punjabi kadhi pakora recipe

many a times i made punjabi kadhi, but just could not manage myself to take step by step photos. so better late than never… am finally posting this awesome traditional punjabi kadhi recipe.

i just love kadhis, be it plain or with pakoras. at home we call it kadhi chawal, because the kadhi is had with plain rice or jeera rice. mom in law makes fabulous curry and one can just keep licking their fingers. its sooooo good. this kadhi recipe is again from mom in law’s fab collection.

coming to punjabi recipes, there are a few much loved vegetarian recipes, that i must share like sarson da saag and makke ki roti, bhatura, punjabi chole, amritsari chole, rajma masala, aloo tikki chole, punjabi garam masala and so many…

the punjabi kadhi is different from the gujarat kadhi… the punjabi kadhi is thicker and creamier and the gujarati kadhi is a little thinner. the ingredients used to make the kadhi in both the versions is more or less the same.

for suggestions for the recipe of punjabi kadhi:

• use sour curd. if the curd is not sour, then the kadhi will not be sour, but still tastes good. to make the curd sour, you could add amchur powder whilst cooking the kadhi.
• use mustard oil if possible to fry the onion pakoras and for tempering. mustard oil leds a pungent sharp taste and flavor to the curry.
• you could also bake the pakoras instead of frying them.
• don’t skip on curry leaves, as you will know that something is missing from the kadhi.
• use good quality gram flour/besan
• the onion pakoras can be prepared before hand and kept aside.
• use a large bottomed pot for cooking the kadhi. the curd mixture froths whilst cooking and can spill if you use a small pot.
• to make softer pakoras, add  2 or 3 tbsp more water than mentioned in the recipe below. in this case, add the pakoras to the kadhi, just before serving.
• some folks do not like the mushy and soft pakoras in the kadhi. in this case the pakoras can be a little hard. add little or no water to the batter. the onion liquids does the job of moistening the batter.
• in this recipe i have not made the pakoras soft. just added enough water to make the batter smooth but not liquidy. in this scenario, you could well add the pakoras just after the kadhi is ready. the pakoras won’t break when the kadhi is served later.

this is again one of my those posts, where there are maximum pics. since i am presenting a step by step recipe detail for the punjabi kadhi, i will first start with the onion pakoras and then with the making of the kadhi.

so lets begin with preparing the onion pakoras for kadhi:

take the gram flour/besan in a bowl and add ajwain/carom seeds, red chili powder, garam masala powder and salt.

add sliced onions to the bowl and pour a little water. we don’t want to add too much water as the onions will release water later.

mix the  onions, besan etc all very well and keep aside for some 20-30 minutes. if you look at the below pic, the batter looks a little dry.

not to worry, as after 20-30 minutes, the onions would have released enough water to make the batter smooth and liquidy. if the batter still feels dry, then you add some water to it. check the salt and spices and add more if required.

now you can shallow fry or deep fry the pakoras. drop spoonfuls of the pakora batter in a moderately hot oil.

you see i am shallow frying the pakoras. the taste remains the same whether you shallow fry or deep fry.

fry the pakoras till they crisp and browned.

keep the pakoras aside. don’t have a pic of this one as i forgot to take it. if you love pakoras then here are few more delicious pakora recipes for you: bread pakora, palak pakora, mix vegetable pakora, aloo pakora and cabbage pakora.

now we begin making the curd/yogurt kadhi:

in a big bowl or pan, take the curd. whip it well to make it smooth and add the spice powders – turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masala powder and salt.

mix the spice powders with the curd.

now add the gram flour/besan to our spiced curd.

pour water and mix the contents well.

make sure there are no lumps. can you see the flour lump in the pic below. that means i have to dissolve the lumps well.

use a wooden spoon or spatula to dissolve the lumps into the curd. you can use a blender to make this mixture, but make sure you don’t over do it. you will get butter instead of a smooth blended curd  and i have done that. nooooo… not butter… i mean i have blended the whole mixture well. the photo below is the proof.

