Punjabi Kadhi Pakora – a classic, delicious dish of creamy and tangy spiced yoghurt curry with pakoras (fritters) simmered in the curry making it a richly satisfying dish.
Punjabi Kadhi pakora is a Pakistani/Indian comfort food. It is a wholesome and hearty dish that is mostly homecooked; you won’t find it on restaurants’ menus. Kadhi is a velvety smooth soup-like curry, with very basic spices yet rich in flavour. The recipe is gluten-free.
What is Kadhi Pakora?
Kadhi is a Pakistani/Indian gravy made with two main ingredients Gram Flour (besan) and Yogurt.
Pakora are fritters made from onion and gram-flour mix.
The name Kadhi is not the same as a curry. Kadhi is pronounced Kar-hee and is derived from the Punjabi word “Kaadhna” which means slow simmer. The classic way of cooking Kadhi brings out the best texture and flavours.
For the recipe, gram flour and yoghurt are mixed into a velvety smooth batter simmered with quintessential Pakistani spices to make the pleasantly tangy and richly satisfying Kadhi.
Every household, region has its own Kadhi recipe. The base ingredients are the same, but everyone adds their own unique flavours to it
Punjabi Kadhi Pakora Recipe
Kadhi Pakora is a two-step recipe. The first is making the Kadhi and second is making the pakoras that are later dunked into the prepared kadhi. A special tempering (Tarka) at the end elevates the flavours to the next level.
The recipe I am sharing today is my mother’s recipe. Whenever she made it at home I’d have it with rice/roti and then have a second serving finishing off with a spoon. She also made extra pakoras for us to snack on before the meal was served.
Punjabi Kadhi Pakora recipe is
- made with yoghurt and gram flour (besan)
- It is velvety smooth, creamy, tangy and delicious
- Pakoras (fritters) are made of onion and gram flour mix
- recipe is gluten-free
- it is a classic comfort food
Ingredients
To make Kadhi Pakore you will need a few simple ingredients. Detailed instructions and measurements are in the recipe card below
For Kadhi :
- Base ingredients: Yogurt, besan (chickpea flour or gram flour) and water.
- First Tempering: ghee or oil, mustard seeds (rai), cumin seeds (zeera), dry red chillies and curry leaves.
- Aromatics and spices: ginger, garlic, onion, salt and turmeric.
- Second tempering: ghee (preferred), white cumin (zeera) onions, Kashmiri red chilli powder.
For pakora:
- Base ingredient: Gram flour or chickpea flour and water.
- Spices: white cumin seeds (zeera) ajwain (carom seeds), salt, red chilli powder and turmeric
- Others: onions, garlic, green chillies, cilantro, and baking soda.
How to Make Kadhi Pakora
- In a blender add yoghurt, gram flour (besan) and water. Blend until smooth
- In a pan add ghee/oil and first tempering ingredients: mustard seeds (rai), cumin seeds (zeera), fenugreek seeds (methi dana), dry red chillies and curry leaves. Let it crackle
- Add a medium onion, chopped. When it’s soft, add garlic and saute for about 2 mins. Add the spices salt, red chilli powder and turmeric. Bhuno the masala by stirring frequently adding a little water until mixed well.
- Now add the prepared yoghurt and besan mix. Mix it well and let cook on medium-low heat for 20-30 mins, stirring occasionaly
- While Kadhi is simmering make Pakoras
- In a bowl add gram flour along with all the spices and ingredients. Gradually add water for a thick consistency batter.
- Heat oil in a wok and spoon the Pakora batter in the hot oil. Fry until golden. Drain on kitchen paper and set aside.
- Once the curry is ready, add the pakoras and prepare the second tempering.
- Heat ghee, add cumin, add onions when it turns golden add red chilli powder mix well and garnish over the kadhi.
Serving Suggestion: Kadhi Pakora is best served with steamed basmati rice. The combination is popularly known as “Kadhi Chawal”, and in Punjabi homes, it is an epitome of comfort food. Kadhi Pakora can also be served with roti (a wholewheat flatbread)
Tips to make the Best Kadhi Pakora
Kadhi Pakora is not a complicated dish, but a few tips can help you bring the best taste, flavour and consistency.
- Yoghurt: Kadhi is a tangy dish and gets its sourness from the yoghurt. Use sour yoghurt. If the yoghurt is not sour, make it sour by adding half a teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur powder) or tamarind paste.
- Besan: Use good quality gram flour (besan). In a pinch, you could also use chickpea flour.
- Cooking kadhi: Use a large bottomed pot for making the kadhi pakora recipe. The kadhi froths while cooking, thus can overflow and spill if you use a small pot.
- Pakora texture: To make softer pakora, add baking soda and some hot oil to the pakora batter before frying. It will make the pakoras crispy and soft.
