• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About
  • Category Index
  • How To

Indian Ambrosia

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Category
  • Collections
  • Chicken
  • Vegetarian
  • Subscribe
  • Instant Pot
  • Quick & Easy
  • What's New
  • About
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Category
  • Collections
  • Chicken
  • Vegetarian
  • Subscribe
  • Instant Pot
  • Quick & Easy
  • What's New
  • About
×
You are here: Home » Vegetarian

Published: Dec 4, 2021 · Modified: Nov 4, 2024 by Saima · This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases · This blog generates income via ads.

Punjabi Kadhi Pakora

378 shares
  • 53
Jump to Recipe
kadhi pakora in a bowl

Punjabi kadhi pakora is the perfect vegetarian comfort food from North India. Chickpea flour fritters (pakoras) are dipped in a thick and tangy yogurt sauce (kadhi), and the kadhi is served with white Basmati rice for a complete meal called kadhi chawal (rice).

Punjabi kadhi pakora in a bowl.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAVE THIS POST?

Enter your email to get this post directly in your inbox. Plus, get subscribed to the Indian Ambrosia newsletter!

Jump to:
  • About Punjabi Kadhi Pakora
  • Pakora ingredients
  • How to make the pakoras
  • Buttermilk mixture ingredients
  • How to make the buttermilk mixture
  • Kadhi ingredients
  • How to make the kadhi
  • Tempering ingredients
  • How to temper the kadhi
  • Top Tips
  • Serving and Reheating
  • More Vegetarian Rice Recipes
  • 📖 Recipe

About Punjabi Kadhi Pakora

When it comes to comfort foods from North India, nothing can beat recipes like sarson ka saag and makki ki roti, rajma chawal, dal makhani, and of course, kadhi chawal (kadhi served with rice). These are hearty and rustic Punjabi dishes that will appeal to anyone with a sense of adventure.

I am not from Punjab (an Indian state where people thrive on dishes made with real butter, ghee, paneer and yogurt), but I adore the food. Sort of inevitable after having spent my teenage years in New Delhi, a city where the food scene has a rather strong Punjabi influence.

Anyway, making something like Punjabi kadhi is not the big deal I thought it was back then. It has a lot of ingredients and steps, for sure, but I have tried to make this post as comprehensive as possible. Hopefully, you will not run into any issues if you read the post and follow all the steps:)

The recipe can be broken down into four broad sections:

1. Fry the pakoras.

2. Make the buttermilk mixture.

3. Make the kadhi and add the pakoras.

3. Temper the kadhi pakora.

I have further broken down these sections into ingredients needed for each section along with step by step instructions and pictures, so there is no confusion. However, what follows is an overview. For detailed steps, please go to the recipe card.

Note: If you love tangy vegetarian dishes, do try Kashmiri dum aloo, Punjabi dum aloo, and Hyderabadi bagara baingan too.

Kadhi pakora in a bowl and kadhi chawal (rice) in another bowl.

Pakora ingredients

Pakora ingredients - labelled.

Ingredient Notes And Substitutions

1. Cooking oil: I used mustard oil for frying the pakoras as it is a wonderfully spicy and flavourful oil, and once you've had a taste, every other oil will seem bland in comparison. That being said, it is not absolutely essential. You can make your kadhi with any neutral oil too with perfectly good results. If you decide to use mustard oil, you will need to smoke it first to get rid of the sharp, raw taste. More on this below.

2. Crushed coriander seeds (optional): Again, not absolutely essential for the pakoras, but they do give a nice edge to them. Don't add too much because you have powdered coriander in there as well. One teaspoon of coriander seeds should be enough. Toast the seeds in a small frypan before crushing them in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. It takes their rawness away.

3. Buttermilk: Buttermilk adds to the taste of the pakoras although you can use plain water as well. But since we are making this recipe with buttermilk, I used it to make the batter for the pakoras too.

How to make the pakoras

1. Smoke the mustard oil.

Tip: You will want to switch on the exhaust fan in your kitchen and open a few windows to get rid of the fumes after you're done smoking the oil.

2. Chop the onions and green chillies in a food processor if you have one. It's easier to do this than chop them by hand.

3. Toast the coriander seeds and grind them coarsely in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.

4. Put all the ingredients (except the oil) in a bowl and whisk to make a batter.

Note: The batter should be quite thick and chunky and not thin. Thin batter makes flat pakoras.

Kadhi pakora - making the batter.

5. Fry the pakoras in hot oil and take them out in a platter. Set aside for now.

Note: Reserve ⅓ cup of oil for using in the kadhi later.

Pakoras for kadhi on a plate.

Buttermilk mixture ingredients

Buttermilk ingredients - chickpea flour, buttermilk, red chilli and turmeric powders.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

1. Buttermilk: I used buttermilk for making the liquid base because buttermilk is a little tangy and sour to begin with. You can substitute it with plain, unflavoured yogurt (dahi) as well if you have some. If using yogurt, thin it out with water first. One and a half cups of yogurt mixed with 3 cups water should be fine.