now in a large deep pot, heat mustard oil or ghee or any vegetable oil. add cumin seeds and let them sizzle. then add chopped garlic, ginger, green chili and methi seeds.

also add curry leaves and dry red chili. fry till the raw smell of the garlic – ginger disappears.

now pour our dahi/curd and besan mixture.

this is how the kadhi looks after 3 minutes, more yellow than creamish.

bring the whole kadhi to a boil first and then simmer for some more minutes. make sure to use a large bottomed pot so that while boiling, the kadhi does not spill.

so the punjabi kadhi is ready.

add the fried onion pakoras to the hot kadhi .

cover and close the pot. let the onion pakoras be soaked in the kadhi for some minutes. garnish with coriander leaves and serve the punjabi kadhi pakora with warm rice or jeera rice, topped with few teaspoonfuls of ghee. you could just have it plain or also with rotis or parathas.

punjabi kadhi pakora recipe details below:

kadhi recipe, how to make punjabi kadhi pakora recipe

 

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Prep time

40 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

1 hour 10 mins

 

popular north indian recipe of punjabi kadhi pakora.

Author: dassana

Recipe type: main dish

Cuisine: north indian

Serves: 6-7

Ingredients

For the onion pakoras/fritters:

• 2 cups besan/gram flour
• 1 cup water
• 4 medium sized onions, sliced
• 1 tsp ajwain/carom seeds
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• ½ tsp garam masala powder
• a pinch of asafoetida/hing

For the curd sauce/kadhi:

• curd made from half a litre of milk
• 1 cup besan/gram flour
• 31/2 to 4 cups water
• 2 tsp red chili powder
• 1 and half teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 tsp garam masala powder
• salt to taste

For the tempering:

• 1 medium sized onion, finely chopped (optional)
• 1 and half tbsp chopped ginger-garlic or crushed ginger-garlic
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• ¼ tsp methi/fenugreek seeds
• 2 sprig curry leaves
• 2 green chili
• 1 or 2 dry red chilies (optional)
• 3 tbsp mustard oil or ghee or any vegetable oil
• a pinch or two of asafoetida

Instructions

Preparing the Onion Pakoras:

1. mix gram flour/besan in a bowl with carom seeds, red chili powder, garam masala powder and salt.
2. add sliced onions to the bowl and pour a little water. we don’t want to add too much water as the onions will release water later.
3. mix the onions with the besan very well and keep aside for some 20-30 minutes.
4. after 20-30 minutes, the onions would have released enough water to make the batter liquidy. if the batter still feels dry, then add some water to it. check the salt and spices and add more if required.
5. heat oil for deep or shallow frying the pakoras.
6. fry the pakoras till they crisp and browned.
7. drain on kitchen paper napkins or tissues.
8. keep the pakoras aside.

Preparing the the curd/yogurt kadhi:

1. in a big bowl or pan, take the curd. whip it well to make it smooth and add the spice powders – turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masala powder and salt.
2. mix the spice powders with the curd.
3. now add the gram flour/besan to our spiced curd.
4. pour water and mix the contents well.
5. make sure there are no lumps. can you see the flour lump in pic below. that means i have to dissolve the lumps well.
6. use a wooden spoon or spatula to dissolve the lumps into the curd. you can use a blender to make this mixture, but make sure you don’t over do it. you will get butter instead of curd
7. and i have done that. nooooo… not butter… i mean i have blended the whole mixture well. the photo below is the proof.
8. now in a large deep pan, heat mustard oil or ghee or any vegetable oil.
9. add cumin seeds and let them sizzle. then add chopped garlic, ginger, green chili.
10. also add curry leaves and dry red chili.
11. fry till the raw smell of the garlic ginger disappears.
12. now pour our liquid curd mixture.
13. bring the whole kadhi to a boil first and then simmer for 8-10 minutes.
14. so the punjabi kadhi is ready.
15. add the fried onion pakoras to the hot kadhi .
16. cover and close the pan. let the onion pakoras be soaked in the kadhi for some minutes. garnish with coriander leaves and serve the punjabi kadhi pakora with warm rice, topped with few teaspoonfuls of ghee.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 6-7

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