A Kadhi recipe which is a family recipe. This fabulous Kadhi Pakora is my mother-in-law’s rare recipe for making traditional Punjabi Kadhi with onion pakora. A recipe that she has been preparing for ages and that we all love.
About this recipe
For this recipe, the Hindi word “Kadhi” refers to a yogurt sauce that has been cooked slowly for some time. The word “pakora” means donuts made from gram flour (besan). In this recipe, the donuts are made with onions and chickpea flour.
We love kadhi, whether with or without pakora. When we serve punjabi kadhi pakora with jeera rice or steamed rice, we call it kadhi chawal – where chawal is the Hindi word for rice.
You can also have kadhi with roti but we like to have it with rice. Kadhi Chawal and Rajma Chawal are a staple and highly valued in Punjabi households.
Each state and region has its own way of making dahi kadhi. So we have Gujarati Kadhi, Maharashtrian Kadhi, Rajasthani Kadhi, Sindhi Kadhi and many more.
Punjabi Kadhi is different from other regional variants of Kadhi. It is creamier and thicker than the other variations which have a slightly thinner consistency. The main ingredients used to make kadhi are almost the same.
How to make Kadhi Pakora
This is one more of those recipe articles, where I will first start with making the curd dough, then making the onion pakora and finally with making the kadhi pakora.
Make curd paste
1. In a bowl, take 1.5 cups of sour curd or about 375 grams of curd. Whisk well until smooth.
2. Add 8 tablespoons of gram flour (besan), ½ teaspoon of red chilli powder, ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon of garam masala powder and 1 teaspoon of salt with whipped curd.
3. Stir and mix again.
4. Add 3 cups of water and stir again.
5. Mix very well to make a smooth mixture without lumps. If there are lumps, break them up with a whisk or spatula or with your fingers. Set the curd paste aside.
You can use a blender to make this mixture, but be sure not to overdo it. You will get butter instead of a smooth, mixed curd.
Make onion pakora
1. Take 1 cup of gram flour (besan) in a bowl and add ½ tsp.
2. Add 1 cup of chopped onions. About 2 medium to large onions, sliced, about 150 grams of onions.
3. Mix everything well and set aside, covered, for 30 minutes.
4. This will allow the onions to release their water into the mixture. Depending on the water content of the onions, the mixture will get very wet or almost wet. Mix again.
5. Then add water as needed to obtain a thick paste. I added ¼ cup of water. You can also skip adding water if the mixture is too wet.
6. Heat the frying oil in a pan or kadai. with a spoon or with your hands, dip the pakora dough into the oil.
Also Read: Veg Kadhi
7. When the pakora is partially cooked, turn it over and fry the other side.
8. Fry until the pakora is crisp and golden.
9. Remove the fried pakora and place it on a paper towel so that the extra oil is soaked. Fry the pakora in batches this way. When finished, keep them all aside.
Making kadhi recipe
1. In another pan or kadai, heat 2 tablespoons of mustard oil. Be sure to use a large pot on the bottom so that during cooking the kadhi does not tip over.
2. Add 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds, 8 to 10 fenugreek seeds (methi seeds) and a generous pinch of asafoetida (hing). Let the cumin seeds crackle and the fenugreek seeds to change color. Fry over low heat so that these spices do not burn.
3. Add ⅓ cup chopped onion. Stir and brown for 3 minutes over low heat.
4. Then add 1 tablespoon of chopped ginger, ¾ to 1 tablespoon of chopped garlic and 2 chopped green peppers. Stir and sauté for a minute.
5. Now add 8 to 10 curry leaves, 2 dry red peppers (broken or halved).
6. Stir and sauté for one minute over low heat.
7. Then add the curd paste.
8. Stir very well.
9. Increase the heat to medium and bring the kadhi to a boil. Keep stirring often so the bottom doesn’t turn brown. The kadhi cooking time will be approximately 14-16 minutes.
10. Once the kadhi boils, lower the heat and simmer for another 6-7 minutes. Stir occasionally. The kadhi will thicken. If it gets too thick, add hot water.
11. The kadhi is ready.
Making kadhi pakora
12. Now to the kadhi, add the onion pakora. Stir gently.
13. Cover with a lid and let the pakora onion soak for 8-10 minutes.
14. Finally, on the Punjabi Kadhi, sprinkle some garam masala powder.
15. Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve hot Punjabi Kadhi Pakora with jeera rice or steamed rice, garnished with a few teaspoons of ghee.
You can also serve with roti or paratha. However, the combination of Kadhi Chawal (kadhi served with steamed rice) tastes very good and is very popular.
