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Kadhi Pakora | Kadhi Chawal | Punjabi Kadhi Recipe

Kadhi chawal is a popular Punjabi Dish, and also one that falls into the comfort food category for most Indians.

Indian cuisine is the most diverse cuisine in the world. Each state has its own specialities, delicacies and each dish have a completely different taste. Whether it’s Kashmir’s Yakhni Pulao, Rajasthan’s daal baati, Kolkata’s Chello kebabs or Hyderabad’s biryani, India is blessed with overwhelming flavours and tastes. We have been blessed to have had the opportunity to live all over the country because my husband is in the Army and have got the opportunity to explore all the different cuisines very closely. However, some dishes form a special place in your heart. Punjabi Kadhi Chawal is one such dish for me.

My mom makes the most amazing kadhi chawal! Since I was a little girl, I used to get so excited about the combination of kadhi chawal. India has a variety of kadhis as well, like Sindhi kadhi, Gujarati kadhi, Rajasthani kadhi and so on. Among all the different kadhis Punjabi Kadhi has a very creamy and thick texture. Punjabi Kadhi is prepared using thick sour curd and besan. The only difference that lies between this kadhi and the others is that Punjabi Kadhi is spicier and waaaay more delicious.

Not just that, Punjabi Kadhi is very quick and easy to make. It is best enjoyed with jeera rice or plain rice.

Chefs tip:

Here is an additional secret tip from my mum for all of you lovelies: Kadhi can be quite heavy and difficult to digest sometimes. But the heart, in this case, the stomach, wants what it wants, right? So make sure you use asafoetida and fenugreek seeds while frying the masala, as it is very good for your gut. The combination of asafoetida and fenugreek seeds is known to be very useful for digestion.

Punjabi Kadhis also have a special ingredient: Pakodas! Yes, you heard it right. I make this pakora from besan. However, some people, like my mom-in-law used to put pyaz ka pakodas or palak ka pakodas in kadhi. That is also very delicious. Loving Pakodas are in my Indian blood, so all pakoras work for me!

Try and make this Kadhi by following the step by step recipe below. I am also sharing a video of the recipe for making plain rice with this post to make it easier for the beginners. Try my version of Punjabi Kadhi and let me know in the comments how you liked it.

Kadhi Chawal

Recipe by MINAL SHARMACourse: LUNCH, Dinner, Main CourseCuisine: IndianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Ingredients

For Palak Pakoras:
Spinach / Palak – 2 Cups
Onion – 1 medium
Ginger Garlic Paste – 1 Tbsp
Besan / Chickpea Flour – 2 Cups
Red Chilli Powder – 1Tsp
Coriander Seeds – 2 Tsp
Salt – 1.5 Tsp
Hing / Asafoetida – 1/4 Tsp
Ajwain / Carom Seeds – 1/2 Tsp
Roasted Cumin Powder – 1 Tsp
Water – 1/2 Cup
Oil to fry
For Onion Pakoras :
Besan / Chickpea Flour – 2 Cups
Onion – 2 medium
Red Chilli Powder – 1Tsp
Coriander Seeds – 2 Tsp
Salt – 1.5 Tsp
Hing / Asafoetida – 1/4 Tsp
Ajwain / Carom Seeds – 1/2 Tsp
Roasted Cumin Powder – 1 Tsp
Water – 1/2 Cup
Oil to fry
For Plain Pakoras:
Besan / Chickpea Flour – 2 Cup
Red Chilli Powder – 1Tsp
Salt – 1.5 Tsp
Hing / Asafoetida – 1/4 Tsp
Ajwain / Carom Seeds – 1/2 Tsp
Roasted Cumin Powder – 1 Tsp
Water – 1/2 Cup
Oil to fry
For Besan Mix:
Besan / Chickpea Flour – 5 Tbsp
Red Chilli Powder – 2Tsp
Turmeric – 3 Tsp
Yougurt – 4 Cups
Water – 8 Cups
For Tempering :
Ghee – 1.5 Tbsp
Methi / Fenugreek Seeds – 1/2 Tsp
Cumin Seeds – 3 Tsp
Mustard Seeds – 3 Tsp
Dry Red Chilli – 3-4
Hing – 1/2 Tsp
Salt – 3 Tsp
Ghee – 1.5 Tbsp
Cumin Seeds – 1 Tsp
Red Chilli Powder – 1 Tsp

Directions

FOR PAKORAS :
Add all the ingredients for pakora(Except oil) in a bowl and mix well.
Heat oil for frying to 400 F.
Take a scoop of pakora mix and add to oil. One scoop at a time.
Cook till Pakora’s are light golden. take them out and let them cool for few minutes.
If making plain pakoras soak them in water for about 10-15 min.
Squeeze and put them in prepared kadhi.
No need to soak if you are making vegetable pakoras just fry them for few more minutes to make them crispy. Add them in kadhi.
TO MAKE KADHI & TEMPERING:
In a bowl add all the ingredients of Besan Mix and whisk them well.
To cook Kadhi & Tempering:
In a pan heat ghee and add Carry leaves, Methi seeds, Mustard Seeds, Dry Red chillies and Hing.
Let the mustard and carry leaves splutter. Keep stirring so the the Dry Red Chillies don’t burn.
Now add the Besan mix to the pan.
Add water and mix well.
Let the mix cook till it thickens in consistency. Stir in between.
Now add the Pakoras to the Kadhi and cook for 5 more minutes.
TADKA | TEMPERING
Take a frying pan on medium heat.
Add Ghee , mustard seeds and wait till they sputter.
Now add red chilli powder.
Immediately add this mix on the Kadhi.
ADDING A VIDEO TUTORIAL FOR BEGINNERS
HOW TO COOK RICE

Recipe Video

Notes

If the Kadhi gets too thick after cooking , add some water and cook a little.
If Kadhi stays thin even after cooking for 20 minutes then add some more chickpea flour.