Tip: If using yogurt, make sure it is sour before using it. Kadhi is supposed to be a little tangy and is traditionally made with sour yogurt.

How to make the buttermilk mixture

Making the buttermilk mixture is simple. Add the chickpea flour and the spices (red chilli and turmeric) to the buttermilk and whisk until you get a lump-free, smooth sauce. If it has lumps, the kadhi will also have lumps. Not nice.

Tip: Sift the chickpea flour through a sieve or chalni first. Sifted flour is easier to work with.

Buttermilk mixture in a large glass measuring cup.

Kadhi ingredients

Labelled ingredients for kadhi (first tempering) - grated onions, ginger-garlic paste, oil, crushed coriander, dry red chillies, cumin, and fenugreek.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

Grated onions: If grating onions is too painful, leave them out! Just the ginger-garlic paste will also suffice. If I am in a hurry, I make do without the onions, and the kadhi tastes fine.

How to make the kadhi

We do this in three steps:

1. First, in hot oil, sizzle the spices and add the onions, ginger and garlic.

2. Second, pour the buttermilk mixture that was made earlier and simmer until the sauce is cooked thoroughly.

3. Third, add the pakoras to the prepared kadhi. Once this is done, we can proceed with the final tempering.

Punjabi Kadhi Pakora in a cooking pot.

Tempering ingredients

Tempering ingredients - ghee, curry leaves, and mustard seeds - for kadhi pakora.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

1. Ghee: I like using pure ghee for its aroma. You can substitute it with any neutral cooking oil if you wish to.

2. Mustard seeds and curry leaves (kari patta): These add a ton of flavour and fragrance to the kadhi. If, however, you don't have these ingredients, you can substitute with dry red chillies and cumin seeds too.

How to temper the kadhi

1. Heat the ghee in a small frypan and add the tempering ingredients.

2. When the mustard seeds start popping, pour this spice-infused oil carefully over the kadhi and serve hot with steamed rice.

Punjabi kadhi pakora in two bowls with rice.

Top Tips

1. If using yogurt instead of buttermilk, opt for plain yogurt only. Do NOT use flavored or sweetened yogurt.

2. Ideally, the yogurt should be slightly sour for best results. Yogurt sitting in the fridge for a few days is usually sour. Use this yogurt, not the fresh one you got from the supermarket today.

3. While making the batter for the pakoras, don't add too much buttermilk or water, too suddenly. The aim is to make a thick batter so that the pakoras turn out round and plump. Whisk some buttermilk into the ingredients, check the consistency, then whisk again till it's just right.

4. Fry the pakoras in medium-hot oil to cook them well from inside. If the oil is smoking hot, the pakoras will brown on the outside quickly but remain under-cooked inside. Also, don't crowd the pakoras in the hot oil or the temperature will drop.

5. Top Tip: Stir constantly while bringing the sauce to a boil on the stovetop. This is the secret to a smooth sauce. If you don't do this properly, the chickpea flour in the yogurt will form lumps, or worse, the yogurt itself will curdle. Not very appealing. To avoid this, keep stirring!

Serving and Reheating

1. Kadhi tastes best with steamed Basmati rice. This is a very popular combination called kadhi chawal.

2. However, you can have kadhi with Indian breads like roti or chapati also. Who's to say you can't, after all?

3. Leftover kadhi can become quite thick when kept in the fridge. While reheating, simply add a little water and cook over the stovetop for a few minutes. It will become smooth again.

Kadhi over rice in a plate.

More Vegetarian Rice Recipes

mushroom pulao in a plate
Mushroom Pulao (Instant Pot Mushroom Rice)
chana pulao in a bowl.
Kabuli Chana Pulao (Quick Chickpea Pilaf)
paneer biryani in a bowl.
Paneer Biryani

Tried this recipe? Do consider giving it a star rating and comment below. If you’re on Instagram, feel free to tag me so I can see your creation! I’d love to hear from you! Thank you:)

📖 Recipe

Kadhi pakora in a bowl.

Punjabi Kadhi Pakora

Saima Zaidi
Punjabi kadhi pakora is the perfect vegetarian comfort food from North India. Chickpea flour fritters (pakoras) are dipped in a thick and tangy yogurt sauce (kadhi), and the kadhi is served with white Basmati rice for a complete meal called kadhi chawal (rice).
5 from 3 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins
Course Dinner
Cuisine Indian
Servings 8 people
Calories 243 kcal

Equipment

  • Medium-sized Pyrex bowl
  • Wire whisk or fork
  • Wok or Karahi for frying the pakoras
  • Large saucepan
  • Small frypan for tempering

Ingredients
 
 

Pakoras

  • mustard oil or vegetable oil, as needed for frying
  • 1 onion small
  • 2 Thai chillies or any variety of green chilli if you want less hot.
  • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds optional
  • 1 cup chickpea flour besan
  • 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • ½ teaspoon coriander powder
  • ¾ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 tsp cornflour
  • 1 tsp ginger paste
  • ½ cup buttermilk

