AMLA KADI (INDIAN GOOSEBERRIES IN YOGURT SAUCE)

Amla kadi or Gooseberries in Yogurt Sauce is a yogurt based mildly spiced gravy with healthy Indian gooseberries. It is the perfect comfort food to enjoy with rice/roti!

I was not a big fan of kadis (until I made this one!) but my better half loves it (a recent favorite for him too!) He abhors any curry or gravy thickened with besan/chickpea flour, so I never dared to make kadi any time!

I remember the first time he tasted this super delicious Indian specialty (specifically from the northern part of India); can you believe it was in Japan? On our tour of that beautiful Asian country, our daily meals were generally served in local Indian restaurants as many of the other co-travelers were vegetarians. As you know, Japan is not a vegetarians’ paradise!

But in one of the restaurants, the spread had Punjabi style Kadhi Pakora (yogurt gravy with chickpea fritters) and I noticed he was piling up seconds and thirds of this curry! So now, once I came back home, I had to make this.

WHAT IS KADI/KADHI/KARHI?

Kadi is a slightly thick yogurt gravy/curry, thickened with besan or chickpea flour and simmered with some exotic and aromatic Indian spices like cumin, hing/asafetida, fenugreek seeds etc.

Traditionally, some fritters called “pakoras” or deep fried spiced chickpea dough balls are dunked and simmered in the kadi and makes for a super comforting, soothing and cooling gravy to enjoy with rice or any Indian flat bread.

But sometimes I make just the yogurt gravy if I do not have amla or gooseberries and I am not a big fan of dunking crisp pakoras in any gravy.

AMLA KADI:

We love gooseberries or as we Indians call it “amla”. Packed with nutrients like Vitamin C, Vitamin A and of course low calorie and high in fiber, we always have a pack of fresh/frozen or brined amla.

But there are 2 varieties of gooseberries; a large slightly bitter-sweet one which is the one I brine and the small, ridged tinier variety which can be cooked, blended and strained for use in any dish like in this "Amla Rasam/Soup". or eaten as such with some salt and red chili powder.

So I decided to use these larger ones in my kadi instead of fried, greasy pakoras!

HOW DO I USE THEM IN KADI?

To preserve these nutritious and healthy wonders, I normally pickle the larger gooseberries in plenty of salted water in glass bottles/jars and use them whenever I need them in kadis, juices, raitas etc. I used a few of these to flavor this kadi!

If using fresh ones, just boil them whole (or pressure cook for 3 whistles or 5 minutes) in salted/unsalted water until soft and tender.

In USA, we get this frozen packets of chopped chunks of amla and I just blend them to make this kadi; no need to boil or cook. Easy peasy isn't it?

Deseed, puree and then whisk into slightly smooth, whisked yogurt. This is then thickened with some besan/chickpea flour and simmered with a few simple spices which I am sure everyone has in their pantry.

Once cooked and ready, amla kadi tastes amazing with rice, roti, paratha etc.!

Now, doesn't that sound divine and delicious? Do try this no onion, no garlic yogurt amla kadi soon as I am sure all of you have all the ingredients needed to make this at home!

If you do not have gooseberries on hand, you can use raw pickled mangoes/raw mangoes or just enjoy the plain yogurt gravy with a squeeze of lime/lemon juice and some rice or roti!

Made plain kadi without amla (did not have any!) and it was equally delicious.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Do check out some more lip-smacking curries to enjoy with rice or roti!:

Yum

AMLA KADI/INDIAN GOOSEBERRIES IN YOGURT SAUCE

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Serving Size: 4

Amla kadi/Gooseberry in Yogurt Sauce is a yogurt based mildly spiced gravy with healthy Indian gooseberries. It is the perfect comfort food to enjoy with rice/roti!

Ingredients

2 cups dahi/yogurt
6 to 7 pickled amla/gooseberry (or fresh/frozen ones), depending upon size of amla
2 tbsp besan/chickpea flour
½ tsp turmeric powder/haldi
2 green chilies/jalapenos, chopped or slit
1 inch ginger, peeled and grated

FOR TEMPERING/SEASONING:

2 teaspoons coconut oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 teaspoon jeera/cumin
½ tsp hing/asafetida powder
4 to 5 methi/fenugreek seeds
2 green chillies/jalapenos, finely chopped or sliced into roundels
Few fresh curry leaves
Salt to taste
Pinch sugar
Optional, coriander leaves/cilantro for garnish

Instructions

Deseed pickled or brined amla and make a fine pulp of the gooseberry. If using fresh amla, boil in a little water until soft and then proceed.
In a small bowl, beat yogurt until lump free.
Stir in chickpea flour/besan with a whisk.
Add haldi and pureed gooseberries and mix to form a smooth mixture.
In a saucepan, heat oil and add mustard seeds. Once it splutters, add jeera, hing, fenugreek, green chilies, ginger and curry leaves; sauté for a few seconds.
Now lower the heat and add the yogurt mixture. Add enough water (about 1 ½ cups or to the consistency you want) and keep whisking or stirring continuously on medium low heat until it comes to a boil. If you increase the heat, there are chances of the yogurt splitting or curdling!
Once it comes to a gentle boil, add salt to taste and pinch sugar. If you are using brined amla, you will need less salt as the brined amla has lot of salt. If not, add more salt.
Simmer for 5 minutes. If needed make another tempering of oil, jeera and red chilies.
Serve hot with steamed rice!

Notes

As amla is sour, you can make this kadi with regular yogurt unlike traditional kadis where you will need sour yogurt.

Adjust the amount of spices according to taste.

Make the gravy as thick or as thin as you like.

If making without amla, use sour curds or squeeze some lemon juice at the end.

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