A Kadhi recipe which is a family heirloom recipe. This fabulous Kadhi Pakora is my mother in law’s treasured recipe of making the traditional Punjabi Kadhi with onion pakora. A recipe she has been making for ages and loved by all of us.
About this recipe
For this recipe, the Hindi word “Kadhi” denotes a yogurt sauce which has been slow cooked for quite some time. The word “pakora” means fritters made from gram flour (besan). In this recipe, the fritters are made with onions and gram flour.
I often make Kadhi pakora, but I just could not manage to take step by step photos and that is why it took me so long to share this delicious Punjabi kadhi recipe.
We love kadhi, be it with or without pakora. When we serve Punjabi kadhi pakora with steamed rice or jeera rice, we call it kadhi chawal – where chawal is the Hindi word for rice.
You can also have kadhi with roti but we prefer to have it with rice. Kadhi Chawal and Rajma Chawal are a staple and much loved food in Punjabi homes.
Each state and region have their own ways of making dahi kadhi. So we have Maharashtrian Kadhi, Rajasthani Kadhi, Gujarati Kadhi, Sindhi Kadhi and so on.
The Punjabi Kadhi is different from the other regional variations of kadhi. It is thicker and creamier than other variations which have a slight thinner consistency. The main ingredients used to make the kadhi are more or less the same.
How to make Kadhi Pakora
This is again one of those recipe posts, where there are maximum pictures. Since I am presenting a step-by-step photo guide, I will first begin with making the curd slurry, then making the onion pakora and then finally with the making of the kadhi pakora.
Making curd slurry
1. In a bowl take 1.5 cups sour curd or about 375 grams of curd. Whisk it well till smooth.
2. Add 8 tbsp gram flour (besan), ½ tsp red chilli powder, ½ tsp turmeric powder, ½ tsp garam masala powder and 1 tsp salt to the whisked curd.
3. Stir and mix everything again.
4. Add 3 cups water and stir again.
5. Stir very well to make a smooth mixture without lumps. If there are lumps, then break them with a wired whisk or a spatula or with your fingers. Set the curd slurry aside.
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.
Making onion pakora
1. Take 1 cup gram flour (besan) in a bowl and add ½ tsp ajwain (carom seeds) ½ tsp red chili powder, ½ tsp garam masala powder and ⅔ tsp salt or as required.
2. Add 1 cup thinly sliced onions. About 2 medium to large onions, sliced, approx 150 grams of onions.
3. Mix everything well and keep aside covered for 30 minutes.
4. This will allow the onions to release their water in the mixture. Depending on the water content in the onions, the mixture will become very moist or just about moist. Here’s a photo of the onions after 30 minutes. Mix again.
4. Then accordingly add water as required to make a thick batter. I added ¼ cup water. You can also skip adding water if the mixture is too moist.
6. Heat oil for deep frying in a pan or kadai. with a spoon or with your hands drop the pakora batter in the oil.
7. When the pakora are partly cooked, then turn over and fry the other side.
8. Fry till the pakora are crisp and golden.
9. Remove the fried pakora and place them on a kitchen paper towel so that extra oil is absorbed. Fry the pakora in batches this way. When done keep all of them aside.
Making kadhi recipe
1. In another pan or kadai, heat 2 tbsp mustard oil. Make sure to use a large bottomed pot so that while cooking, the kadhi does not spill.
2. Add 1 tsp cumin seeds, 8 to 10 fenugreek seeds (methi seeds) and a generous pinch of asafoetida (hing). Allow the cumin seeds to crackle and the fenugreek seeds to change their color. Fry on a low flame, so that these spices do not get burnt.
3. Add ⅓ cup chopped onion. Stir and saute for 3 minutes on a low flame.
4. Then add 1 tbsp chopped ginger, ¾ to 1 tbsp chopped garlic and 2 green chillies, chopped. Stir and sauté for a minute.
5. Now add 8 to 10 curry leaves, 2 dry red chilies (halved or broken).
6. Stir and sauté for a minute on a low flame.
7. Then add the curd slurry.
8. Stir very well.
9. Increase the flame to medium and bring the kadhi to a boil. Keep on stirring often so that the bottom does not get browned. Time taken to cook kadhi will be around 14 to 16 minutes.
