punjabi kadhi recipe with step by step photos – this is my mother in law’s recipe of making traditional punjabi kadhi with pakoras. she has been making this delicious kadhi since ages. its a family treasured recipe 🙂
kadhi pakora is often made at our home, but i just could not manage myself to take step by step photos and thats why it took me so long to share this delicious punjabi kadhi recipe.
we 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. you can also have kadhi with roti but i always prefer to have kadhi with rice. kadhi chawal and rajma chawal combo is quite famous 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. punjabi kadhi is thicker and creamier and the other kadhi variations have a slight thin consistency. the ingredients used to make the kadhi in all the versions are more or less the same.
few tips for making best punjabi kadhi recipe
- use full fat 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 some more water than mentioned in the recipe below. in this case, add the pakoras to the kadhi, just before serving. if added much before serving, then the pakoras become too soft and mushy.
- some folks do not like the mushy and soft pakoras in the punjabi kadhi. in this case the pakoras can be a little hard. add little or no water to 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 those posts, where there are maximum pictures. since i am presenting a step by step recipe detail for the punjabi kadhi, i will first start with the curd mixture, then onion pakoras and then with the making of the kadhi.
how to make punjabi kadhi pakora
a) making curd mixture:
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. keep the curd mixture 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.
b) making onion pakora for kadhi recipe
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 2/3 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 pic 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 pakoras are partly cooked, then turn over and fry the other side.
8. fry till the pakoras are crisp and golden.
9. remove the fried pakoras and place them on a kitchen paper towel so that extra oil is absorbed. fry the pakoras in batches this way. when done keep all of them aside.
making punjabi 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 methi seeds/fenugreek seeds and a generous pinch of asafoetida/hing. allow the cumin seeds to crackle and the methi seeds to change their color. fry on a low flame, so that these spices do not get burnt.
3. add â…“ cup chopped onion. stir and saute for 3 minutes on a low flame.
4. then add 1 tbsp chopped ginger/adrak, ¾ to 1 tbsp chopped garlic and 2 green chillies, chopped. stir and saute for a minute.
5. now add 8 to 10Â curry leaves, 2 dry red chilies (halved or broken).
6. stir and saute for a minute on a low flame.
7. then add the curd mixture.
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 the kadhi for more 6 to 7 minutes. do stir the kadhi at times. the kadhi will thicken. if the kadhi becomes too thick, then add some hot water.
11. here is the kadhi ready now.
12. now add the onion pakoras in the kadhi. stir gently.
13. cover the kadhi with a lid and let the onion pakoras be soaked in the kadhi for 8 to 10 minutes.
14. lastly sprinkle some garam masala powder on the punjabi kadhi.
garnish with coriander leaves & serve punjabi kadhi pakora hot with steamed rice or jeera rice, topped with few teaspoonfuls of ghee. you could also have kadhi with rotis or parathas. however the combo of kadhi chawal is very popular and taste very good.
more curry recipes for you!
punjabi kadhi pakora recipe
INGREDIENTS FOR punjabi kadhi pakora recipe
for kadhi mixture
- 1.5 cups full fat sour curd or khatta dahi or yogurt or 375 gram sour curd
- 3 cups water or add as required
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder (lal mirch powder)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
- ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
- 1 generous pinch of asafoetida (hing)
- 1 to 1.5 teaspoon salt or add as required
- 8 tablespoon besan or about 40 grams of besan
- mustard oil or sunflower oil or any oil for shallow frying or deep frying pakoras
for onion pakoras
- 1 cup tightly packed thinly sliced onions or 2 medium to large onions or 150 grams
- 1 cup besan (gram flour)
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder (lal mirch powder)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
- ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
- ½ teaspoon ajwain (carom seeds)
- ⅔ to ¾ teaspoon salt or add as required
- ¼ cup water or add as required
for punjabi kadhi
- 1 small to medium onion or â…“ cup chopped onions
- 1 tablespoon chopped ginger (adrak)
- ¾ to 1 tablespoon chopped garlic (lahsun)
- 8 to 10 fenugreek seeds (methi seeds)
- 2 green chillies, chopped
- 2 red chillies, broken
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- a generous pinch of asafoetida (hing)
- 8 to 10 curry leaves or 1 sprig curry leaves
- 2 tablespoons mustard oil
HOW TO MAKE punjabi kadhi pakora recipe
making curd mixture for kadhi recipe
- in a bowl take 1.5 cups sour curd or about 375 grams of curd. whisk it well till smooth
- add 8 tbsp gram flour, ½ tsp red chilli powder, ½ tsp turmeric powder, ½ tsp garam masala powder and 1 tsp 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. keep the curd mixture 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 pakoras for punjabi kadhi recipe
- take the 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.
- add 1 cup thinly sliced onions.
- mix everything well and keep 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 pakoras are partly cooked, then turn over and fry the other side.
- fry till the pakoras are crisp and golden.
- remove the fried pakoras and place them on a kitchen paper towel so that extra oil is absorbed. fry the pakoras in batches this way. when done keep all of them aside.
making kadhi recipe
- in another pan or kadai, heat 2 tbsp mustard oil. make sure to use a large bottomed pot so that while boiling, the kadhi does not spill.
