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1. Finely slice the onion, chop the spinach, green chili, ginger, garlic, and cilantro, and place them in a mixing bowl.
1 piece onion,
1.5 cup spinach leaves,
2 piece green chili,
1 inch ginger,
3 clove garlic clove,
0.2 cup cilantro leaves
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2. Add gram flour, ajwain, red chili powder, ground coriander, ground cumin, salt, and baking soda to the bowl, then mix well to coat the vegetables.
1 cup gram flour (besan),
1 tsp red chili powder,
1 tsp ground coriander,
1 tsp ground cumin,
0.5 tsp ajwain (carom seeds),
2 tsp salt,
0.2 tsp baking soda
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3. Sprinkle in a little water at a time and mix until you have a thick, sticky batter that clings to the vegetables without being runny. Let it rest for 10 minutes.
4 cup water
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4. Heat frying oil in a deep pan over medium heat until a small drop of batter sizzles and rises to the surface.
3 cup neutral oil (for frying)
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5. Using your fingers or a spoon, gently drop small portions of batter into the hot oil, without overcrowding the pan, and fry until golden brown and crisp on all sides, about 5 to 6 minutes per batch.
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6. Remove the pakoras with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining batter, then set the pakoras aside.
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7. In a large bowl, whisk the yogurt until smooth, then add gram flour, turmeric powder, red chili powder, and salt, whisking to form a lump-free mixture.
2 cup plain yogurt,
1 cup gram flour (besan),
1 tsp red chili powder,
1 tsp turmeric powder,
2 tsp salt
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8. Slowly whisk in water until fully combined and smooth, then set the kadhi mixture aside.
4 cup water
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9. Heat oil in a heavy pot over medium heat, then add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, and whole dried red chili and let them splutter and darken slightly.
0.5 tsp fenugreek seeds,
0.5 tsp mustard seeds,
0.5 tsp cumin seeds,
2 piece whole dried red chili,
2 tbsp neutral oil
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10. Lower the heat, add hing and chopped green chili and ginger, and sauté briefly until fragrant without letting them burn.
2 piece green chili,
1 inch ginger,
0.2 tsp hing (asafoetida)
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11. Keeping the heat low, slowly pour the yogurt-gram flour mixture into the pot while stirring continuously to prevent curdling.
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12. Increase the heat to medium and bring the kadhi to a gentle boil while stirring frequently, then reduce to low and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes until thick and velvety, stirring often to keep it from sticking.
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13. Crush the kasuri methi between your palms and add it to the kadhi, then adjust salt and, if needed, stir in lemon juice for extra tang.
2 tsp salt,
1 tbsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves),
1 tbsp lemon juice
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14. Gently add the fried pakoras to the simmering kadhi and cook for 3 to 5 minutes so they absorb some of the sauce while staying a little crisp.
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15. Garnish with sliced green chili and chopped cilantro leaves, then serve the Punjabi pakora kadhi hot with steamed basmati rice or roti.
1 piece green chili (garnish),
0.2 cup cilantro leaves (garnish)
By mansi