Punjabi Kadhi Pakoda Recipe
Punjabi Kadhi Pakoda is a classic North Indian dish of tangy yogurt curry with crispy, flavorful gram flour fritters (pakoras). This traditional punjabi kadhi recipe is a family favorite recipe and is enjoyed with steamed rice or chapati.
What is Kadhi Pakoda?
Kadhi Pakoda is a North Indian dish made from a spiced yogurt and gram flour (besan) curry, cooked with fried pakoras (fritters) made of gram flour and spices. This comforting Indian yogurt curry is especially popular during winters. The tangy and creamy texture of the traditional Kadhi pairs perfectly with the crispy pakoras, making it a satisfying meal.
Why is Punjabi Kadhi Pakoda So Popular?
Punjabi Kadhi Pakoda stands out for its rich and creamy texture, bold flavors, and the addition of crispy pakoras that soak up the tangy curry. It is popular for:
- Ease of Preparation: It uses simple pantry staples like yogurt, gram flour, and spices.
- Versatility: It pairs well with rice, chapati, or even on its own.
- Comfort Food Appeal: It’s a hearty and satisfying dish, perfect for cozy meals.
Why Should You Make This Recipe?
- Authentic Taste: This recipe stays true to traditional Punjabi flavors, bringing the essence of North Indian cuisine to your table.
- Simple Ingredients: Most ingredients are pantry staples or easily available at Indian grocery stores.
- Customizable: With variations for dietary needs, you can make it gluten-free or healthier without compromising on taste.
- Perfect for All Occasions: Whether it’s a family dinner, festive meal, or a weekend indulgence, Kadhi Pakoda fits every occasion.
- Versatile Pairing: It pairs wonderfully with rice, roti, or paratha, making it a complete meal.
In this blog post, I am sharing how to make Punjabi Kadhi Pakora at home, tips for achieving the perfect texture, and variations for different dietary preferences.
If you are looking to make traditional kadhi pakoda at home and want to cook authentic Indian cuisine, this step-by-step Kadhi Pakoda recipe will guide you through the process.
You can find all the ingredients easily in Indian grocery stores like Patel Brothers, Kalustyan’s, or even on Amazon.
Difference Between Various Kadhi Recipe in India
There are many types of kadhi recipes that are cooked in various Indian cuisine. But most of them are different in taste texture etc. Still all kadhi recipes have one common ingredient Besan and most of them have yogurt.
Punjabi Kadhi- The kadhi that is prepared in Punjabi homes is slightly different from the kadhi in other states of India. Punjabi kadhi is thicker than rest and has savoury fritters (Pakora). This tastes quite flavourful spicy and tangy. A variety of pakora to make it taste different is a MUST!
Many regions of India have their own version of dahi Kadhi. In Rajasthan and Gujarat, it is usually considered as a light meal and kadhi is thinner in consistency. Also it is served with khichdi, roti or rice. Most often these both differs from Punjabi Kadhi as it is eaten without pakoras.
Sindhi kadhi is prepared with vegetables and gram flour in tamarind based tangy gravy but no curd which is again served with rice. I have few of them will leave a link in last of this post.
For Now Let’s talk about How to make Punjabi kadhi at Home.
Ingredients For Kadhi Pakora
- For making the base of punjabi kadhi you need 2 ingredients – Besan (gram flour) and yogurt (curds).
- Spices: Red chilli powder, fenugreek seeds (methi dana), turmeric powder, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, curry leaves, salt, hollered chillis
- Fresh: ginger garlic paste and sliced onion
Ingredients for Pakora
- Besan/Gram flour
- Spices: Red chilli powder, salt, carrom seeds,
- Fresh: Potatoes, methi leaves (fenugreek leaves)
- Oil for frying fritters and for tempering (tadka)
Variety of Pakora for Kadhi
We love our kadhi with onion and chilli pakora (fritters), but isn’t it true that variety adds spice to our life! So you can prepare different types of pakora for kadhi.
Week after week you can try so many variations of kadhi and each time you will fall in love with kadhi pakoda once more 🙂
You can make any of these pakora recipes for kadhi. Palak Pakora, Air fried ragi and methi pakora, corn pakora, masoor dal pakora and so many other varieties that you can try.
How to Make Punjabi Kadhi?
To make kadhi, first a batter is made with besan and yogurt and then cooked with spices. Since the word kadhi literally means “kadhna” which in punjabi means well cooked, this thin batter with tempering is cooked on slow heat till it thickens and beautiful creamy thick gravy is formed.
It tastes good fresh but tastes best and total divine when eaten next day!
Steps of Making
1.Prepare Pakora Batter
To make pakora/ Pakoda for kadhi, start with making Pakora batter first. Take a mixing bowl and add onion, potato and green chilli in it. (chopped).
After that, add coriander leaves and mint leaves, salt, red chilli powder turmeric powder, black pepper powder and carrom seeds.
Add in potatoes, fenugreek leaves (chopped) and besan. Mix everything well nicely.
Mix these dry ingredients and add water to make pakora batter.
Now, heat some oil in pan and take small amount of pakora batter and drop small portions of pakora batter in hot oil. Use a spoon or drop it with fingers as shown in the picture.
Deep Fry Pakora
Deep fry the fritters/pakora in hot oil till these are crispy and keep them aside. We will add these pakora in kadhi later.
If you do not want to deep fry you can make Air Fryer pakoras and enjoy your healthier kadhi pakoda guilt-free.
Next step is optional but I highly recommend that and cut strips of papad and deep fry in hot oil. Keep them aside and use later for garnishing the kadhi.
To Prepare Yogurt Kadhi
To make batter for the kadhi in a bowl mix yogurt, salt, turmeric, red chilli powder and whisk it.
