Kadhi Pakora 🍲 North Indian 🇮🇳 (Yogurt Chickpea Fritter Curry)

Description

Silky, tangy yogurt curry with crisp-on-the-outside pakoras that soften into fluffy bites — cozy, aromatic, and wildly comforting 🥄🔥.
Hook: Fail-safe, lump-free kadhi + extra-crisp pakoras in under an hour ⚡

Ingredients

• Pakoras (fritters)
• 🌾 Besan (chickpea flour): 120 g (1 cup / 4.2 oz)
• 🧅 Onion, thinly sliced: 1 small (100 g / 3.5 oz)
• 🌿 Spinach, shredded (optional): 30 g (1 cup / 1.1 oz)
• 🌶 Green chili, finely chopped: 1
• 🌱 Cumin seeds: 1 tsp (3 g / 0.1 oz)
• 🌕 Turmeric: ¼ tsp (0.8 g)
• 🌶 Kashmiri chili powder (mild): ½ tsp (1.5 g)
• 🧂 Salt: ½ tsp (3 g)
• 🔺 Baking soda (pinch, ~⅛ tsp)**
• 💧 Water: 120–150 ml (½–⅔ cup / 4–5 fl oz) to make a thick batter
• 🛢 Neutral oil, for deep-frying
• Kadhi (yogurt curry)
• 🥛 Plain yogurt (full-fat), room temp: 500 g (2 cups / 17.6 oz)
• 🌾 Besan: 40 g (4 tbsp / 1.4 oz)
• 🌕 Turmeric: ½ tsp (1.5 g)
• 🧂 Salt: to taste (≈6 g / 1 tsp)
• 💧 Water: 800 ml (3⅓ cups / 27 fl oz)
• Tempering (tadka)
• 🧈 Ghee or oil: 2 tbsp (30 ml / 1 fl oz)
• 🌰 Mustard seeds: ½ tsp (2 g)
• 🌱 Cumin seeds: 1 tsp (3 g)
• 🟤 Fenugreek seeds: ½ tsp (1.5 g)
• 🌶 Dried red chilies: 2
• 🍃 Curry leaves: 10–12
• 🫚 Ginger, julienned: 1 tsp (5 g)
• 🧄 Garlic, thinly sliced (optional): 2 cloves
• 🟤 Asafoetida (hing): pinch
• 🌶 Kashmiri chili powder: ½ tsp (1.5 g)
• 🌿 Fresh cilantro, chopped: 2 tbsp (6 g / 0.21 oz)

Preparation

1. 1️⃣ Pakoras: Mix dry ingredients; add onion, spinach, chili. Splash in water to a thick, clinging batter. Rest 5 min. Fry heaped teaspoons at 170–175°C / 340–350°F 4–5 min to deep golden. Drain on a rack.
2. 2️⃣ Whisk kadhi base: In a pot whisk yogurt + besan + turmeric + salt until silky. Slowly whisk in water (no lumps).
3. 3️⃣ Simmer: Bring to a gentle boil over medium, stirring constantly until it first bubbles; lower heat and simmer 20–25 min (stir occasionally) until lightly thickened.
4. 4️⃣ Temper: Heat ghee; crackle mustard, then add cumin, fenugreek, dried chilies, curry leaves, ginger, garlic, hing; sizzle 30 s. Stir in chili powder off heat.
5. 5️⃣ Finish: Pour temper into kadhi. Add pakoras and simmer 2–3 min to soften. Sprinkle cilantro and serve with rice or jeera rice.

Total Time

🕒 Prep: 20 min

🔥 Cook: 35 min

⏳ Total: 55 min

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