Rajasthani Kadhi

Dassana Amit’s Rajasthani Kadhi is her spiced sour-curd sauce with besan and a separate ghee tempering. This selection uses full-fat curd, red chilli powder, seed-removed dried red chillies and prepared steamed basmati rice.

Full-fat sour curd, water, besan, turmeric and salt are mixed in a pan with a wire whisk until smooth. The mixture simmers over low heat, with stirring at intervals, until the besan cooks and the sauce thickens to a consistency neither thick nor thin.

The heat is switched off once the kadhi thickens, following the author’s clarification. It is covered and kept aside while the tempering is prepared.

Ghee heats in a small pan with mustard seeds and Indian bay leaf. After the mustard crackles, cumin and fenugreek are added, followed by the dried red chillies and asafoetida. The chillies fry until slightly darker, then the heat is switched off.

Red chilli powder is stirred into the tempering off the heat, and the complete mixture is poured immediately into the kadhi. The kadhi is covered to let the tempering flavours infuse, then stirred and served hot with the selected prepared steamed basmati rice.