Recipe: Punjabi Kadhi Pakora | How to make Punjabi Kadhi Pakora
Punjabi Kadhi Pakora - popular north indian recipe of punjabi kadhi pakora. fried onion pakoras in a creamy & sour yogurt sauce.
The punjabi kadhi is different from the other regional variations of kadhi. Punjabi kadhi is thicker and creamier and the other kadhi variations have a slight thin consistency. The ingredients used to make the kadhi in all the versions are more or less the same.
Recipe Type Veg.
For kadhi mixture:
- 1.5 cup full fat sour curd/dahi/yogurt or 375 gram curd
- 3 cups water or add as required
- ½ tsp red chilli powder/lal mirch powder
- ½ tsp turmeric powder/haldi
- ½ tsp garam masala powder
- generous pinch of asafoetida/hing
- 1 to 1.5 tsp salt or add as required
- 8 tbsp besan or about 40 grams
- mustard oil or sunflower oil or any oil for shallow frying or deep frying pakoras
For onion pakoras:
- 1 cup tightly packed thinly sliced onions or 2 medium to large onions or 150 grams
- 1 cup besan or gram flour
- ½ tsp red chilli powder/lal mirch powder
- ½ tsp turmeric powder/haldi
- ½ tsp garam masala powder
- ½ tsp ajwain/carom seeds
- ⅔ to ¾ tsp salt or add as required
- ¼ cup water
For the punjabi kadhi:
- 1 small to medium onion or ⅓ cup chopped onion
- 1 tbsp chopped ginger/adrak
- ¾ to 1 tbsp chopped garlic/lahsun
- 8-10 fenugreek seeds/methi seeds
- 2 red chillies broken
- 1 tsp cumin seeds/jeera
- a generous pinch of asafoetida/hing
- 8 to 10 curry leaves or 1 sprig
- 2 tbsp mustard oil
- 2 green chillies chopped
Preparing the curd mixture:
- in a bowl take 1.5 cups sour curd or about 375 grams of curd. whisk it well till smooth
- add 8 tbsp gram flour, ½ tsp red chilli powder, ½ tsp turmeric powder, ½ tsp garam masala
- powder and 1 tsp salt to the whisked curd.
- stir and mix everything again.
- add 3 cups water and stir again.
- 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. keep the curd mixture aside. 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.
Preparing the onion pakoras:
- take the 1 cup gram flour/besan in a bowl and add ½ tsp ajwain/carom seeds, ½ tsp red chili powder, ½ tsp garam masala powder and ⅔ tsp salt or as required.
- add 1 cup thinly sliced onions.
- mix everything well and keep aside covered for 30 minutes.
- 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. here's a pic of the onions after 30 minutes.
- then accordingly add water as required to make a thick batter. i added ¼ cup water.
- heat oil for deep frying in a pan or kadai. with a spoon or with your hands drop the pakora batter in the oil.
- when the pakoras are partly cooked, then turn over and fry the other side.
- fry 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 the pakoras in batches this way. when done keep all of them aside.
Preparing the kadhi:
- in another pan or kadai, heat 2 tbsp mustard oil. make sure to use a large bottomed pot so that while boiling, the kadhi does not spill.
- add the 1 tsp cumin seeds, 8 to 10 methi seeds and a generous pinch of asafoetida. allow the cumin seeds to crackle and the methi seeds to change their color. fry on a low flame, so that these spices do not get burnt.
- add ⅓ cup chopped onion. stir and saute for 3 minutes on a low flame.
- then add 1 tbsp chopped ginger/adrak, ¾ to 1 tbsp chopped garlic and 2 green chillies, chopped. stir and saute for a minute.
- now add 8 to 10 curry leaves, 2 dry red chilies (halved or broken). stir and saute for a minute on a low flame.
- then add the curd mixture.
- stir very well.
- increase the flame to medium and bring the kadhi to a boil. keep on stirring often so that the bottom does not get browned.
- lower the flame and then simmer the kadhi for 6 to 7 minutes. the kadhi will thicken. if the kadhi becomes too thick, then add some hot water.
- now add the onion pakoras in the kadhi. stir gently.
- cover the kadhi with a lid and let the onion pakoras be soaked in the kadhi for 8 to 10 minutes.
- lastly sprinkle some garam masala powder on the punjabi kadhi.
- serve the punjabi kadhi pakora with steamed rice or jeera rice, topped with few teaspoonfuls of ghee. you could also have kadhi with rotis or parathas.
Note:
Heat oil for deep frying in a pan or kadai.
Step by step Punjabi Kadhi Pakora recipe:
1.. Preparing the curd mixture:
1.. in a bowl take 1.5 cups sour curd or about 375 grams of curd. whisk it well till smooth.
2.. add 8 tbsp gram flour, ½ tsp red chilli powder, ½ tsp turmeric powder, ½ tsp garam masala powder and 1 tsp 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. keep the curd mixture aside. 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.
2.. Preparing the onion pakoras:
1.. take 1 cup gram flour/besan in a bowl and add ½ tsp ajwain/carom seeds, ½ tsp red chili powder, ½ tsp garam masala powder and 2/3 tsp salt or as required.
2.. add 1 cup thinly sliced onions. about 2 medium to large onions, sliced, approx 150 grams of onions.
3.. mix everything well and keep aside covered for 30 minutes.
4.. 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. here’s a pic of the onions after 30 minutes. mix again.
5.. then accordingly add water as required to make a thick batter. i added ¼ cup water. you can also skip adding water if the mixture is too moist.
6.. heat oil for deep frying in a pan or kadai. with a spoon or with your hands drop the pakora batter in the oil.
7.. when the pakoras are partly cooked, then turn over and fry the other side.
8.. fry till the pakoras are crisp and golden.
9.. remove the fried pakoras and place them on a kitchen paper towel so that extra oil is absorbed. fry the pakoras in batches this way. when done keep all of them aside.
3.. Preparing the Kadhi:
1.. in another pan or kadai, heat 2 tbsp mustard oil. make sure to use a large bottomed pot so that while cooking, the kadhi does not spill.
2.. add 1 tsp cumin seeds, 8 to 10 methi seeds/fenugreek seeds and a generous pinch of asafoetida/hing. allow the cumin seeds to crackle and the methi seeds to change their color. fry on a low flame, so that these spices do not get burnt.
3.. add ⅓ cup chopped onion. stir and saute for 3 minutes on a low flame.
4.. then add 1 tbsp chopped ginger/adrak, ¾ to 1 tbsp chopped garlic and 2 green chillies, chopped. stir and saute for a minute.
5.. now add 8 to 10 curry leaves, 2 dry red chilies (halved or broken).
6.. stir and saute for a minute on a low flame.
7.. then add the curd mixture.
8.. stir very well.
9.. increase the flame to medium and bring the kadhi to a boil. keep on stirring often so that the bottom does not get browned.
10.. lower the flame and then simmer the kadhi for 6 to 7 minutes. the kadhi will thicken. if the kadhi becomes too thick, then add some hot water.
11.. here is the kadhi ready now.
12.. now add the onion pakoras in the kadhi. stir gently.
13.. cover the kadhi with a lid and let the onion pakoras be soaked in the kadhi for 8 to 10 minutes.
14.. lastly sprinkle some garam masala powder on the punjabi kadhi.
15.. garnish with coriander leaves & serve punjabi kadhi pakora hot with steamed rice or jeera rice, topped with few teaspoonfuls of ghee. you could also have kadhi with rotis or parathas.
Enjoy!