- add the 1 tsp cumin seeds, 8 to 10 methi seeds and a generous pinch of asafoetida. allow the cumin seeds to crackle and the methi seeds to change their color. fry on a low flame, so that these spices do not get burnt.
- add â…“ cup chopped onion. stir and saute for 3 minutes on a low flame.
- then add 1 tbsp chopped ginger/adrak, ¾ to 1 tbsp chopped garlic and 2 green chillies, chopped. stir and saute for a minute.
- now add 8 to 10 curry leaves, 2 dry red chilies (halved or broken). stir and saute for a minute on a low flame.
- then add the curd mixture.
- 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 the kadhi will be around 14 to 16 minutes.
- after the kadhi has come to a boil, then lower the flame and simmer the kadhi for more 6 to 7 minutes. the kadhi will thicken.
- if the kadhi becomes too thick, then add some hot water.
- now add the onion pakoras in the kadhi. stir gently.
- cover the punjabi kadhi with a lid and let the onion pakoras be soaked in the kadhi for 8 to 10 minutes.
- lastly sprinkle some garam masala powder on the punjabi kadhi.
- serve the punjabi kadhi pakora with steamed rice or jeera rice, topped with few teaspoonfuls of ghee. you could also have kadhi with rotis or parathas. however the combo of kadhi chawal is very popular and taste very good.
It turned out very yummy..thank you!
thanks for the feedback and rating. glad to know.
Thank you Dassana – Kadhi is my favourite, and this recipe turned out to be the easiest way to make it. I also should thank you as I learnt cooking from your website – which turned out to be a boon not only during my pg days, but now also in my married life. Very very grateful to you.
welcome nandhini. felt nice to read your comment. i wish you all the best for your future.
also thanks for the feedback and rating on kadhi recipe.
namaste dassana ji thank you for this wonderful recipe ,it was very helpful!!!!!
namaste thannishtha. glad to know and thanks.
Thank you for sharing your recipe! It was very easy to follow for a beginner and was very delicious.
Namaste Dassana Ji,
Thank you for this delicious punjabi kadhi rcp. just a que. at which stage should we add amchur powder incase the curd is not sour and would 1/2tsp be enough like the other spices..?
thank you
you can add amchur powder once the kadhi is done and then simmer for a minute. thanks.
Thank you so much for this recipe- it came out great and I really appreciate your step by step process. I will be looking to try all of your recipes now!! 🙂
thanks kavita for the feedback and rating on kadhi recipe. do try some more recipes. i am sure you will like them. happy cooking.
Today tried your kadhi. It came out superb.
I didn’t have time to read.
Rushing to finish it before my family comes back home. Glanced through pictures. It gave good idea of kadhi
Thank you.
Well explained recipe. Recipe came out well. I love your site. As an alternative we can add either Okra or Drumsticks instead of Pakoras to Kadhi as well. Tastes great that way too.
thanks aftaab for the feedback and rating on kadhi recipe. yes you can add drumsticks or okra. for okra, fry or saute them before adding in kadhi. add once the kadhi is done. for drumsticks you can cook it in the kadhi itself.
I love your site.. the way u share details amd step wise pictures about every recipe.. before i was very afraid of making kadhi.. but thanku for this amazing recipe kadhi pakora turned out amazing
Ur way of writing and explaining is very good.. and easy to adapt..
thank you parul for the feedback and sharing your views. i am glad that the kadhi recipe was good. happy cooking.
I love your site and the way you share the details about every recipe. I wasn’t good at cooking but vegrecipesofinfia has always helped me with veg recipe and thanks to you. The best part about the site is the images shared for every step. The only thing I miss here is non veg recipe as I’m a non vegetarian 🙂
thank you ashwini. glad to read your comment. i am happy that the vegetarian recipes have helped you. wish you in advance happy diwali and happy cooking too.
Thank you for this amazing recipe, kadhi-pakora turned out amazing. Curd wasn’t sour enough, so i added amchur powder.
thanks for the feedback sarang. nice to know. amchur powder can easily be used in any curd curry based recipes when the curd is not sour.
Amazing recipe …. always turns out delicious !!
thank you shiwani.
Hi dassana,
Thankyou for d recipe. It turned out awesome as usual.
U r always a blessing to people like us.
Thanx once again.
Keep doing the good work.
Welcome Deepa. Thanks for your positive feedback and kind words.
Hi please tellme.. can i use buttermilk instead of curd for making the kadhi.. please reply soon.. i m looking forward to make it today..
yes sana you can use buttermilk.
hi i tried ur kadhi receipe…it came out very well thanku . ..everyone in my home liked it….but one doubt i felt it s little bit sweet ..may be because i prefer more spicy ..can i increase the red chilli powder and green chilli ..? and ur way of writing and explaining things is very good .and step by step procedure is very easy to adapt and time saving …
yes pavithra, you can increase red chilli powder and green chili. punjabi kadhi has a sour taste. if sour curd is used, the taste is very good. with fresh curd, the taste changes and has a bit of sweetness. thanks pavithra.
this is fantastic. It turned out really well. thank you for sharing this.
welcome. glad to know that you liked punjabi kadhi recipe.
