Punjabi Kadhi Pakora
Punjabi kadhi pakora is yogurt based curry. It is a specialty of northern Indian province “Punjab”. It has fried dumplings (pakoras) made up of gram flour. Punjabi kadhi pakora is a great combination with fragrant basmati rice.
Ingredients
For Pakora:
- Besan (gram flour) – 1 cup
- Onions – 1/2 cup chopped
- Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
- Green chili – 1 finely chopped
- Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
- Red chili powder – 1 tsp
- Baking soda – 1 pinch
- water (to make a smooth batter)
- Salt to taste
- Oil for frying
For Kadhi:
- Besan (gram flour) – 3/4 cup
- Yogurt – 2 cups (sour is better)
- Onion – 1 sliced
- Ginger paste – 2 tsp
- Garlic – 2 tsp minced
- Green chilies – 2 finely chopped
- Curry leaves – 8
- Cumin seeds (jira) – 1 tsp
- Mustard seeds (rai) – 1 tsp
- Fenugreek seeds (methi dana) – 1 tsp
- Fennel seeds (saunf) – 1 tsp
- Asafetida powder – 1 pinch
- Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
- Kasoori Methi powder – 1 tbsp
- Salt as per taste
- Cooking oil – 2 tbsp
- Garam masala powder – 1 tsp for garnish
- Fresh cilantro – 1 tbsp finely chopped for garnish
Method:
To make Pakora:
- In a bowl take besan; add onions and all the other ingredients.
- Add water to make smooth batter. Mix well.
- In a pan, heat oil for frying at medium high heat.
- Take batter, one spoon at a time, putting it in hot oil to make pakoras.
- Turn them over once. Deep fry till it becomes golden and crispy.
- Drain them on kitchen towel. Keep aside.
To make Kadhi:
- In a large bowl, add yogurt and besan. Mix well. Now add 4 cups of water, salt and turmeric powder. Blend well. It should have any lumps
- In a large pan, heat 2 tbsp oil. Add cumin, mustard, fenugreek and fennel seeds.
- When it crackles, add asafetida powder and sliced onions. Sauté till it becomes translucent. Now add ginger, garlic, green chilies and curry leaves.
- Sauté for 2-3 more minutes.
- Add yogurt and besan mix to the pan. Bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low. Stir it once.
- Let it simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in between a few times.
- Add already prepared pakoras and kasoori methi powder to kadhi. Mix once gently and let it simmer for 5 more minutes on low heat.
- Kadhi pakora is ready to be served.
Garnish and serving suggestions:
Garnish kadhi pakora with freshly chopped cilantro and garam masala powder. Enjoy with fragrant basmati rice.
I love your receipe.. Everytime I am asked to prepare kadhi, I have your page saved to my favourites. Psss.. dont tell anyone, but I take credit for this receipe.. sorry.. My hubby once told his mom to step out of the kitchen bcoz “ishu aapse acchi kadhi banati hai..” you should have seen the look on her face.. I already have won the title of best roti maker in the house, everyone loves any dal I make (my mum’s receipe), and now your kadhi is taking a toll over my MIL’s mental health.. ha ha ha ha
Wow, great compliment, Ishu! I’m glad everyone (especially your hubby) loves the Kadhi you make:).
Have fun cooking!
shveta
thanks a ton for the recipe,prepared today and luved it,..:-)
You are most welcome…! Great, you liked it!
Have fun cooking…
Hey!
your blog is good! I am a beginner in this cookery world! but just as a correction may be you can remove this kadhi from Maharashtrian dish or I can send you the recipe for maharashtrian kadhi & you can update it may be if you want!
Thanks a lot for this blog! it helped me when I started cooking!
Cheers,
Kavita
Yuum! It’s so mouth-watering…like everything Punjabi!
Thanks! Yes, it tastes as yum as it looks….!
Have fun cooking….!