Looking for a new Indian dish to make at home? Try this Kadhi Chawal recipe, a very popular yogurt curry in India, served with rice and chickpea fritters.
It’s Food ‘n Flix time again! In this monthly group a host picks a movie of their choice that pertains to food. Everyone watches the movie and then makes a recipe which the film inspired. It can be any recipe you want. This month’s pick is hosted by Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla, who suggested a really awesome foreign film from India called The Lunchbox! Indian cooking is not new to me but I found a jewel of a recipe that I have never tasted before, called Kadhi Chawal, or Yogurt Curry with Rice.
The Lunchbox is a beautiful 2013 Indian romantic film full of melancholy. The first main character is Saajan, a lonely widower who is about to retire. Our second main character is Ila, a lonely young wife seeking her husband’s attention. She prepares a lunchbox everyday to be delivered to her husband via a dabbawala delivery service. One day her lunchbox gets accidentally delivered to Saajan instead. Soon her lunches reach Saajan every day on purpose and they start corresponding with a written message placed in the lunchbox. A strange but touching friendship develops and they share emotional and personal stories. They attempt to meet but Saajan backs out when he sees the beautiful young woman from afar. This leads to hurt feelings and life altering decisions on both sides. Do they ever actually meet in person in the end? Watch the movie to find out!
Dabbawalas are the carrier men that collect and deliver hot lunchboxes from homes or meal suppliers to workers at their offices. Delivery is made usually on foot, by bicycle, by carts, or by local train. The metal containers, called tiffin boxes, are then returned in the afternoon at the workers’ homes. It is estimated that up to 350,000 lunches are delivered each day in Mumbai alone by 5,000 dabbawalas. Errors in deliveries are extremely rare.
I saw this movie twice already, once at my annual Food Film Marathon, so I did not watch it again. The film is filled with gorgeous shots of Indian dishes but they do not mention them a whole lot (or my memory fails). Online I did find a mention of a dish called Kadhi. Further research brought me to this recipe from Indian Food Forever which I did adapt.
This was a totally new Indian dish to me. Kadhi Chawal is a spiced yogurt based curry served with rice and chickpea flour fritters called pakodas (I recently made cauliflower pakodas too). Apparently it is very popular in India and there are many variation, but I have never come across it in North American restaurants. I cut the hot spices almost by a third and it was still quite hot, but perfect for me. I really enjoyed it and can see myself making some again. I wonder how many Kadhi Chawal will be delivered tomorrow?
Kadhi Chawal (Yogurt Curry with Rice)
Ingredients
For Pakodas
- 2/3 cup chickpea flour
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 tsp green chili paste
- 2 tbsp coriander leaves finely chopped
- Oil for deep frying
For Rice
- 1/2 cup rice
- 1 1/2 cups of water
- Pinch of salt
For Kadhi Curry
- 1 1/4 cup thick yogurt Greek or Skyr
- 3 tbsp chickpea flour
- 2/3 cup water
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- Salt to taste
- 1 tsp oil
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
- Pinch of asafetida
- 1/4 tsp fenugreek powder
- 1/4 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp ginger paste
- 1 tsp garlic paste
- 1/2 tsp finely chopped green chili
Instructions
For Pakodas
- In a mixing bowl add and mix chickpea flour, chili powder, salt, baking soda, onions, green chili paste and coriander. Add water a bit at a time until you get a very thick batter.
- Heat 1 inch of oil in a saucepan to 375F and drop in a tablespoonful at a time of the batter in small batches. Turn them occasionally and keep frying until golden brown. Drain on a paper towels.
For Rice
- On high heat bring water, rice and salt to a boil in a saucepan. Lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes or till the rice in completely cooked. Drain any excess water. Put rice in a bowl and set aside till serving time.
For Kadhi Curry
- In a mixing bowl, whisk chickpea flour and water until smooth. Add yogurt a 1/4 cup at a time and mix until homogenous. Add red chili powder, turmeric and salt.
- Heat oil in a saucepan on med-high and add mustard seeds, coriander seeds, asafetida, fenugreek and cumin. When spices get fragrant mix in green chili, ginger and garlic paste. Mix in yogurt mixture, stirring constantly, until it starts to boil. Lower heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes on low until curry thickens.
- Turn rice bowl over on a plate, place half the pakodas around, cover with curry sauce, top with remaining pakodas and garnish with coriander leaves.
My next fritter cooking odyssey will be to try these Pakodas! This really was kind of a melancholy film. I saw somewhere that it was described as a rom-com and I thought, “What?!”
Beautiful looking dish!
Yeah totally agree, rom-com is not the right description at all. There is sadness to it but a beautiful one. Oh I hope your pakoda fritters turn out great!
Wow! Those look delicious – I bet the cauliflower version is great, too!
Thanks Amy, I am sure they would be, will have to try!