Buttermilk mixture

  • 4 cups buttermilk
  • ½ cup chickpea flour besan, sifted
  • 2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 teaspoon red chilli powder

Kadhi

  • ⅓ cup mustard oil or vegetable oil
  • ¼ tsp fenugreek seeds methi
  • 4 teaspoon dried red chillies
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 tablespoon coriander seeds toasted and crushed
  • 2 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste heaped
  • 1 small onion grated or minced, optional
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 tsp sea salt

Tempering

  • 2 tablespoon ghee or vegetable oil
  • ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 12 curry leaves
Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions
 

Fry the pakoras

  • First, smoke the mustard oil. Pour the oil in a metal saucepan or frypan and heat it until it reaches smoking point. When it starts giving off slight fumes and changes its colour to a pale yellow, it's done. Turn off the heat and allow the oil to cool down before using it. If not using mustard oil, omit this step.
  • Chop the onions and green chillies in a food processor if you have one. It's easier to do this than chop them by hand. If not, chop them finely with a sharp knife.
  • Put the coriander seeds in a small frypan and toast them until fragrant (2-3 minutes). Grind them coarsely in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. If not using coriander seeds, omit this step.
  • Add the chickpea flour to a bowl along with the rest of the ingredients except the oil. Mix well. The batter should be quite thick and chunky.
  • Heat the oil in a skillet or karahi (Indian wok) and drop teaspoonfuls of batter in the oil. Fry over a medium heat until golden. Remove from the hot oil and set aside.

Make the buttermilk mixture

  • Add the chickpea flour, turmeric powder and red chilli powder to the buttermilk. Whisk well so that the mixture is smooth and lump-free,

Make the kadhi

  • Heat the mustard oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan and add the fenugreek seeds, dried red chillies, cumin seeds, ad crushed coriander seeds. Let the spices sizzle for a few seconds.
  • Add the ginger garlic paste and cook for 3-4 minutes.
  • Add the onion paste if using and cook until the onions have lost their moisture. Take care not to brown them.
  • Reduce the heat and add the buttermilk mixture you prepared earlier cook until the mixture comes to a boil (about 20 minutes). Stir continuously in a circular motion with a wooden spoon.
  • Add the water and salt and mix well. Cook uncovered on low heat for 40 minutes. Stir frequently to make sure the mixture doesn't stick to the bottom. When the liquid thickens and becomes a smooth sauce, the kadhi is cooked.
  • Add the pakoras or fritters to the kadhi and cook for a couple of minutes on low heat so that the fritters absorb some of the sauce. Pour the kadhi in a deep serving dish.

Add the tempering (tadka)

  • Heat the ghee in a small frypan and add mustard seeds. When the seeds start popping, add the curry leaves. Pour this spice-infused oil carefully over the kadhi. Serve hot with steamed rice.

Notes

  1. The batter for making the pakoras should be thick so that the pakoras turn out round and plump. 
  2. Fry the pakoras in medium-hot oil to cook them well from inside.
  3. If using plain yogurt for making kadhi, make sure the yogurt is sour. Use 2 cups yogurt mixed with 3 cups water to start with.
  4. Stir the sauce constantly while cooking it on the stovetop.
  5. Leftover kadhi can become quite thick when kept in the fridge. While reheating, simply add a little water and cook for a few minutes. It will become smooth again.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 243kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 7gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 560mgPotassium: 345mgFiber: 4gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 905IUVitamin C: 35mgCalcium: 59mgIron: 2mg
Keyword karhi pakora, punjabi kadhi
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

More Vegetarian

  • Paneer bhurji in a bowl with spoon.
    Paneer Bhurji (Scrambled Indian Cottage Cheese)
  • Mirchi ka salan in a bowl.
    Mirchi Ka Salan
  • Moong dal in a bowl with a tempering of onions, tomatoes, cumin and garlic.
    Moong Dal Recipe
  • Arvi fry in a bowl.
    Arbi Fry (Colocasia Fry)
378 shares
  • 53

Reader Interactions

5 from 3 votes (3 ratings without comment)

Thanks for coming! Let me know what you think: Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

headshot of Saima

Hi, I'm Saima! I live in Alberta, Canada with my husband and twin boys. Here, you'll find Indian recipes with fresh, natural ingredients and easy, no-fuss cooking techniques. Welcome to my blog!

More about me →

Popular Posts

  • chicken malai tikka skewers on a plate with green chutney and roti on the side
    Chicken Malai Tikka

  • pooris on a checkered red and white cloth in a red basket
    Crispy and Fluffy Puri Recipe (Fried Indian Poori Bread)

  • Lamb karahi gosht in a bowl with a spoon.
    Lamb Karahi Gosht (Indian Lamb Curry)

  • Palak paneer in a bowl.
    Palak Paneer

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy

Newsletter

  • Subscribe for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2025 Indian Ambrosia

Indian Ambrosia uses cookies to improve your experience. If you continue to use this site, we will assume you're okay with the terms:) GOT IT Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
SAVE & ACCEPT

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.