Next add in water and whisk well. Add in gram flour/besan. Keep whisking to ensure that there are no lumps in the batter. Keep this batter aside.
Now heat oil in a deep pan/ sauce pan and then add cumin, fenugreek seeds and mustard seeds and red chilies in it. Cook on low heat for a minute.
When the seeds start to pop up add sliced onion in it. Stir the onions until they have a pinkish color and then add curry leaves and ginger garlic paste in it.
Cook for few minutes and then pour kadhi batter (besan +curd mix) in the pan. Cook that for 20-30 minutes.
Kadhi is cooked, then carefully add the pakodas in the pan and mix well. Remember to add pakora only if you intend to eat it immediately. Otherwise add them only when you are ready to serve it.
For the final tadka, in a small pan heat oil, add fenugreek seeds, whole red chilies and red chili powder and pour it over the kadhi. Serve kadhi pakora hot with steamed rice.
Tips for Making Perfect Punjabi Kadhi
- Use sour yogurt for a tangier Kadhi.
- Stir continuously while cooking the yogurt mixture to prevent splitting.
- Cook kadhi slowly on low heat. The longer you cook it the tastier it becomes.
- Fry pakoras on medium heat for even cooking.
- To make crisp pakora, do not add too much water keep the pakora batter dry
- Add pakoras just before serving to keep them slightly crispy. Punjabi Kadhi with crispy pakoras
- Not many people add final tempering or tadka, but I highly recommend it for a smoky flavour and a gorgeous presentation.
Variations of Punjabi Kadhi Pakoda
- Healthy Kadhi Pakoda Recipe: Use an air fryer for pakoras or skip frying altogether.
- Kadhi Pakoda Recipe Without Curd: Substitute yogurt with buttermilk or plant-based yogurt for a vegan option.
- Quick and Easy Punjabi Kadhi Pakoda Recipe: Use store-bought pakoras or pre-made Kadhi mix for faster preparation.
How to Store Kadhi pakoda – Leftovers
- Refrigeration: Store leftover Kadhi Pakoda in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
- Reheating: Heat gently on the stovetop, adding a splash of water to adjust the consistency. Avoid reheating pakoras multiple times to retain their texture.
- Freezing: While Kadhi can be frozen, pakoras tend to lose their texture. Store the Kadhi separately and make fresh pakoras when serving.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve Punjabi Kadhi Pakoda with rice or jeera rice.
- Pair it with roti or paratha for a complete meal.
- Add a side of Indian pickles or papad for extra flavor.
Where to Buy Ingredients
- Indian Grocery Stores: Patel Brothers, Apna Bazaar, or any local Indian store.
- Online: Amazon Fresh, Instacart, or Walmart for ingredients like besan, turmeric, and curry leaves.
FAQs About Punjabi Kadhi Pakoda
A traditional North Indian dish made with yogurt-based curry and gram flour fritters.
Its tangy, spiced flavor and comforting texture make it a favorite among Indian households.
Use a higher ratio of besan and simmer the Kadhi on low heat for a longer time.
More Such Recipes You Can Try
Watch Video
Punjabi Kadhi Pakoda Recipe
Ingredients
For Pakora
- 100 gram Besan/Gram flour
- 1 tablespoon Coriander leaves
- 1 teaspoon Red chili powder
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking powder
- Oil for frying
- 1 small onion sliced
- 1/2 tsp carom seeds ajwain
- 1 small potato thin sliced
- 1 cup fenugreek leaves methi
For Kadhi
- 3 tablespoon Besan/Gram flour
- 1.5 cup Yogurt
- 2 tablespoon Oil
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon Fenugreek seeds methi dana
- 10-11 Curry leaves
- 2-3 Red chili dried
- 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric powder
- Salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon Red chili powder
Instructions
To Make Pakora for Kadhi
- Take a bowl and mix besan, coriander leaves, red chilli powder, carom seeds, salt to taste , turmeric powder, chopped fenugreek (methi leaves) and make a thick batter. If you do not have fenugreek leaves leave it out.
- While making the batter for the pakoda, add water in small batches so that we get a thick batter for pakodas.
- Now, heat some oil in a pan for deep frying pakora. When the oil is hot enough carefully, drop a spoonful of pakoda batter in it. Allow the pakodas to fry.
- When one side is cooked then flip and cook from other side as well. Fry all the pakora/fritter until they are crisp golden brown. When they are done, switch off the heat and keep them aside.
- You can also fry small strips of cut papad if you are using them for garnish.
To Make Punjabi Kadhi
- Now, in a mixing bowl, whisk curd/yogurt and add salt, red chilli powder, turmeric, add water and whisk it. Next add in besan and whisk it in yogurt water mix and make a smooth mixture or batter.
- Now heat 1 tbsp oil in another deep pan or sauce pan. Add 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds and 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds in the pan. When the seeds start to pop up then add 7-8 curry leaves and 2-3 whole red chili in it.
- Next add in sliced onion and cook them till these are light brown in colour.
- Finally add besan and curd mixture in it. Add small amount at a time and keep stirring it.
- Bring the punjabi kadhi to boil and reduce the heat. Let it simmer on low heat for about 25-30 minutes. Stir occasionally in between.
- Just before serving add the pakodas and simmer the kadhi for about 5 more minutes.
To Serve
- Add 2-3 tbsp of steamed rice. Pour hot kadhi pakora on it and top with fried papad and onions.
- Enjoy delicious curry!
Kadhi Chawal is a regular in my home which we serve with bhajiyas.
I will definitely try this version. 😀
Very Nice Recipe! all steps are very clearly mentioned and images of Kadhi Banane Ki Vidhi are so good!