Karhi (Curry)

Culture: Indian

Food: Karhi (Curry)

Spice: Coriander and Cumin

Participant: Barjinder Kaur

Why did I choose this dish?

Karhi is everyone’s favourite, young or old. This dish only needs a few basic ingredients, usually available in the pantry. Karhi is full of flavour, colour and is rich in taste. Karhi can be served with boiled basmati rice or roti/chapati made from wholemeal wheat flour.

Traditionally Karhi is cooked when the seasons are changing and there’s often scarcity of new season fresh vegetables and people are bored with the past season vegetables. Karhi is a popular and versatile dish in Punjabi/Indian households. The reason I chose Karhi for this project is to highlight what Karhi (Curry) means to Punjabi/Indian people.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 brown medium onions thinly sliced length wise
• 2 red desiree potatoes peeled and thinly sliced length wise
• 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
• 1 green chilli finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon of coriander seeds, halved
• 3 tablespoons of desi ghee or sunflower oil
• 4 tablespoons of besan flour made from brown chickpeas
• 250g of Greek or cooking yoghurt
• 2 teaspoons of dry fenugreek leaves for garnish
• 3 glasses of water
• Dry spices – 2 tablespoons of salt, turmeric, red chilli powder and garam masala (adjust quantities based on your taste)

Directions

1. Heat desi ghee or sunflower oil in a pot.
2. Add cumin and coriander seeds and lightly fry.
3. Add onions, potatoes, garlic and green chilli to the pot, stir fry for 2 minutes.
4. Add dry spices – salt, turmeric, chilli powder and garam masala, stir rapidly and add 2 glasses of water, mix and cover to cook.
5. Mix together besan and yoghurt with a spoon to make a smooth batter-free from lumps and air bubbles.
6. Add batter to the pot and stir through, add remaining glass of water, lower the heat and cook for 30 minutes, stirring frequently.
7. Karhi consistency – not too thick/not too runny, adjust the addition of water to get it right.
8. Karhi tends to thicken as it is cooking.
9. Spread fenugreek leaves on the top of pot lid for slow dry fry, crush with your fingers and added to the pot.
10. Turn off the heat and let it set for 5 minutes before serving Karhi with boiled basmati rice or roti/chapati.