Authentic Kadhi Pakora in HALF the time!

Baked kadhi pakora exists as a Pakistani Karhi Recipe that offers substantial flavor without lengthening the cooking time. The Kadhi Pakora recipe achieves two time-saving strategies to produce Karhi in under an hour while maintaining traditional slow-cooked taste.

I have sampled all possible versions of Karhi preparations. Over the years I have prepared every kind of Karhi including those that took hours of boiling before straining and those that were thick consistency and those made with runny liquid while others yielded such massive amounts I needed to recruit additionalutton eaters. I carried out research by trying various amounts of yogurt and chickpea flour while controlling the simmering duration.

3 Reasons to make this Easy Kadhi Recipe

We managed to reach this point with significant effort but we have succeeded at last. Friends this recipe provides you with Kadhi Pakora.

• ready in under an hour
• has well rounded flavour
• approved by some picky karhi critics

A Little Kadhi Pakora Backstory

The original source of Kadhi resides in Rajasthan in India then migrated throughout Gujarat into Sindh until reaching its final stop in Punjab. The preparation of Kadhi differs from region to region across India. Some use pakoras, some use veggies. Two main ingredients exist as alternatives for kadhi production: buttermilk and yoghurt. People prepare Kadhi either with a sweet taste or acidic taste.

Which kind of Kadhi Pakora is this?

The Kadhi Pakora combines traditional North Indian cooking from Punjab with UP (Uttar Pradesh) which produces a thicker result. A typical version of this dish uses a tasty base prepared through traditional long cooking processes even though my recipe deviates from that method. It includes pakoras and a distinctive baghaar or tarka addition.

Ingredients

The list of ingredients can seem long, but remember these are mostly combine and mix so don’t let the spices intimidate you!

Karhi Ingredients:

• Chickpea flour or Besan (can use chana daal besan as well)
• Yogurt – I use whole here, low fat versions tend to be saltier so for those hold back the salt a little to start.
• Garlic
• Curry Leaves
• Green Chilies
• Spices: Fenugreek Seeds, Salt, Chilli Powder, Turmeric, Coriander Powder, Cumin Powder, and Carom Seeds (Ajwain)
  

  Pakora Ingredients:

  Now these are base ingredients – feel free to edit them to preference

  • Besan – Chickpea/ Chana Daal Flour
  • Spices: Salt, Chilli Powder, Cumin Seeds, Carom Seeds (Ajwain), Coriander Powder
  • a small diced onion
  • 2-3 minced green chilies
    

    Baghaar/Tempering Ingredients

    You can add sliced onions to your Kadhi baghaar/tempering according to your preference since it is optional. The fried onions provide delightful garnish when you consume Karhi initially but dissolve with Kadhi Pakora the following day creating a salan fusion. It makes better sense to fry onions separately before serving them alongside the dish.

    • Oil for frying
    • Dried whole red chilies
    • Curry leaves
    • Cumin Seeds

    Making the Pakistani Karhi Base

    Before cooking kadhi you need to heat your pot while toasting the besan in a dry state.

    With this step you will minimize the amount of time required for completion. The step alone improved my results significantly after multiple tries thus I am certain it is a transformational method.

    Dry roasting your besan on medium high heat will take the rawness out of the besan. The colour won’t change much, but the besan will smell positively toasty. Make sure you pull it off as soon as you see a colour change ie any browning.

    Mix the besan with yogurt using an immersion blender as I do while a regular blender serves as an alternative option. The hot oil from the besan roasting pot receives the curry leaves and ajwain along with fenugreek seeds until they cook for about 30 seconds.

    Then add your crushed garlic followed by the dry masalas. Sauteing the masalas at this step is another fantastic time saver. A quick saute later you add your besan mix and whisk well (it will thicken). Add water and green chilies and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring intermittently.

    In a pinch you can cook it for 30, but I did find there was a flavor improvement between the 30 and 45 minute batch. A spoon placed horizontally on the surface of karhi during simmering helps prevent it from boiling over.

    Making Pakodas for Kadhi Pakoda

    While the karhi is simmering away combine your pakora ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

    Drop small spoonfuls of the pakora mix into hot oil and fry for a few minutes on each side. You want to make small pakoras because they will expand when added to the karhi.

    After preparing karhi simply add pakoras then reduce heat until it simmers before switching off the stove. Check and adjust the seasonings of your yogurt since it should have a sour quality but additional lemon juice may be necessary if it lacks this characteristic. The tasty karhi requires a pouring of prepared baghaar/tarka/tempering mixture. Serve your meal with hot steaming rice.