This looks amazing Evelyne! I have had pakodas or pakoras before and yogurt-based curries but this dish with the two together is new to me. So gorgeous on the plate–it’s making my mouth water. 😉
Aw thank you Deb! I would not have thought there was a dish that combined them either, but wow it is good. Hope you try it.
I hadn’t heard of this dish before either, but I know I’d like it. As far as I’m concerned, you can’t go wrong with fried dough or fritters. And the curry sounds like the perfect accompaniment!
The fritters where amazing but with the spices in there, you could smell it for days lol. But excellent dish.
Wow Evelyne, I am totally impressed. What a great dish.
Why thank you so much Wendy 🙂
I want some. I wonder how long it would take one of those delivery guys to get from Norhtwestern Ontario to you?
LOL Kimberly, I think I would be better off Express Posting it to you.
So pretty. It looks simple yet delicious.
Booth are correct lol it is a very good curry, thanks for your comment!
Yum! I love a good curry! This is quite different to what I’d bormally cook.
Thanks Nadia, and that is why I was so curious and had to make it, the originality of it, at least for me 🙂
I’m saving this recipe for the future. It looks delicious.
Thanks Elizabeth, I am sure you will love it.
What a lovely movie and story! Great idea to make a dish inspired by a movie. Your recipe looks surprisingly easy to make….and of course delicious.
Thank you Rosemary! Join the movie/food group if you like, we do it every month 🙂
Going hunting for this movie right now. It sounds so good, exactly my kinda film. 🙂
Great recipe too. I decided last week that I will be spending a month in India early next year, not sure when it happened, but I have fallen in love with the food and the culture of the country. Cant wait to give your recipe a whirl.
I am sure you will really enjoy the movie Anna and so cool about your upcoming trip project!
Yogurt curry sounds lovely, lighter than cream based ones. I love chickpeas so those fritters sound pretty amazing right now!
Indeed Lauren it is lighter calorie wise but not in texture as it is quite thick 🙂
The movie seems intriguing. I hope it’s on Netflix. As for the recipe, it still seems to hot for me, I’d need to temper it more.
Not sure if it is on Netflix yet. Sure lower the heat to you taste, keep in mind yogurt cools down the heat a lot too naturally 🙂
I love finding new ways to use yoghurt in cooking! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Yeah I was surprised to find a yogurt curry but addicted now!
I will have to check out this movie. 🙂 It sounds so good! As does this curry. 🙂
Totally recommend this movie, you will enjoy it. And the curry to if you make it 🙂
This is something my better half would love! Thanks for sharing.
My pleasure, how your better half gives it a try 😉
I love the look of this. I want to make it and will.
Thank Paula, let me know how it turns out!
Oh my Evelyne! It looks out of the world. To be honest, my kadhi chawal has never looked this good. Such a creamy gravy and perfect pakodas. I’ve seen the movie. It was one of the nice ones…short and sweet. Otherwise, I fall asleep while watching most bollywood movies, lol!
Thank you Sonali, what a compliment 🙂 Maybe because I used Skyr (Icelandic) yogurt which is thick but creamier than Greek? Anyways I am sure in taste would be a shadow of yours. Glad you saw the film and liked it!
GREAT looking dish! I love curry of any kind. This looks particularly tasty. Love its color. Sounds like a fun movie, too — and one that’s new to me. Always fun to discover new things. Thanks!
Thank you so much John. I bet you would love it. Funny enough the color only happened as the yogurt heated. Quite a transformation. Hope you check out the flick!
Curry has never been in my mouth before – probably because I fear it’s all yogurt based and I don’t want to get sick! But I would be very curious to try it at some point in my life!
Well if you have no fear of the spices, why not try it with coconut yogurt?
This sounds so creamy delicious!
Thanks raymond and yes a thick yogurt gives it a whole new depth
It seems like it’s a wonderful movie! I’ll try to see it. Anyway, the curry looks absolutely delicious! It’s a new recipe for me. Thanks for sharing!
I hope you see the movie and hope you try the curry recipe! New and different.
Glad you found a new curry dish to try. If only Bill would try it!!! And a new movie to put on my list 🙂
Yeah not sure you can pass this one by Bill without him noticing, next time he goes out of town lol?
Ooh I have seen that movie! Well half of it as I was on a plane and I fell asleep. I really should watch the rest of it!! 😛
yes you should watch it all, great movie but slow paced. good to enjoy with curry 😉
yes 😉 its is one of our famous Indian food! 🙂 even i have my recipe on my site 🙂
Really Suki, so cool that someone knows this recipe. Hope I did a good job?
Those lunchbox carrier men are amazing! The curry looks so good. You are quite a cook, Evelyne
I am so impressed with these carriers too Angie. And thank you glad you like this curry 🙂
What a delicious curry dish! I haven’t seen the movie but you sure intrigued me!
Thank you Katerina, and I hope you check out the movie, this one is really worth it.
I love trying new curry dishes and this is one I’ve not heard of before ?
Oh I hope you try it Tandy, it was very different and good.