The mini processor probably didn’t have quite enough oomph to grind them up well. In the comment thread for the recipe, she notes that the wet blending is an alternative to dry grinding. If you have a spice grinder, you could skip soaking and grind the spices and add to the yogurt and chiles before blending.
I had the mortar and pestle out but thought better when I saw how much seed it was. No matter, it just was not palatable–though I typically like mustard and strongly flavored things. Bummer, as my eggplant had come out perfectly!
Sorry, wasn’t ignoring, just thinking about how to answer.
Protein is not eaten in the same proportion or with the singular focus of the western diet – vegetables have protein, dairy has protein, grains have protein, and so on. Even for non-vegetarian meals, meat and fish portions might seem like condiments relative to western serving sizes. Nutrient balance may be achieved across the day and the week, not necessarily in a single meal.
Back to the kadhi – it would serve as the only wet dish, and part of the overall protein content of the meal. (For Gujarati yogurt-based kadhi, there might be dry-cooked sprouted beans or lentils on the side as a combination, but not always.)
(I had a much longer reply typed up about home eating cycles / habits / planning, but it was overkill.)
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I’d be interested in the longer post, though likely in another topic?
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They did get completely ground. I used a stick blender, which was not the best choice, because the paste was quite thick, and it took forever to blend. I have a Sumeet Multi-Grind, which is a wet/dry grinder, and that is what I would use if I were to do it over. It’s what I use when making Thai curry pastes. I don’t think any food processor is going to grind fine enough to get mustard seeds to break down. If I didn’t have the Sumeet, my next choice would be the Vitamix.
if you have access to an indian store they typically will sell ground yellow mustard seeds for these bengali dishes. I have a big bag of it in the pantry. Maybe this discussion will inspire to try.
Funny, I make punch phoron myself - with big jars of the component spices, its a great opportunity to leverage!
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The yogurt itself has protein, in addition to the chickpea flour.
In South Indian meal plates, the kadhi equivalent (morkozhambu in Tamil, other names in other S.I. languages) is one element, with dal, sabzis, etc. all around.
Punjabi kadhi often has chickpea dumplings in it. One morkozhambu option has dal dumplings.
Thus, as @saregama says, the proportions and portions are different from most Euro style food plates, growing similar to other Asian food plates. But full nutrition happens with the overall variety of dishes and serving size.
And desi food plates are generally assembled with consideration for balancing varied elements - something proteiny, a couple of veggies, yogurt, the staple (rice, roti, etc.) so it all adds uo.
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I have a very good Indian market, but I generally do not like to buy ground spices. Whole spices hold their flavor a lot better and I can grind as needed. With the Sumeet, I can grind pretty good quantities at a time, so I will grind more than I need and store in small jars, but not so much that it loses potency before I use it up. Also buying whole spices only means I only have to buy one form of the spice. I have the whole seeds when I need them, and can easily have the ground version, and don’t have to worry about finding space to store two versions.
The longer version of my response had a disclaimer about lots of regional variation…
Would this be the case for an everyday meal? What you describe would be true for a gujarati festival or wedding thali, but not for a random Tuesday 
Sure, for an everyday middle class random Tuesday meal, you could have morkozhambu, a sabzi, something daal-ish (e.g. koottu), maybe kosumalli, ending with yogurt or buttermilk, all with rice.
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Though I must confess that in my harassed, small-kids-lengthy-commute-no-help days, morkozhambu was likely a weekend thing, not because it’s complex, but the dal and sabzi are prioritized.
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CARDAMOM, GINGER, & BLACK PEPPER CHICKEN (ANDHRA KODI VEPUDU)
I just realize as I’m typing this that I left out the curry leaves, and they definitely would have been a welcome flavor. I imagine they would have tied everything together. Without them, this was a good dish, but curry leaves would have added depth.
This recipe is relatively quick to put together. I modified the method a bit so I could make it without marinating the chicken first, but I used all the same flavors.
Chicken is marinated in a ginger-garlic paste. Whole green cardamom pods, curry leaves, and several cloves are heated in oil, then onions are added to the pan and browned (I add my garlic and ginger at this point). The chicken is then added to the pan along with lots of black peper, Kashmiri chile powder, ground coriander, ground turmeric, and chopped tomatoes. Everything is covered and simmered together until the chicken is cooked through.
I will almost certainly make this again, probably in the next couple of days so that the curry leaves I picked won’t go to waste.
