Punjabi Kadhi | Pyaj Pakora Kadhi

Punjabi Kadhi with pyaj pakora is a delicacy of Punjab. It is a delicious and amazing dish which is prepared with curd, besan (Gramflour), spices and topped with pyaj pakoda. It is such a rich and colourful dish that cannot be missed. Every region has a different way of preparing kadhi. The taste varies from sweetness to spicy. Punjabi food is famous for its curries and gravies. Punjabi kadhi has thick consistency while Gujarati and Maharashtrian kadhi has thin consistency. When it is topped with pyaj pakoda, it becomes an exotic dish. 

To get crunchy and crispier taste, dip onion pakoda when it is ready to serve. The curd should be sour to give sourness. This kadhi should be thick and creamy with crispy pakora in it. Do not forget to whisk the curd properly. It is a popular main course recipe across Indian homes.  Like dal chawal, rajma chawal and chole chawal, Kadhi chawal is also very famous in Northern India. It is often served with plain rice or chapati.

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: North Indian
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients:

For Onion Pakora-

1 cup besan (gram flour)
1 onion, sliced
A small pinch heeng (Asafoetida)
½ teaspoon red chilli powder
½ teaspoon coriander powder
salt as required
oil for frying

For Kadhi –

2.5 cup sour curd
½ cup gram flour
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
A small pinch heeng
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chilli powder
½ tsp coriander powder
Salt to taste
2 tbsp oil

Instructions:

For Onion Pakora –

Taka a bowl, add besan, sliced onion, heeng, salt, red chilli powder and coriander powder.

Mix well. Now add water in parts and begin to mix to make a thick batter. The onion slices will be coated well with better.
Heat oil in a kadhai or pan for frying pakoda on medium flame. Drop some slices into hot oil.

Drop few at a time and fry them on medium heat till they become golden brown and crisp from all sides. Drain out them and keep aside.

For kadhi –

Take a bowl, add curd and whisk well. Add besan and water into curd. Mix properly to remove all lumps and make a smooth mixture.
Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds and heeng.

When they splutters, add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and coriander powder.
Pour the beaten mixture and cook it on high flame.
Keep stirring continuously so that besan does not stick to the bottom. It will take time to cook around 14 to 16 minutes.

After the kadhi has come to a boil, then lower the flame and further cook kadhi for more 6 to 7 minutes or until raw smell goes away. The kadhi will thicken. If mixture becomes very thick, add 1/2 cup more water and cook more for 3-4 minutes. It should have pouring consistency. Now add salt and stir. Switch off the flame.
You can temper this kadhi. Heat 1 tbsp. ghee in a tempering pan and add 1 tsp. red chilli powder or 3-4 dry red chillies. Immediately pour it over kadhi. You can garnish with coriander leaves.
Now add the onion pakoras in the kadhi. Stir gently and serve it hot with rice or roti.

Tips:

• Curd should be sour otherwise it will not give good taste and will not be sour.
• Do not deep fry pakora on high flame otherwise they may not cook properly from inside. Deep-fry them on medium to low flame.
• You can add mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds.
• If you want soft pakora, you can add at the time of boiling.
• Make sure the consistency of kadhi should not be too thick or thin. If kadhi is thick, you can add ½ cup water and if too watery, add 1 tbsp. besan in ½ cup water, mix well and add into kadhi. Check the consistency as you prefer.

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