chillies
- 6 garlic cloves (sliced)
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- a handful of coriander leaves (chopped)
METHOD
- Whisk the yoghurt with 4 tbsp gram flour until completely smooth with no lumps, then whisk in the water gradually. Add the turmeric and salt.
- Make the badi batter: beat the 150g gram flour with the carom, nigella, onion, green chillies, bicarbonate of soda and enough water to give a thick dropping batter. Beat it hard for a few minutes so it lightens.
- Heat oil for deep frying. Drop in teaspoonfuls of batter and fry until golden and puffed. Drain and set aside.
- Heat the mustard oil in a heavy pan until it smokes, then take it off the heat for a moment.
- Return to medium heat and add the cumin, fenugreek, asafoetida, dried chillies and garlic. Let the garlic turn pale gold.
- Pour in the yoghurt mixture, whisking as it goes in, and bring to a simmer stirring constantly in one direction until it stops threatening to split.
- Simmer uncovered on low for 25 minutes. It should stay thin enough to pour freely; add water if it tightens.
- Slide in the badi and simmer 5 minutes more, no longer.
- Heat the ghee in a small pan, take it off the heat, stir in the chilli powder, and pour it over the kadhi.
- Scatter with coriander and serve over plain rice.
