Saragva Ni Kadhi| Gujarati Drumstick Kadhi

Saragva ni kadhi, a Gujarati dish made using curd and drumsticks (‘saragva’ is Gujarati for ‘drumsticks’), is a hot favourite at our place. One of our Gujarati friends taught us how to make this kadhi, years ago, and I have been making it ever since. The husband loves it, the bub loves it, and so do I. This kadhi is something I prepare often at home, whenever there is sour curd left over. Hey, sometimes I even set extra curd just so I can make this! 🙂 Beloved as this dish is, it was only natural that I chose to make it recently, on the OH’s birthday.

It is a commonly held myth that all Gujarati dishes are sweet, that they have at least a dash of sugar in them. That is SO not the truth. There are a whole lot of Gujarati food items that do not contain any sugar at all. This saragva ni kadhi is one such no-sugar preparation.

Saragva ni kadhi or Gujarati drumstick kadhi

This Gujarati drumstick kadhi tastes absolutely delish, and is a delight to eat with rotis and rice alike. It is a great way to get those super-healthy drumsticks into your diet, and to make use of any excess curd lying around in your kitchen. What’s more, it is fairy easy to make too, a matter of minutes.

Now, let’s find out how to make saragva ni kadhi, shall we?

Ingredients (serves 4):

For the garnish:

1. 2 tablespoons oil
2. 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
3. 2 dry red chillies
4. 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi)
5. A pinch of asafoetida (hing)

Other ingredients:

1. 2 medium-sized drumsticks
2. 1 medium-sized serving bowl of thick curd
3. Salt, to taste
4. Red chilli powder, to taste
5. 2 green chillies, slit length-wise
6. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
7. 3 tablespoons gram flour (besan)
8. A few fresh curry leaves
9. A few stalks of fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped

Method:

1. Remove the ends of the drumsticks, and chop them into 2-inch pieces.
2. Heat some water in a heavy-bottomed pan, and add a little salt to it. Drop in the drumstick pieces. Cook them, covered, on a medium flame, till they are tender. This will take 4-5 minutes. You will need to keep checking on them in the interim, adding more water if required.
3. While the drumsticks are cooking, get the curd ready to make the kadhi. Take the curd in a large mixing bowl, and add in about 1/2 cup of water. Add the gram flour, salt to taste, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, slit green chillies and curry leaves to it. Mix well, ensuring that everything is well incorporated together.
4. When the drumsticks are cooked, add the curd mixture to the pan. Keep the flame on medium.
5. Stirring intermittently, let the curd mixture come to a boil. At this point, turn down the flame to low.
6. Let the kadhi simmer for about 2 minutes. Meanwhile, get the garnish ready.
7. For the garnish, heat the oil in a little pan. Add the mustard seeds, and allow them to pop. Add in the fenugreek seeds, asafoetida and dry red chillies. Let them stay in for a couple of seconds, and then switch off the gas.
8. Add this garnish to the simmering kadhi. Mix well. When the 2 minutes of simmering are up, switch off the gas.
9. Add in the finely chopped coriander leaves. Mix well.
10. Serve hot or warm with rotis or rice.

Notes:

1. Use curd that is slightly sour, for best results.
2. You may add a dash of sugar or jaggery to the kadhi if you want, but that is purely optional.
3. I sometimes tear the curry leaves, using my hands, before adding them to the curd. This way, I make sure they are consumed along with the kadhi, and not left on the side of the plate.
4. Add more or lesser water to the curd, depending upon how thick you want the kadhi to be.
5. Make sure the drumsticks are just about cooked, and not overcooked.
6. Do not cook the kadhi for too long after it has reached boiling stage. Overcooking might cause the kadhi to curdle or lose its taste.

Did you like the sound of this Gujarati drumstick kadhi? I hope you will try this out, too!

If you make this kadhi at home, I would love to hear of your version!

 

 

Advertisement