Here's a dish I've been pretty obsessed with lately: it's a savory yogurt curry, called "Kadhi." I make this with my vegan yogurt and it takes hardly any time at all, especially if you leave out the okra. The basic components are unsweetened yogurt and chickpea flour for thickness. Everything else is just for the delicious savory, tangy flavor.
Ingredients
1 cup vegan yogurt
3 tablespoons besan (chickpea flour)
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 cinnamon stick, broken, OR 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 dry red chili OR 1/4 tsp red chili powder
2 cloves OR 1/8 teaspoon of ground cloves
Pinch ground turmeric
Pinch hing/asafetida
Pinch ground methi seeds
1/2" piece ginger, grated, OR 1/2 tsp ground ginger
3-4 green chilis, chopped
8-10 curry leaves, chopped
1 cup okra, cut (optional)
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 cup cilantro, for garnish
Optional: 2-3 teaspoons sugar
Directions
To start off, thoroughly blend the vegan yogurt and chickpea flour until no lumps remain.
In a medium or large pot on medium heat, make the tadka by adding in the oil mustard seeds and cumin seeds until the mustard seeds start to splutter. Then add in the cinnamon, a dry red chili, cloves, turmeric, hing, methi, grated ginger, green chilis, and curry leaves (and the sugar, if you are using it). Mix that through and pour in the yogurt/chickpea flour blend. Pour in some extra water right away (or just add it to the mix) so that it doesn't clump up when it hits the pot.
Add in the okra or veggie of choice (if you’d like). Add the salt and cover with a lid. Let it come to a boil and then let it cook on medium-low for about 5-8 minutes. If you added okra, you'll need at least 15 minutes, or until it's tender.
Garnish with cilantro and enjoy hot, over a bed of rice.
This is going to be your new quick meal. I know, the yogurt isn’t always easy to find in the stores, but I just make a big portion of my vegan yogurt every weekend and now it just stays in my fridge throughout the week to use in whatever I’d like to use it in. It’s great! It may sound intimidating to make your own yogurt at first, but once you get a little practice and start to understand the texture you prefer, you can just make it on autopilot. I highly suggest trying it out if you like Indian food.
By the way, is it just me or has your quarantine life become busier than your normal life?
Let me know in the comments below if you make this and tag me on Instagram @ahsustainablelife.
That's it for now. Have a wonderful weekend, and stay safe lovelies!