    A friend recommended using prepared Pakora mix stored in your pantry to create pakoras for your Karhi. Thanks Z!

    What do I serve with Karhi Pakora?

    Kadhi can be a stand alone, serve with plain rice dish, but if you want ideas for a more full menu they are right here!

    Kadhi Pakora or Karhi Recipe – Pakistani

    Full flavored Kadhi Pakora made in a fraction of the time with two time saving hacks!

    Ingredients

    Karhi/ Kadhi Ingredients

    • ½ cup besan (chickpea or chana daal flour)
    • 1 ½ cup yogurt (I use full fat, but 2% works)
    • 3 tbsp neutral oil
    • one sprig curry leaves
    • ½ tsp methi dana or fenugreek seeds
    • ¼ tsp ajwain seeds or carom seeds
    • 2 cloves garlic (or 1 level tsp garlic paste)
    • ¾ tsp red chilli powder or cayenne
    • ¾ tsp cumin powder or zeera powder
    • ¾ tsp coriander powder or dhania powder
    • ¾ tsp turmeric powder
    • 1.5 tsp salt
    • 3 green chilies (whole)
    • 5 cups water (add more according to taste, see notes)

    Pakora Recipe

    • oil for deep frying
    • 1.5 cup besan or chickpea/chana daal flour
    • ¾-1 tsp salt
    • 1 tsp chilli flakes
    • ½ tsp chilli powder
    • 1 tsp coriander powder
    • 1 tsp cumin seeds
    • ⅓ tsp carom seeds or ajwain
    • 1 diced onion (optional)
    • 2 diced green chilies
    • ¾ tsp baking powder

    Baghaar/ Tadka/ Tarka

    • ⅓ cup oil
    • 1 sprig curry leaves
    • 1 tsp cumin seeds
    • 4-5 whole red chillies

    Instructions

    • Heat your pot then add the besan to it and dry roast on medium heat until it smells aromatic. If the colour starts to change then pull it off the heat immediately.
      
    • Puree the besan and yogurt together – you can use a blender. I use an immersion blender because then I can measure the yogurt in, add the besan and blitz.
      
    • Now add a little oil in the same pot and your curry leaves, methi dana (fenugreek seeds), and ajwain (carom) seeds and saute until fragrant.
      
    • Place your garlic and dry spices into the pan right away while having ready some water in case you need to sprinkle it to stop the spices from scorching. The mixture reaches its proper state when it is ready to use.
      
    • Add your besan and mix well, it will start to clump up, but don’t worry and just whisk the water in.
    • Now add the green chilies and bring it to a boil then down to a simmer for 45 minutes., stirring intermittently and scraping the bottom.

      TIP: keep a heat proof kitchen utensil across the top of the pot to contain boiling over.

      
    • Once the time is up you can pull out the chilies and curry leaves or leave them there. Taste and adjust seasoning. Also the Karhi will thicken as it cools so you want it runnier here.

    Pakoras

    • Start on these while the karhi is simmering.
    • Combine the pakora ingredients and start drizzling in the ¾ cup water mixing well. Stop at around the half cup mark and see if you have a thick cake batter consistency. If not drizzle the remaining in and keep mixing. If you add it all at once it’s harder to mix.
      
    • Heat oil for deep frying (you can pan fry as well, but then they don’t puff up as much)
    • Fry a test pakora and taste. Adjust according to preferences.
      
    • You should add small spooned amounts of the mixture to the hot oil while making sure there is enough space between each oil drop. When performing the frying process the pakoras will enlarge but will continue to spread out when mixed into the karhi. The pakoras need to cook for 3 minutes on both sides until they become dark golden brown.
      
    • When the karhi is ready add your pakoras, bring it to a boil and turn off. They will simmer in the residual heat.
      

    Baghaar

    • Heat your oil in a frying pan and add the baghaar ingredients, when they are sizzly and aromatic then pour the baghaar over your karhi.
      

      Notes

      The yogurt provides its particular flavor which transforms the karhi’s overall taste. The yoghurt requires slight sourness so you should add lemon juice if it does not have a natural “khatta” tart flavor.
      The consistency of Kadhi thickens when it rests and therefore you should add water before consuming leftovers for the next day.
      Fried onion additions will change both coloring and taste of the karhi when added to the baghaar because they darken over time.