Kadhi Pakora
This is a traditional punjabi vegetarian curry recipe that’s made with deep fried gram flour fritters in a yogurt and gram flour sauce, topped with a tempering of cumin and dried red chilies. This recipe is for onion pakoras or fritters but people commonly add fenugreek (methi) or spinach to the pakoras as well. We ate kadhi at home with naan or chappati however a lot of people like to have their kadhi served over rice. I personally love kadhi as is- eaten straight up with a spoon. If you want the fritters to remain crispy then don’t add them until serving the kadhi, but if you like them a little on the softer end cook them in the kadhi for a few minutes.
I deep fry the fritters in vegetable oil and then let them drain on a few sheets of paper towel in order to soak up the extra oil.
Before cooking the liquid kadhi mixture a few ingredients have to be sauteed in oil to bring out their aromas, do not brown the onions, only cook them for a few minutes until they begin to soften.
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If you want the pakoras to be crispy then add them to the sauce at the end, if you like softer pakoras then cook them in the sauce for 8-10 minutes on low heat.
Kadhi Pakora
Ingredients
for the pakoras:
- 3-4 cups oil for deep frying the pakoras
- 2 medium-sized onions thinly sliced
- 1 cup besan gram flour
- 1/2 bunch fresh coriander (cilantro) coarsly chopped
- 1/2-1 tsp salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp red chili powder
- 1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp ajwain carom seeds
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 cup water add more as needed
for the liquid mixture:
- 2/3 cup gram flour besan
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp red chlli powder
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp garam masala store-bought or home made
- 1 1/2 cup full fat yogurt yogurt that's a bit sour is best
- 4 cups water
for the kadhi:
- 2 tbsp oil mustard oil if you have it
- 1 tsp cumin seeds zeera
- 1 pinch asafoetida or hing optional
- 8-10 fenugreek seeds methi seeds
- 1 medium sized onion chopped
- 1 tbsp ginger peeled and chopped
- 1 tbsp garlic crushed
- 2 green chilies finely chopped
- 8-10 curry leaves
- 2 red chilies broken into pieces
- 1 sprinkle garam masala for serving
Instructions
For the Pakoras
- In a deep bowl mix together the gram flour and all of the spices and the baking soda.
- Add the onions and the chopped coriander, mix well.
- Add 1/4 cup of water to the mixture, until everything is blended and no clumps of dry flour remain. If needed, ass a little bit more water at a time until everything just comes together, don't make it too watery.
- Heat the oil in a deep pan to about medium high heat, add tablespoon-fulls of batter to the oil at a time and fry for a minute or so until you see the edges turn a little golden, turn over the pakoras and cook on the other side.
- Remove the pakoras from the oil into a plate or bowl lined with paper towel. The paper towel will soak up the excess oil.
- Set aside to be added to the kadhi once that's cooked
For the Liquid Mixture:
- In a deep bowl, or a mixing bowl, stir together the gram flour, salt, chili powder, turmeric, and garam masala.
- Add the yogurt and the water.
- Mix with a whisk or an electric mixer with the whisk attachment on medium speed for at least 2 minutes until it becomes frothy, smooth, and has no lumps in it.
For the Kadhi
- In a new, deep pot, heat the oil to medium high and add cumin seeds, curry leaves, and hing or asafoetida. Stir continuously for a few seconds until the cumin seeds begin to sizzle and pop. be very careful not to burn the spices.
- Add the chopped onion, cook stirring frequently for about 3 minutes or until they start to become translucent.
- Add the chopped ginger, crushed garlic and green chilies. Cook stirring for about a minute.
- Add the curry leaves, and the red chili stir and cook for another minute.
- Add the liquid curd mixture, stir well, increase the heat to high and bring the kadhi to a boil stirring often.
- Lower the heat to a medium flame and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently so that it doesn't brown or stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Reduce the heat to low, add the pakoras and cook for 8-10 minutes, stir very gently so as to not break the pakoras.Sprinkle with garam masala before serving, you can also sprinkle the kadhi with some red chili flakes for an extra kick depending on the level of desired spice.
This recipeis adapted from Veg Recipes of India