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CHETTINAD CHICKEN
I am sharing a couple recipes I’ve made while this is still COTM that are from her website that I hope to come back to after I have eaten down some of the monthly fish subscription.
This Chettinad Chicken recipe begins by marinating the chicken in freshly ground coriander, fennel, and cumin seeds, black peppercorn, and kashmiri chiles (I used sanaam, which are not accurate, but what I had on hand at the time. They are kind of about as hot as a chile de arbol). I credit Maunika Gowardhan for getting me to understand and appreciate fennel seed more. I was very averse to anise flavors for much of my life. Once the chicken marinates, you flavor some oil with a cinnamon stick and more fennel seeds. Brown an onion slowly and add ginger, garlic, and curry leaves. Then add the chicken to the pot and get it sealed. Finally, add some water and let it simmer for about 15 minutes. Check for salt and you’re good to go. We had this over a rice and pea pulao for a one dish meal.
She mentions kalpasi (stone flower) as a traditionally added seasoning. It is a dried lichen, I believe. I have purchased some to use for the next time I make this. Having watched some YouTube videos on how it is used, it looks like you flavor the oil with it in the step where the cinnamon and fennel seed is added. I think it gets removed before proceeding, but I will defer to others with more experience with it!
I look forward to hearing from others who make this. We really enjoyed it!
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Tandoori Chicken Tikka
Murgh Makhani
I have nothing but good things to say about both these recipes! The chicken tikka is moist and subtly flavored with the added saffron. It is well worth making a large batch or two because the leftovers, well wrapped, freeze well. So, if you live in a northern climate as I do, you can pull some out in the late fall or winter and enjoy some backyard grilled flavors. I also make extra so I have an excuse to make her Murgh Makhani (Butter Chicken) recipe.
You can click through to the recipe for the details, but what stands out for me with this recipe is her use of cardamom and Kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves). The cardamon reminds me of the very first time I had this dish in a restaurant. The flavor stayed with me for some time and I’m delighted at the memory this invokes for me. The dried fenugreek leaves are also a wonderful flavor added at the end of the recipe that really takes the whole thing over the top. If you make it, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
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Kudos to you for making the more complicated dishes (which I’ve been avoiding even though they’re really the ones I want to try!)
Also called Dagad Phool (literally: stone flower). Earthy flavor, unique to the regions it’s native to.
We grind it into the masala - usually where the whole spices and aromatics are sautéed first, then ground before being sautéed again. (I’ve never added it to oil with the whole garam masala, but maybe I just haven’t made a recipe yet that uses that method.)
Tandoori chicken / chicken tikka is my holy grail. I have never eaten a home version that resembles the real thing .
She uses a few different spices, so maybe I’ll try it next week when I’m with my tandoori-loving sibling.
Ditto to hopefully trying this next week too. Again she’s got some different spices going on in her version.
Agree on kasuri methi being a magic ingredient!
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Thank you! I’ve been enjoying trying as many as I can, as time permits. I am finding the end results from making masalas and spice pastes very satisfying! (At some point, I need to write up the Laal Maas from her site too, which I think is in Thali now with a couple tweaks.) That’s great to hear that I can grind it into the masala! How much would I add to a recipe? This recipe suggests “3 nos”, which is, I guess, pieces?
I really enjoyed this article on kalpasi - From Bark to Biryani: The Fascinating Tale of Kalpasi.
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Murgh do pyaza and tadka dal are on my to do list, as it looks like I got most ingredients.
Now to find time, bearing in mind I got left overs & pumpkin to finish…
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3 pieces sounds like a lot, but also “pieces” is variable, lol. Sounds about right for indian directions. I’d go with maybe an inch or two for a pound of chicken.
Once you use it, you’ll get a sense for the flavor profile and be able to judge whether you need more or less based on how dominant you want the flavor to be.
So… what you used is closer to the dish origin than the ubiquitous Kashmiri chilli, which we didn’t even stock at home when I was growing up . Somehow it became popular as the “standard” indian chilli (for its bright color and mild heat). There’s a wide regional variety of chillies, and Guntur (Andhra Pradesh) Sannam is a popular one.
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Wow! I did not realize! She mentioned Guntar chiles, but I should have Googled what I had (especially before typing up my experience with the dish)! 
Penzey’s was carrying them, so I bought them on a whim. I really like them. I think I am on my second or third bag of them.
I will keep in mind an inch or so for the kalpasi in my next go at the Chettinad Chicken. Thank you!
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