Kadhi Pakora, a delicious Punjabi delicacy made of deep fried pakoras that are dunked and simmered in Kadhi, a yogurt based curry which is tangy, spicy and seasoned just for perfection. Kadhi Pakora is one of the most popular North Indian dishes.
This dish is gonna hit all those delicious umami notes with it’s spicy, salty, sour and ultimately that luscious texture of the Kadhi is just the dish you would have to make a great meal.
What makes this Punjabi kadhi special??
Kadhi is such a dish which is very versatile and in a diverse country like India, where the regional cooking changes in every 100 km, this sure have many variations and can be made in endless possibilities.
So what makes this punjabi kadhi different from others and special is that it hits all those delicious flavor notes when you take a bite of it, it’s thick and luscious, spicy and tangy and the crunchy pakoras add more textural note in this dish.
What spices are used in Punjabi kadhi and how is it different from others??
In punjabi kadhi, the dish has usage of very basic spices like Chili powder, fenugreek seeds, garam masala, dhaniya powder, jeera powder, turmeric powder, asafoetida and ginger garlic. And most of these spices go into making of pakoras too. The consistency is quite thick compared to other variations across India.
In Gujarat, gujarati kadhi has very minimal spices like ginger, chillies, turmeric powder, sugar and salt that is all you need in seasoning. And tt is served along with the Khichdi or rice.
The southern parts of India has even more variations like in Telangana region we make Salla sambhar/Majjiga pulusu with Malabar spinach and very minimal spices are used like chillies, salt and ginger garlic paste. In Karnataka region, they make something similar called as Majjige huli, where in sometimes they add the herbal leaves like brahmi or simply as is.
The sindhi kadhi uses a lot of vegetables like cluster beans, okra/bhindi, potatoes etc.,
And here I’m sharing my style of Kadhi Pakora, adapted according to my taste and liking.
LAUKI PALAK PAKODA KADHI
Equipment
- Wok
Ingredients
For Kadhi (yogurt based gravy)
- 1½ cups Full fat sour curd
- ¼ cup Sour cream optional, add to make extra tangy
- 3 cups Water
- ⅓ cup Chickpea flour/Besan
- ½ tsp Red chilli powder
- ½ tsp Turmeric powder
- Salt to taste
- ½ tsp Garam masala
- ¼ tsp Jeera powder / Cumin powder
- ¼ tsp Coriander powder
- 1 pinch Asafoetida / Hing
For Pakoras
- 1 cup Chickpea flour/Besan
- ½ cup Onion thinly sliced
- ½ cup Bottle gourd peeled, grated and strained
- ½ cup Spinach finely chopped
- 2 tbsp Cilantro finely chopped
- ½ tsp Turmeric powder
- 1 tsp Red chilli powder
- ½ tsp Carom seeds / Ajwain
- Salt to taste
- ½ tsp Ginger garlic paste
- ¼ cup Water adjust as required
For tempering Kadhi
- 2 tbsp Mustard oil recommended
- ½ tsp Mustard seeds
- ½ tsp Cumin seeds
- ½ tsp Fenugreek seeds
- 2 Whole dry red chillies
- 1 pinch Asafoetida
- 1 sprig Curry leaves
- ¼ cup Cilantro finely chopped
- 1 tsp Ginger finely chopped
Instructions
Prepping for Kadhi
- In a mixing bowl, add sour curd , sour cream and Whisk it till smooth.
- Add chickpea flour, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and 1 tsp salt to the whisked curd. Whisk and mix everything again.
- Add water and whisk and mix very well to make a smooth mixture and make sure there are no lumps. If there are lumps, then break them with a wired whisk or a spatula or with your fingers and keep aside.
Making Pakoras
- Take the chickpea flour/besan in a bowl and add ajwain/carom seeds, turmeric powder, red chili powder, ginger garlic paste and salt as required.
- Add in thinly sliced onions, grated and squeezed out bottle gourd, chopped cilantro, chopped spinach and give everything a good mix.
- Gradually add in water one tbsp at a time as required to make a thick batter.
- Heat oil in a wok/kadai for deep frying and once it's hot, With a spoon or with your hands drop the pakora batter in the oil.
- When the pakoras are partly cooked, then keep turning over and fry on all sides 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 in batches for better results and keep them aside until we start making the kadhi.
Making Kadhi pakora
- In another wok / kadai, heat 2 tbsp mustard oil and once its hot add in mustard seeds, cumin seeds and let it splutter.
- Then add in fenugreek seeds, asafoetida, torn red chillies , chopped ginger, curry leaves and fry for a minute.
- Now lower the flame and slowly add in yogurt mixture we made earlier while keep stirring continuously to avoid the splitting of yogurt.
- Increase the flame to medium flame and bring the yogurt mixture to a boil. Keep on stirring often so that it doesn't stick to the bottom.
- After the kadhi has come to a boil, then lower the flame, add in pakoras (fritters) and simmer the kadhi for more 6 to 7 minutes. The kadhi will thicken.
- Finally add in chopped cilantro and Serve the kadhi pakora with steamed rice or roti's, topped with few teaspoonfuls of ghee.