8tbsp of besan? I think you meant 8 tsp. 8 tbsp would require much more water. Otherwise it was delicious.
it is 8 tablespoons besan. punjabi kadhi is on the thicker side and so works well with 3 cups water (750ml). plus there will be some whey in the curd too.
It’s perfect I just loved the way it looked and tasted thanku so much for sharing the recipe
Welcome Amina. Thanks for your positive feedback on Punjabi Kadhi.
hello dassana,
this recipe looks really delicious! as a vegan however, i was wondering if you think this recipe would work with cashew curd or coconut curd? i look forward to hearing back from you, thank you!
coconut curd works very well. i remember one vegan friend making kadhis with coconut curd. i have made gravy based dishes with cashew curd, so i guess even cashew curd will work well.
First, I just want to tell you how much I appreciate your recipes and the step by step pictures! My husband is from India and I am good with recipes, so I have been able to learn to cook many Indian dishes from your website. Your kadhi recipe is excellent and my husband says it tastes really authentic. I have a question for you regarding what to do if you have a large group to cook for and you need to double or triple the recipe. Do you then double the spices as well or will that make it too spicy? Also for something that needs to be pressure cooked liked rajma masala or dal, do you double the water and the number of whistles required to pressure cook the beans or dal? I am not sure if you still reply to comments on this site, but if you do I would appreciate your suggestions! Thank you in advance and thank you again for all of the wonderful recipes!
thanks marissa for this lovely feedback. when i need to double or triple any recipe, i use the system of approximation when adding ingredients. its called as ‘andaaz’ in india. basically just feeling and eyeballing the ingredients and then adding it. i do not double the spices or other ingredients. i rely on my feeling and intuition when cooking for crowds. doubling the ingredients works where there is a set proportion of ingredients like sweets or in baked food. but in curries or dals, the balance of the flavors and taste can go awry if ingredients are doubled.
for pressure cooking, there is a proportion that is used. so yes double the amount of water. the number of whistles will increase and so the time will also increase, but these won’t be doubled. just some more whistles and time.
i reply to all comments that we get 🙂. i hope i have managed to reply to all your queries.
Hello mam I m going to try this…. 8 tbsp besan ,Tablespoon means the spoon with which we eat
sonia, its not that tablespoon. there are specific measurement spoons available and both teaspoon and tablespoon are part of this set. instead just add 1/2 cup of besan. here the cup is also a measuring cup and not the cup in which we have tea or coffee.
Dear Dassana I am in love with all your recipes. I am a great fan of your app and always suggest it to anyone who wants Indian vegetarian recipes. You have made me enjoy and love cooking. Wish you all the best. God bless.
Thanks Leah for your positive feedback and best wishes. Glad to know that you liked the app and the recipes.
When would you add the amchur powder if you needed to sour the curd?
you can add when you add the curd mixture.
I tried this recipe today and it turned out to be the yummiest Kadhi ever. This is the first time I have tried making kadhi and Thanks to you for such easy and yummy recipe 😊 Loved it
Welcome Sakshi. Glad to know this. Thanks for sharing your positive feedback.
I have been thinking for a while now to thank u for the well crafted meticuluously pictographic recipes.Having never entered in a kitchen before and a sudden transfer to New York might have been a catastrophe but u are my saviour.I have already earned a lot of accolades and I know many more are underway.All thanks to you😊😊
thanks ekta for this lovely comment. wish you all the best in a new city. happy cooking.
Hello dassana,
I love your recipes, especially this kadhi recipe and the restaurant style rajma curry are my favourites. I learnt cooking mostly by reading your blogs. Thank you so much for sharing such wonderful recipes.
I would really appreciate and be grateful if you would-
1) share some soya nuggets based recipes
2) share some low calorie recipes for fitness freaks and weight watchers
Looking forward to hearing from you. 🙂
thanks geetha and welcome. i do use soy nuggets as they are over processed and do not have any nutritive value. some years back i had read an article on the way soy nuggets is made in india and the article went into detail as to how they are made. i am not able to trace this article online as many readers have asked me to share soy nugget recipe. in fact any recipe from soy nuggets is one of the most requested recipes that i get.
i will try to add low calorie recipes. i have shared some already. you can check them here at this category of low fat recipe. though the recipes have less fat in them but calories are there 🙂 – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/recipe/low-fat-recipes/
When I googled this recipe,i don’t know why I didnot see you at the too and for a sec I thought that”ok if this recipe is not by Dasanna,then I am not going to cook!”immediately I saw this recipe and now I am heading out to prepare it…Thankyou so much for such amazing recipes.It is a lot of work to maintain all this ..Thankyou for what you are doing and keep up your work.Thankyou once again
thanks a lot raji. thats a sweet comment from you. i hope you liked the punjabi kadhi recipe. thanks again 🙂