10. After the kadhi comes to a boil, then lower the flame and simmer it for further 6 to 7 minutes. Do stir at times. The kadhi will thicken. If it becomes too thick, then add some hot water.
11. In the below photo, the kadhi is ready.
Making kadhi pakora
12. Now add the onion pakora to the kadhi. Stir gently.
13. Cover with a lid and let the onion pakora be soaked in it for 8 to 10 minutes.
14. Lastly, sprinkle some garam masala powder on the Punjabi Kadhi.
15. Garnish with coriander leaves & serve Punjabi Kadhi Pakora hot with steamed rice or jeera rice, topped with few teaspoonfuls of ghee.
You could also serve with roti or paratha. However, the combination of Kadhi Chawal (kadhi served with steamed rice) is very popular and tastes very good.
Expert Tips
- Curd (yogurt): Use full fat sour curd or sour yogurt made from whole milk. If the curd is not sour, then the kadhi will not be sour, but will still taste good. To make the curd sour, you could add ½ to 1 teaspoon amchur powder (dry mango powder) or a bit of lemon juice.
- Fats: Use mustard oil if possible to fry the onion pakora and for tempering. Mustard oil lends a pungent sharp taste and flavor to the kadhi. If you do not have mustard oil, then use a neutral oil like sunflower oil.
- Baking Pakora: You could also bake the pakora instead of deep frying them. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius until the pakora are crisp and golden. For baking pakora add 1 to 2 tablespoons oil in the batter and do not make the batter very moist but keep it a bit wet.
- Curry leaves: Don’t skip on curry leaves, as you will know that something is missing from the kadhi pakora recipe.
- Besan: Use good quality gram flour (besan). In a pinch you could also use chickpea flour.
- Prep work: The onion pakora can be prepared earlier and set aside.
- 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 some more water than mentioned in the recipe below. In this case, add the pakora to the kadhi, just before serving. If added much before serving, then the pakora become too soft and mushy.
Some folks do not like the mushy and soft pakora in the Punjabi kadhi. In this case the pakora can be a little hard. Add little or no water to the batter.
In this recipe I have not made the pakora soft. Just added enough water to make the batter smooth but not runny. Thus you could well add the pakora just after the kadhi is ready. The pakora won’t break when the kadhi is served later.
More Awesome Punjabi Recipes!
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Kadhi Recipe | Kadhi Pakora
By Dassana Amit
Ingredients
For curd slurry
- 1.5 cups sour curd (full fat) or sour yogurt, 375 grams
- 3 cups water or add as required
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder or cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
- 1 generous pinch asafoetida (hing)
- 1 to 1.5 teaspoon salt or add as required
- 8 tablespoon gram flour (besan), 40 grams
For onion pakora
- 1 cup thinly sliced onions (tightly packed) or 2 medium to large onions or 150 grams
- 1 cup besan (gram flour)
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
- ½ teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain)
- ⅔ to ¾ teaspoon salt or add as required
- ¼ cup water or add as required
- mustard oil or sunflower oil or any neutral oil – for shallow frying or deep frying
For kadhi
- ⅓ cup chopped onions or 1 small to medium onion
- 1 tablespoon chopped ginger
- ¾ to 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- 8 to 10 fenugreek seeds (methi seeds)
- 2 green chillies – chopped or 1 teaspoon serrano peppers
- 2 dry red chillies – broken and seeds removed
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 generous pinch asafoetida (hing)
- 8 to 10 curry leaves or 1 sprig curry leaves
- 2 tablespoons mustard oil or sunflower oil or any neutral oil
Instructions
Making curd slurry
- In a bowl take the sour curd and whisk it well till smooth
- Add gram flour, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder and salt to the whisked curd.
- Stir and mix everything again.
- Add 3 cups water and stir again.
- Stir very well to make a smooth mixture without lumps. If there are lumps, then break them with a wired whisk or a spatula or with your fingers. Set the curd slurry aside.
- 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.
Making onion pakora
- Take the gram flour in a bowl and add carom seeds, red chili powder, garam masala powder and salt.
- Add 1 cup thinly sliced onions.
- Mix everything well and set aside covered for 30 minutes.
