India is a land of vivid colours, cultures, and cuisines. We love to eat and cook as well. Here are some popular Indian cuisines from three different states made with a common ingredient, curd. Let’s celebrate unity amongst the diversity just like our country.

Punjabi Kadhi Chawal

Ingredients for Kadhi:

• Purabi Curd: 2 cups
• Gram flour: 3 tbsp
• Whole spices: 4 red chilies, Pinch of asafetida, 1/4 tsp fenugreek seed, 1 tsp mustard seed
• Ginger-garlic paste: 2 tsp
• Green chili (finely chopped)
• Red chili powder, turmeric powder:  1 tsp each
• Salt to taste

Ingredients for pakodas:

• Gram flour: 2 cups
• Chili powder: 1 tsp
• Baking soda: 1/2 tsp
• 1 onion (finely chopped)
• 1 tsp green chili paste
• 2 tbsp coriander leaves (finely chopped)
• Salt to taste
• Oil for deep frying

Recipe:

• Take a mixing bowl and add gram flour, chili powder, salt, baking soda, onions, green chili paste and coriander leaves.
• Add water little by little and make a thick batter.
• Make pakodas from the batter and drain them on a kitchen paper to remove out the excess oil.
• Take a big mixing bowl, whisk curd with gram flour and water.
• Make a smooth mixture without any lumps. Add red chili powder, turmeric and salt.
• Heat oil in a kadai, add cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds and asafetida.
• When cumin seeds start to crackle add green chili, ginger and garlic paste.
• Stir well and add the curd mixture while stirring constantly otherwise lumps will form.
• Now lower down the heat stirring constantly till it starts boiling and let it simmer for 10 -15 minutes on low heat till the kadhi gets thickened.
• Now add the fried pakodas to the kadhi and garnish with the coriander leaves.
• Serve the Punjabi kadhi hot with steamed rice.

Bengali Doi mach (Fish in Curd Sauce)

Ingredients:

• Rohu fish or any kind of fleshy fish: 6/7 pieces
• Onion: chopped (1 medium)
• Ginger-garlic paste: 2 tablespoon
• Onion: 1 small (chopped)
• Purabi plain dahi: 1 cup
• Turmeric, cumin, coriander and red chili powder: 1/2 teaspoon each
• Whole garam masala: 1 teaspoon
• Green chilies: 3/4
• Oil
• Salt

Recipe:

• Lightly fry the fish pieces with salt, turmeric and cumin powder in a skillet.
• In the remaining oil add whole garam masala and fry the chopped onion until translucent.
• Add ginger-garlic paste for 2-3 minutes with 2 green chilies. Stir it for 2-3 minutes.
• Add turmeric powder, cumin, red chili and coriander powder. Keep stirring for 3 minutes. Add the curd.
• Stir well and add 1 cup of water. Mix well. Let it simmer.
• Add salt, sugar and remaining green chilies. Add fish pieces and cover on medium heat.
• Cook for 7/8 minutes.  Adjust salt and sugar and serve with steamed, hot rice.

Kashmiri Dum Aloo

Ingredients:

• Baby Potatoes - about 1/2 kg or 5/6 Usual potatoes
• Whole garam masala - 1 cinnamon, 3 cloves, 1 black cardamom
• Kashmiri chili powder - 3 tsp
• Fennel powder - 3 tsp
• Dry ginger powder - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Asafetida - 1/4 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Purabi Dahi - 3/4 cup
• Water - 1 cup
• Mustard oil - 4 tbsp

Recipe:

• Wash the potatoes and boil for 5 minutes till partially cooked. Drain and cool. 
• Peel the skin of the potatoes and prick holes around each potato using a fork..
• Take about 3 tbsp of water in a small bowl and make a paste with all the dry spices.
• Heat oil in a pan and add the potatoes. Pan fry it till all sides turn golden brown and become crisp. Keep aside
• In the same pan add the cumin seeds and whole garam masala.
• After few seconds, add the spice mixed water. Let it cook for couple of minutes.
• Whisk the curd well and add it to the pan. Reduce the heat to low and keep stirring continuously when adding the curd to prevent it from breaking.
• Add water and required salt. Bring to a boil.
• Reduce the flame to low and add the pan fried potatoes.
• Cover and let it cook on low heat for 5-10 minutes. The gravy will thicken a bit and the potatoes will absorb the spices.
• Finally garnish with coriander leaves and switch off.