Punjabi Kadhi Pakora, Kadhi Chawal

Yay!… it’s time to share the most beloved and comforting Pakistani, Punjabi Kadhi Pakora, and chawal. Who can resist a warm bowl of aromatic, light, and fluffy Pakora curry? And when the most popular Indian dumpling AKA Pakora gets soaked in it, you get a pillowy ball drenched in flavors ready to melt in your mouth.

What is Punjabi Kadhi Pakora?

Kadhi is gram flour (also known as besan) and yogurt curry. The word Kadhi originates from ‘karhna’  which means to simmer for a long time on low heat. Kadhi requires long-simmering duration for best texture and taste but the active cooking time is very low. You can pronounce Kadhi as [Ker-hee] in Urdu or [Kud-dhee] in Gujrati. Kadhi pairs best with chawal and is called Kadhi Chawal. Gujrati communities pair kadhi with Khichdi.

Tip to make the best pakora curry

Pakora curry or Kadhi Pakora is very easy to make but getting that’s amazing taste can be tricky. Here are few tips to help you.

• Add more water in the beginning: The curry needs to simmer for 1 and a half or more hours so lots of water will evaporate. Adding more water later can dilute the taste. So use your best judgment and add more water than needed for your desired consistency.
• No salt, in the beginning: The curry can curdle if boiled on high heat to avoid this add salt later when most of the cooking is done.
• Be generous with garlic: Extra garlic gives that oomph taste to the curry.
• Cook for long and simmer on low heat: This is the most important tip for curry, cooking for long gives fluffy texture and unique taste to the curry. If you do not have time for long-simmering. You can also consider cooking curry in an instant pot or pressure cooker for the same taste with just 30 minutes of cooking.
• Use slightly sour Indian yogurt: This is a key taste developer. Kadhi needs to be slightly sour in taste. Indian sour yogurt work best for it.
• Tastes better next day: Like few other Indian foods like Haleem and Nihari, leftover Punjabi Kadhi Pakora tastes delicious the next day. So don’t hesitate in making extra Kadhi chawal that will taste even better the next day.

What are ingredients of Kadhi Pakora?

• Gram flour:- This is flour made from split chicken pea pulse. A similar flour called chickpea flour made from the chickpea can also be used. 
• Indian yogurt: This is the most important ingredient. Kadhi is made with Indian sour yogurt called ‘Dahi’. You can get it from the Indian store. If you wish to use plain yogurt then add a little lemon to it to make it sour. 
• Curry leaves: Curry leaves give a unique taste to this curry. If you can’t find it then use cilantro. The taste will slightly be compromised but still close to the real taste.
• Indian spices: Cumin, coriander, turmeric, chat masala, fenugreek seeds, and red chili.
• Onion
• Tomato
• Ginger 
• Garlic

Troubleshooting

How to make Kadhi Pakora?

Punjabi Kadhi is usually served Indian fritter or Pakora. Gujrati also makes similar curry without pakora and serves it with Khichri or Haleem. The below pictorial show step to make kadhi. You can skip pakora.

1. First, take yogurt and gram flour in a bowl.
2. Whip it until smooth and no lumps are seen, set aside.
3. In a large pot, heat oil and fry garlic until lightly golden then add chopped onions. Give it a stir and add the spices and curry leaves. Let it sizzle a bit.
4. Now add tomato slices and reduce heat. We need to cover the pot and let the tomatoes get soft for about 3-4 minutes. If you feel like adding a little water here that’s ok.
5. When the tomatoes are soft it’s time to add the whipped yogurt-gram flour paste and water. Add lots of water to curry as some water will evaporate while simmering. The pakora will also absorb water from curry and make it thick.
6. Cover the pot and now we just need to relax while the kadhi simmers on low heat for 90 minutes at least. Do not boil it just slow simmers are best. You will see a layer of oil rising on the top. When most of the cooking is done it’s time to add salt.
7. Then in a separate pan, heat oil and add cumin, coriander seeds, curry leaves, and red chilies. Let it fry until you see the red color of chilies have darkened and are about to burn. That’s when chilies have released all its flavors in the oil. (You can use any dried red chili that you have it hand.)
8. Pour the tempering over the curry and TADA! Punjabi Kadhi is ready. Add the Pokora 15 minutes before serving and allow it to absorb the juices of curry. This will thicken the curry further.

While the curry simmer, do the preps for pakora. Always make more pakora than needed for curry as these are delightful snacks and few pakoras will be gone while the curry is still simmering.

1. Making pakora is the easiest thing in the world! Just mix all the ingredients of batter in the bowl.
2. Gradually add water and make a thick but flowing batter. You may add extra chat masala for spicy pakora.
3. Check the consistency of the batter in the picture. A thick batter will make dense pakoras and for kadhi pakora dense pakora are better as they stay firm even after absorbing water from the curry. If you leave the batter for long, the onions will release its water and make it thin. The good news is you can always add more gram flour to thicken it.
4. Heat oil thoroughly, then fry pakora on medium heat. You may fry a test pakora and check thickness and taste. Adjust if/as needed and then fry pakora in small batches until crispy and golden. Add 15 minutes prior to serving in hot curry and let it soak up the juices. Serve!

Hungry for more curry? Check these!

• Burmese Khao Soi, gram flour coconut curry
• Batata Vada, gram flour potato dumplings
• Bohra Kaari Chawal, nutty gram flour lamb curry
• Masoor Dal, brown lentil curry
• Moong Masoor Dal, red and yellow lentil curry

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