- This will allow the onions to release their water in the mixture. Depending on the water content in the onions, the mixture will become very moist or just about moist.
- Then accordingly add water as required to make a thick batter. I added ¼ cup water.
- Heat oil for deep frying in a pan or kadai. With a spoon or with your hands drop the pakora batter in the oil.
- When the pakora are partly cooked, then turn over and fry the other side.
- Fry till the pakora are crisp and golden.
- Remove the fried pakora and place them on a kitchen paper towel so that extra oil is absorbed. Fry the pakora in batches this way. When done set all of them aside.
Making kadhi
- In another pan or kadai, heat mustard oil. Make sure to use a large bottomed pot so that while boiling, the kadhi does not spill.
- Add the cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds and asafoetida. Allow the cumin seeds to crackle and the fenugreek seeds to change their color. Fry on a low flame, so that these spices do not get burnt.
- Add chopped onion. Stir and sauté for 3 minutes on a low flame.
- Then add chopped ginger, chopped garlic and chopped green chillies. Stir and sauté for a minute.
- Now add curry leaves, dry red chilies (halved or broken). Stir and sauté for a minute on a low flame.
- Then add the curd slurry.
- Stir very well.
- Increase the flame to medium and bring the kadhi to a boil. Keep on stirring often so that the bottom does not get browned. Time taken to cook kadhi will be around 14 to 16 minutes.
- After the kadhi has come to a boil, then lower the flame and simmer for more 6 to 7 minutes. The kadhi will thicken.
- If the kadhi becomes too thick, then add some hot water.
Making kadhi pakora
- Now add the onion pakora to the kadhi and stir gently.
- Cover with a lid and let the onion pakora be soaked in it for 8 to 10 minutes.
- Lastly sprinkle some garam masala powder.
- Serve kadhi pakora with steamed rice or cumin rice, topped with few teaspoonfuls of ghee. You could also have kadhi with roti or paratha.
Notes
- Curd (yogurt): For the kadhi recipe, use full fat sour curd or sour yogurt made from whole milk. If the curd is not sour, then the kadhi won’t be sour, but the taste will still be good. To make the curd sour, you could add ½ to 1 teaspoon amchur powder (dry mango powder) or a bit of lemon juice.
- Fats: Use mustard oil if possible for deep frying onion pakora and for the kadhi. Mustard oil gives a pungent sharp taste and flavor. If you do not have mustard oil, then use a neutral oil like sunflower oil.
- Baking Pakora: You could also bake the pakora instead of frying them. Bake them in a preheated oven at 180 degrees celsius until the pakora are crisp and golden. For baking Add 1 to 2 tablespoons oil in the batter and do not make it very moist but keep it a bit wet and not dry.
- Curry leaves: Don’t skip on curry leaves, as you will know that something is missing from the kadhi pakora recipe.
- Gram flour: Use good quality gram flour (besan). You could also use chickpea flour in place of gram flour.
- Prep work: The onion pakora can be made earlier and set aside.
- Cooking kadhi: Use a large bottomed pot for making the kadhi pakora recipe. The kadhi froths while cooking and can overflow if you use a small pot.
- Pakora texture: To make softer pakora, add some more water in the batter. In this case, add the pakora to the kadhi, just before serving. If added earlier to the kadhi, then the pakora become too soft and mushy. Some folks do not like mushy and soft pakora in the Punjabi kadhi. In this case the pakora can be a little hard – so add little or no water to the batter.
Nutrition Info Approximate values
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Recipe for a perfect Punjabi kadhi. Thank you 🙏
Welcome and thanks. Nice to know.
When my mother was alive..
She used to cook this extremely tasty dish.
God bless you for ever.
Now I will make kadhi pakora
following your recipe.
The photos are so nice
of step by step cooking.
Excellent.
Thanks a lot. I hope you enjoy making the recipe and like it as well.
Turned out to be a treat. First time tried and successfully managed to make tasty kadhi. I tempered a little haldi, red chilli powder 2 curry leaves nd a quarter red chilli in ghee nd yumm it was. Easy and tasty thanks for the super recipe.
It turned out very yummy..thank you!
thanks for the feedback and rating. glad to know.