Recipe of the week: spiced yoghurt soup (Gujarati kadhi)

A kadhi is a simple dish of yoghurt thickened with gram flour. It is full of flavour and very healthy, says Vina Patel. In Gujarat, it is often served as a lunch dish with rice and chapatis, or the puffed, deep-fried bread known as poori. This recipe calls for an Indian bay leaf (tamal patra), and it is better with one, but a regular bay leaf can be used instead.

Serves three people

Ingredients

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• 160g plain full-fat yoghurt
• 1 tbsp gram flour
• 700ml water
• 2 tbsp grated jaggery or sugar
• 1 tbsp Ginger Paste (see below)
• 1 tbsp, plus 1 tsp, of Green Chilli Paste (see below) ¾ tsp salt, or to taste
• 1½ tbsp ghee
• ¾ tsp cumin seeds
• 2 dried red chillies
• 10-12 fresh curry leaves
• ¼ tsp asafoetida
• 1 tbsp roughly chopped garlic scapes (optional)
• 1 Indian bay leaf (tamal patra)
• 3 tbsp chopped coriander, to garnish
• to serve: rice, chapatis or pooris

For the ginger paste

• 150g ginger, peeled and cut into 2.5cm (1-inch) cubes
• 2-3 tbsp water

For the green chilli paste

• 60g green chillies, stems removed and cut into 2.5cm (1-inch) segments
• 2-3 tbsp water (optional)

Method

• Make the ginger paste: place the ginger in a blender and blitz for 1 min, stopping after 30 seconds to scrape down the sides of the jug to ensure even blitzing. Add water if needed and continue to blitz for 15-20 seconds until the mixture has a coarse consistency (store in an airtight container in the fridge for three days).
• Make the green chilli paste: place the chillies in a blender and blitz for 1 min, stopping after 30 seconds to scrape down the sides of the jug to ensure even blitzing. Add water if needed and continue to blitz for 30-40 seconds until the mixture is coarse in consistency (store in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days).
• Combine the yoghurt and gram flour in a large saucepan. Whisk until very smooth (this is important), then stir in the water until smooth. Add the jaggery, ginger paste, green chilli paste and salt. (The ginger may cause the mixture to split, but it’ll fix itself once it’s cooked.)
• In a small frying pan or skillet, heat the ghee over a medium heat. Add the cumin seeds. Once the seeds begin to pop, add the dried red chillies, curry leaves and asafoetida. Mix well and cook for 5–7 seconds. Add this mixture to the yoghurt-gram flour mixture and stir well to combine. Bring the mixture to the boil, then immediately reduce the heat to low. Cook for 20-22 minutes. Add the garlic scapes (if using) and the bay leaf, and garnish with the coriander.

Taken from From Gujarat with Love by Vina Patel, published by Pavilion Books at £20. To buy from The Week Bookshop for £15.99, call 020-3176 3835 or visit theweekbookshop.co.uk.