- Frying Pakoras: Fry pakoras on medium heat. Add the pakoras to the curry just before serving or they will get soft and mushy.
- Second Tempering: don’t skip as this adds flavour and colour to the dish.
- Kadhi thickens as it sits so adjust the consistency by adding water as required.
- Vegan Kadhi Pakora: make it vegan by using vegan yoghurt and by replacing ghee with oil or vegan butter.
You’ll Also Like
- Punjabi Dal Makhani
- Chicken Tikka Karahi – Pakistani Style (Murgh Tikka Kadai)
- Chicken with Pickling Spice – Pakistani Achari Murgh
- Pakistani Beef Stew
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Punjabi Kadhi Pakora
Ingredients
For Kadhi
- 2 Cups Yogurt (Sour preffered)
- 1/2 Cup Gram Flour (besan) (chickpea flour)
- 5 Cups Water (or as required)
- 4 tbsp Ghee/Oil
- 1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds (rai)
- 1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds (zeera)
- 2 Dried Red Chilies
- 5 Curry Leaves (Kari Patta)
- 1 medium Onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp Garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp Ginger, minced
- 1 tsp Salt, or to taste
- 1 tsp Red Chili powder
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric
For Pakora
- 1 Onion, chopped
- 1/4 cup Corriander, chopped
- 2 cloves Garlic, grated
- 2 Green Chillies, chopped
- 1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds (zeera)
- 1 tsp Red Chilli powder
- 1 tsp Salt, or to taste
- 1 Cup Gram Flour (Besan)
- pinch Baking Soda
- Water, as required
- Oil for Frying
For tempering (Tadka)
- 2 tbsp Ghee or Oil
- 1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds (zeera)
- 1 small Onion, sliced
- 1 tsp Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
Instructions
- For Punjabi Kadhi
- In a blender add yogurt, gram flour and water. Blend until smooth.
- Alternatively, you can whisk yogurt and gram flour in a bowl or using a hand blender. Add water and mix well until smooth. Keep aside.
- In a larger thick bottomed cooking pot, add ghee/oil, once hot add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves. When it starts to crackle add the chopped onion.
- Once the onion is soft and translucent, add ginger-garlic paste and saute until the raw smell disappears. Then add the spices, salt, red chilli powder and turmeric. Bhuno the masala by frequently stirring until mixed well.
- Now, Lower the heat and the yoghurt-gram flour mix into the pot. Mix well.
- Increase the heat to medium, bring the mixture to a boil while stirring continuously to prevent it from curdling.
- Lower the heat, and let it simmer for 20-30 mins.
- As the Kadhi simmers, it will thicken, and the colour deepens. If you feel the need, add more water, add ½ cup at a time.
- While the kadhi simmers, make pakoras. The more the kadhi simmer, the better it tastes. Make sure to keep stirring in between and adjusting the water as needed.
For Pakora
- In a bowl add gram flour, spices (cumin seeds, salt and red chilli powder) and grated garlic cloves. Add water as required to make a thick batter.
- Now add the onion, chopped coriander, green chillies and a pinch of baking soda. Mix everything.
- Heat oil in a wok (kadhai) on medium heat. Once hot add 1tbsp of hot oil to the of batter.
- Mix the batter and using a spoon, add the batter to the oil.
- Fry on medium heat. Cook until golden brown and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper.
Tempering (Tadka)
- Just before serving, add the pakoras to the kadhi and bring the kadhi to a boil and simmer for 10 mins for the pakoras to soak the kadhi. While they soak make the Second tempering.
- Add ghee or oil in a pan, once hot add the cumin seeds, allow these to splutter. Add the sliced onions and cook golden brown. Next, add the Kashmiri chilli powder. Cook for 1 min approx.
- Add the tempering to the kadhi pakora and mix.
- Serve Kadhi pakora warm with steamed basmati rice or roti.
Notes
- Yoghurt: Kadhi is a tangy dish and gets its sourness from the yoghurt. Use sour yoghurt. If the yoghurt is not sour, make it sour by adding half a teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur powder) or tamarind paste.
- Besan: Use good quality gram flour (besan). In a pinch, you could also use chickpea flour.
- Cooking kadhi: Use a large bottomed pot for making the kadhi pakora recipe. The kadhi froths while cooking, thus can overflow and spill if you use a small pot.
- Pakora texture: To make softer pakora, add baking soda and some hot oil to the pakora batter before frying. It will make the pakoras crispy and soft.
- Frying Pakoras: Fry pakoras on medium heat. Add the pakoras to the curry just before serving or they will get soft and mushy.
- Second Tempering: don’t skip as this adds flavour and colour to the dish.
- Kadhi thickens as it sits so adjust the consistency by adding water as required.
- Vegan Kadhi Pakora: make it vegan by using vegan yoghurt and by replacing ghee with oil or vegan butter.
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