POTLAKAAY (SNAKEGOURD) KADI



1. Boil potlakaay (snakegourd) with a little bit of salt until it becomes fork tender. Make sure it isn't too soft since it'll be cooking again in the kadi towards the end. Set aside.
2. In a bowl, take yogurt (curd) and 1-2 tblspns of besan (chickpea flour) and stir until it becomes a thick paste. To this add a little bit of salt, and turmeric (haldi)
3. Pour a cup or two of water until it reaches the below consistency (refer to video below). Set aside. 


4. Pour oil in a deep pan. Once the oil is hot, toss in whole mustard (rai) , cumin (jeera), fenugreek seeds (methi), asafetida (hing), and dried red chilies. 
5. Add finely chopped onions, curry leaves (let them splutter), and ginger-garlic paste. A little bit of salt so that the onions release water and caramelize quicker. 

6. Once the onions turn slightly golden-brown, pour in the yogurt-besan mixture. Pour a cup of water to clean out the bowl, and add this in. Stir thoroughly. 

7. Add turmeric (haldi), chili powder (I used reshampatti, you can substitute with any kind available), coriander powder (dhaniya), and salt. 
8. Let it boil for 5-7 minutes, until the raw smell/taste of the besan (chickpea flour) is gone. 


9. Drop in the boiled snakegourd into the boiling mixture, cover and let it cook for a few minutes. 


10. Refer to above video for the right consistency. And voila! Kadi is done. 
11. Top if off with fresh cilantro/coriander. And enjoy with a steaming bowl of rice. 



**TIPS: Use this kadi as a base for adding any of your favorite vegetables, or even pakoras/pakodas/fritters for a yummy KADI PAKORA.
- Also, I like to make a large batch of this KADI base, and freeze it. And on busy days, all you've to do is boil some veggies while it thaws, and toss them in. A quick satisfying meal. 

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