Julia Child in Delhi – Dharmender’s and Vinod’s Karhi without Dahi, Green Park
The great chef’s life in Delhi.
[Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi]
A dish as beloved as only comfort food can be, kadhi’s primary ingredient is dahi (yoghurt) and besan (chickpea flour). But that’s not true for Dharmender and Vinod. In their mid-30s, the two labourers are making kadhi without dahi. “Each of us earns 400 rupees everyday,” explains Dharmender. “Half of that is spent on the daily expenses… so we are skipping dahi.”
Both, however, concede the central role of dahi. That’s how kadhi is made in their family homes in Raebareli, UP. “Kadhi tastes good when dahi is khatti (soury)… we use lemon instead.”
This evening, the two men are preparing kadhi in their home. Having no fixed address, their living quarter consists of whatever building site they happen to be working on at the moment. They have been in south Delhi’s Green Park for one month. A bungalow has been demolished and an apartment complex will be raised on its place. The plot is screened off by a tin wall. It is in this setting that Dharmender and Vinod are cooking on a makeshift chulha—the wood for fuel has been obtained from the discarded furniture of the demolished bungalow. They agree to share the recipe.
Ingredients
For kadhi
2 cups water
2 large spoons of besan
2 lemons
turmeric powder, quantity “andaz se” (by intuition)
Red chili powder, “andaz se”
Garam masala, “andaz se”
Garlic, 5-6 cloves
Salt, “andaz se”
Mustard oil, 2 small spoons
For pakodis (dumplings)
2 large spoons of besan
1 sliced onion
Salt “andaz se”
Garam masala “andaz se”
2 cups water
Mustard oil (for frying)
Method
Kadhi:
Pour 2 cups of water in a bowl. Add spices (excluding turmeric) and mix.
Pour besan in a separate bowl. Add the water mixture, mix well.
Squeeze a lemon into the mixture.
Heat oil in a pan over the flame. When hot, drop the garlic cloves. When they darken, add turmeric followed by the besan and water mixture.
Add salt, and simmer for 20 minutes.
Pakodi:
Prepare them first if you have a single burner.
Add besan for the pakodis in a bowl. Add spices and sliced onion. Mix. Add water, mix and beat well.
Pour oil into a pan. Heat the oil. When hot, lift up a blob of paste and release it into the oil. Make all the pakodis in this way, dropping them into the oil in quick successions. Turn the pakodis around and fry until browned. Now add them into the kadhi.
Serve with steamed rice. Squeeze the remaining lemon into the kadhi just before eating.
Their comfort food
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