Author Notes
Kadhi or Yogurt stew is an Indian dish that has as many variants as there are Indian states. In Gujrat, its seasoned with cardamom, cloves and a generous pinch of sugar, In Bengal the seasoning involves 'Panch Phoran' and so on. In the Southern states of Kerala (and the regions of Tamil Nadu bordering it, Coconut tends to be an abundant resource, and this ingredient is mandatory. When Mango season rolls around, chunks of semi ripe mango, especially the stringy tart varieties are tossed into the stew to create a memorable lunch treat that tantalizes the palate just enough to keep looking forward to the next year.
well Mango season is on the wane, but in the US of A, that just means that the stone fruit season has rolled around. I added a couple of semi ripe Georgia Peaches into the stew and realized that I had just created a recipe that represented the culinary best of my origins and the nation that I've chosen to be my home. —Panfusine
Ingredients
- Spice paste
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1/2 cup
shredded frozen coconut
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2 tablespoons
plain rice
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2 tablespoons
dried split pigeon peas(sub with split lentils or mung dal)
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2
Arbol chiles
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1 tablespoon
cumin
- Peach Kadhi
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2-3
semi ripe Georgia Peaches
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2 cups
plain unsweetened Kefir
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2 tablespoons
sesame or olive oil
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1 teaspoon
mustard seeds
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1 teaspoon
cumin seeds
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1 teaspoon
whole fenugreek seeds
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1
whole Arbol chile
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1 sprig
curry leaves, torn
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chopped cilantro for garnish
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salt to taste
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2 cups
water
Directions
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Soak all the ingredients for the spice paste EXCEPT the coconut in a cup of warm water for about 15 - 20 minutes.
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Combine with the shredded coconut and blend into a smooth paste. Whisk in this paste with the Kefir, thinning out the mix with the water. Add salt to taste.
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In a heavy bottom saucepan, heat the oil till smoking and add in the mustard, cumin, fenugreek and arbol chile. once the fenugreek and the arbol chile have browned well, add the curry leaves (step back the fresh leaves tend to sputter).
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Cut the peaches into 8ths discarding the pits. Add the peaches into the oil and stir around to soften them up a bit. Pour in the Kefir mixture and lower the heat. Bring to a gentle simmer graudually. Once the Kadhi shows signs of 'bubbling, remove from heat and add the cilantro (feel free to skip on the cilantro though, if you don't want it,)
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Serve warm over plain Basmati rice or rice noodles.
A biomedical engineer/ neuroscientist by training, currently a mommy blogger on a quest for all things food - Indian Palate, Global perspective!
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