Skip to content
FriendsPantry

Punjabi · Indian

Kadhi pakora

Vegetarian

कढ़ी पकोड़ा · kadhi pakora

Tangy yogurt and gram-flour curry simmered until silky, with soft onion fritters soaking in it and a sizzling spiced tempering on top.

Kadhi pakora is a Punjabi curry from India, ready in about 1 hour 5 minutes and made with chickpea flour and yogurt. It serves 4 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
Kadhi pakora: gram-flour fritters in yellow yogurt curry with curry leaves in a black kadai
Photo: Mdsmds0 / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
15 min
Cook
50 min
Total
1 h 5 min
Serves
4
Level
Intermediate
Calories
274

Ingredients

4 servings

For the pakora

For frying

For the kadhi

For the tempering

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Whisk (opens in a new tab) the yogurt (opens in a new tab), 40 g gram flour (opens in a new tab), turmeric (opens in a new tab) and water in a deep pot until completely smooth.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Bring to the boil over medium heat, stirring constantly so it doesn't split. Add the ginger and salt, then simmer uncovered, stirring now and then, until thickened and no longer tastes of raw flour.

    • 30 min
    • medium-low heat

  3. Step 3

    Meanwhile, mix the pakora ingredients into a thick batter coating the onion (opens in a new tab). Fry spoonfuls in oil at 175 °C until golden and cooked through. Drain.

    Food safety: Fry in small batches and never leave hot oil unattended.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Slip the pakoras into the kadhi and simmer 5 minutes.

    • 5 min
    • low heat

  5. Step 5

    Heat the ghee (opens in a new tab), crackle the cumin (opens in a new tab), mustard and fenugreek (opens in a new tab) seeds with the dried chillies and asafoetida (opens in a new tab), take off the heat, add chilli powder and pour over the kadhi.

    • 2 min
    • medium heat

About this dish

Origin
Punjab, India · Commonly attributedKadhi is made across North and West India in many regional styles.Also popular in PakistanMore food from India
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Curries · Main courses
Cooking method
Simmered, Deep-fried
Taste
sour, tangy, savoury, creamy
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Budget-friendly · Make-ahead
Cook more with
Chickpea flour · Yogurt · Onion · Green chilli · Cayenne / chilli powder · Turmeric
Techniques
Deep-frying · Boiling · Simmering

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom yogurt, ghee
  • May contain: Wheatfrom asafoetida
  • May contain: Glutenfrom asafoetida
  • Contains: Mustardfrom mustard seeds

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

274 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 362 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 16%
  • Carbohydrate 38%
  • Fat 46%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy274 kcal76 kcal
Protein11 g3 g
Carbohydrate26.6 g7.3 g
Net carbohydrate22.3 g6.1 g
Sugars9.3 g2.6 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre4.3 g1.2 g
Fat14.1 g3.9 g
Saturated fat4.8 g1.3 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol22 mg6 mg
Sodium946 mg261 mg
Salt equivalent2.4 g0.7 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
518 mg
Calcium
169 mg
Iron
2.4 mg
Magnesium
76 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
75 µg
Vitamin C
7 mg
Vitamin D
0.1 µg
Vitamin B12
0.4 µg
Folate (DFE)
146 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): asafoetida.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Keep stirring until the kadhi boils — this is what stops the yogurt from curdling.

Common mistakes

  • Adding the pakoras too early — they go soggy and break up.

Serve with

  • Serve with plain steamed rice.

Storage

  • Keeps 3 days refrigerated; it thickens as it cools.

Reheating

  • Reheat gently with water, stirring.

Variations

  • Gujarati kadhi: Thinner, sweet-sour and without pakoras, tempered with curry leaves and cloves.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

Spices bloomed in hot fat

For the tempering

Used in steps 3, 5

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

You might also like