Kadhi with pasta

Kadhi is a common Indian preparation, but I was amazed to taste 4-5 different versions of Kadhi. The Marathi and Gujju kadhi is very similar in taste, but the Sindhi, Punjabi and Marwari kadhi tastes very different. I haven't yet tasted the South Indian version of kadhi, but I have heard from one of my friends that in South Indian kadhi, besan is not used, instead rice powder is used. Change one ingredient and you can adapt the taste to suit a different Indian community :)

Coming back to kadhi business, kadhi with pasta sounds like a fusion, and most of my friends who have tasted my kadhi find the pasta in the kadhi very interesting. I dunno my Mom's source of kadhi-pasta combination. But all my life I have had home-made kadhi with pasta instead of pakodas.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups curd
• 2 tbsps besan
• 1/2 cup pasta -(I generally add rigate or riccioli)
• 1/2 tsp fenugreek (methi) seeds
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp cumin-coriander powder
  
• 2 tsps green chillies-ginger-garlic paste
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 4-5 pepper balls
• 3-4 cloves
• oil for tempering
• freshly chopped coriander
  
• pinch of sugar
• salt to taste
  

Effort: 30 mins

Serves: 4 persons

- Boil the pasta with salt and a bit of olive oil, so that it doesn't stick
- Mix curd with equal amount of water, add besan and stir well such that there are no lumps
- Heat oil in a kadai, once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds, pepper balls and cloves. When the mustard balls start crackling, add a pinch of asafoetida. Add ginger-garlic-green chillies paste and stir for a min
- Pour the curd-besan mixture, add turmeric powder, dhania-jeera powder and methi seeds
- After 5-10 mins, add pasta and salt and a pinch of sugar
- Let the mixture boil thoroughly till you can see water separating from the curd
- Garnish with lots of finely chopped coriander and serve hot with rice