Can I use regular yogurt instead of sour curd?

Yes, but sour or thick full-fat yogurt works best. If using sweeter yogurt, add 1 tablespoon lemon juice or tamarind paste to balance the sourness.

How do I keep the pakora crispy?

Fry the gram flour fritters until golden before adding to the sauce. Add them just before serving or add in batches—prolonged simmering softens them.

Can I make kadhi without pakora?

Yes, you can skip the fritters and serve plain kadhi, or add blanched vegetables like okra or spinach for texture variation.

How thick should the kadhi be?

It should coat the back of a spoon but remain pourable. Adjust consistency with water if it thickens too much during cooking.

Can kadhi be made ahead?

Yes, make the base sauce a day ahead and refrigerate. Fry pakora fresh and add just before serving to maintain crispness.

Kadhi Recipe (Punjabi Kadhi Pakora)

Name: Kadhi Recipe (Punjabi Kadhi Pakora)
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 5 servings
Cuisine: North Indian
Ingredients: 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 ((ground turmeric)); ½ teaspoon garam masala; 1 generous pinch asafoetida ((hing)); 1 to 1.5 teaspoon salt (or add as required); 8 tablespoon gram flour ((besan), 40 grams); 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 garam masala; 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); 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 )

CookOSBeta

Kadhi Recipe (Punjabi Kadhi Pakora) | CookOS

Instructions

1
In a bowl take the sour curd and whisk it well till smooth
2
Add gram flour, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder and 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.
6
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.
7
Take the gram flour in a bowl and add carom seeds, red chili powder, garam masala powder and salt.
8
Add 1 cup thinly sliced onions.
9
Mix everything well and set aside covered for 30 minutes.
10
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.
11
Then accordingly add water as required to make a thick batter. I added ¼ cup water.
12
Heat oil for deep frying in a pan or kadai. Let the oil become medium hot. Then with a spoon carefully drop the pakora batter in the oil.
13
When the pakora are partly cooked, then turn over and fry the other side.
14
Fry till the pakora are crisp and golden.
15
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.
16
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.
17
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.
18
Add chopped onions. Stir and sauté for 3 minutes on a low to medium-low heat.
19
Then add chopped ginger, chopped garlic and chopped green chillies. Stir and sauté for a minute.
20
Now add curry leaves, dry red chilies (halved or broken and seeds removed). Stir and sauté for a minute on a low flame.
21
Then add the curd slurry.
22
Stir very well.
23
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.
24
After the kadhi has come to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for more 6 to 7 minutes. The kadhi will thicken.
25
If the kadhi becomes too thick, then add some hot water.
26
Now add the onion pakora to the kadhi and stir gently.
27
Cover with a lid and let the onion pakora be soaked in it for 8 to 10 minutes.
28
Lastly sprinkle some garam masala powder.
29
Serve kadhi pakora with steamed rice or cumin rice, topped with few teaspoonfuls of ghee. You could also have kadhi with roti or paratha.