Indian

Kadhi Pakora — Yoghurt-Gram Broth with Fritters (कढ़ी पकोड़ा)

Kadhi is a golden-yellow yoghurt and gram flour (besan) broth, thickened by the besan and given body through long simmering, finished with a tadka of ghee, mustard, dried red chilli, and curry leaves. The Punjabi version is thicker and tangier than the Rajasthani or Gujarat variants, and is distinguished by the inclusion of pakoras — deep-fried gram flour fritters, usually with onion or spinach, that are added to the hot kadhi and allowed to soak. The technique requires sourness from the yoghurt itself (preferably slightly aged), since fresh sweet yoghurt produces a flat, thin kadhi without the characteristic pucker.

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ServesFour portions

Sourced0of 20 in BC

Cook

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The Market List

The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.

For the kadhi base

500 g

plain whole-milk yoghurt

2 days old, distinctly sour

Not yet stocked in British Columbia

60 g

besan (gram flour)

sifted

Not yet stocked in British Columbia

750 ml

water

Your own market

1 tsp

ground turmeric

Your own market

1 tsp

fine salt

adjust to taste

Your own market

For the pakoras

120 g

besan (gram flour)

sifted

Not yet stocked in British Columbia

1 medium

onion

thinly sliced; or substitute spinach leaves

Your own market

1 tsp

fine salt

Your own market

½ tsp

ground turmeric

Your own market

approx. 100 ml

water

added gradually to form a thick batter

Your own market

700 ml

neutral oil

for deep-frying

Not yet stocked in British Columbia

For the tadka

2 tbsp

ghee

Not yet stocked in British Columbia

1 tsp

mustard seeds

Your own market

dried red chillies

whole

Not yet stocked in British Columbia

fresh curry leaves

Not yet stocked in British Columbia

¼ tsp

asafoetida (hing)

Not yet stocked in British Columbia

To serve

300 g

basmati rice

steamed plain

Your own market

green chillies

fried whole in a little oil until blistered

Not yet stocked in British Columbia

1 medium

onion

sliced into raw rings

Your own market

1 portion

achaar (Indian pickle)

any variety

Origin · IndiaNot yet stocked in British Columbia

The Method

Combine the sour yoghurt and 60 g besan in a large bowl and whisk together thoroughly while both are cold until no lumps remain, then whisk in the 750 ml water, turmeric, and salt — cold ingredients resist lumping far better than warm ones, giving you a smooth slurry that will not clot when it hits the heat. The mixture should be uniformly pale gold and completely smooth; run a finger around the whisk and no grit should remain.

From the canon — Turmeric (हल्दी, haldi — Curcuma longa) is the most universally used spice in Indian cooking: the yellow-orange rhizome whose primary active compound (curcum… Turmeric — Fresh vs Dried in Indian Cooking (हल्दी) →

Pour the yoghurt-besan mixture into a heavy pot and set over a medium flame, stirring constantly as it comes to a simmer, because if you walk away at this stage the yoghurt will seize and curdle into ragged threads rather than a silky broth. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for a minimum of 20 minutes, stirring frequently — this is where the dish lives or dies: under-simmering leaves a raw, grassy besan flavour and a thin broth, and the kadhi is ready only when that smell has cooked entirely away and the broth coats the back of a spoon.

While the kadhi simmers, make the pakora batter by combining 120 g besan, salt, and turmeric in a bowl, then add the water gradually, stirring, so you can arrest it at exactly the right thickness — too loose and the batter slides off the onion; too stiff and the fritters turn dense rather than light. Fold in the onion slices once the batter holds its shape on the back of the spoon.

Heat the neutral oil in a deep vessel to approximately 170 °C — a small drop of batter should rise to the surface within two seconds, sizzling steadily — and fry spoonfuls of the onion batter in batches, turning once, until pale golden and just set. Remove and drain; the pakoras must be slightly underdone at this stage so they can finish in the broth without turning to mush.

Lower the pakoras into the simmering kadhi and allow them to cook in the broth for 5 to 8 minutes, so they swell gently and drink in the turmeric-soured broth all the way through rather than remaining raw-tasting at the centre. They are ready when they have swollen slightly and absorbed the broth at their surface — press one gently with a spoon and it should yield without disintegrating.

Immediately before serving, heat the ghee in a small pan over a high flame until it shimmers, add the mustard seeds, and let them pop and crackle fully for about 30 seconds so every seed has burst open and released its nutty sharpness rather than sitting raw and bitter in the finished dish. Add the dried red chillies, curry leaves, and hing — the mixture will spit and hiss — then pour the tadka immediately over the kadhi and stir once, as the aromatic depth of hing and curry leaf fades within minutes; serve at once alongside the basmati rice, sliced green chillies, sliced onion, and achaar.

III

Quality Hierarchy

Reserve — Yoghurt from a single-herd buffalo dairy, 48 hours old and visibly sour; stone-ground besan with a coarse, nutty character; pure cultured ghee for the tadka.

Estate — Whole-milk cow's yoghurt set at home and left two days; good-quality besan from an Indian grocer; commercial pure ghee.

Market — Supermarket full-fat Greek yoghurt acidulated with a small squeeze of lemon to approximate sourness; standard besan; ghee from a jar.

House — Any plain full-fat yoghurt, soured as above; besan from any source; butter used in place of ghee — the tadka will lack depth but the dish remains recognisable.

Sensory Tests

◇Smell. The raw, grassy besan scent has entirely left the broth after minimum 20 minutes of simmering.

◇Sight. The broth is uniformly golden-yellow and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

◇Touch. A pakora pressed gently with a spoon yields softly without breaking apart, confirming it has soaked but not disintegrated.

◇Sound. Mustard seeds in the tadka pan have fully popped and fallen silent before the chilli and hing are added.

◇Where it lives or dies. The kadhi must simmer for a minimum of 20 minutes until the raw besan smell is fully cooked out and the broth coats a spoon — to stop before this point is to serve a thin, raw-tasting gruel.

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