Ingredients
Tempering
Method
- Whisk the yogurt and besan until there are no lumps, then whisk in the water, turmeric, salt and ginger.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly so it does not split.
- Simmer on low for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it thickens slightly and loses the raw flour taste.
- Heat the ghee, add the tempering spices in order, then the chilli powder, and pour over the kadhi. Serve with rice. Add fried pakoras for Punjabi kadhi pakora.
The spices that matter
A few seeds go into South Indian tempering, sambar powder and pickles. Soaked fenugreek helps idli and dosa batter ferment and adds softness.
No fenugreek seed? A pinch of mustard seed with a little maple syrup gives a rough approximation, but most recipes are fine without it.
The most common first spice in a tadka: crackle the seeds in hot oil or ghee before adding onions, dal or vegetables. Roasted and ground, it goes int…
No cumin? Caraway or shahi jeera are the closest whole-seed swaps. For ground cumin, use a little extra ground coriander with a pinch of chilli.
A pinch goes into almost every dal, sabzi and curry, usually with the onions or straight into the dal as it boils. Fresh turmeric root is pickled in …
No turmeric? There is no real substitute for flavour. For colour only, a tiny pinch of saffron or Kashmiri chilli changes the shade, but not the taste.
A pinch in hot oil is the base of dal tadka, sambar, kadhi and many Jain and Brahmin dishes that use no onion or garlic.
No asafoetida? A little garlic and onion powder together give a similar savoury effect.
Black or brown mustard seeds start most South Indian, Gujarati and Maharashtrian tempering: they pop in hot oil before curry leaves and dals go in. G…
No mustard seed? Cumin seeds give a different but workable tempering. Yellow mustard seeds are milder.
Nice to have
Salt, oil or ghee, onions, ginger, garlic and fresh herbs are assumed. See how to make a tadka for the order to add whole spices.
Dishes with similar spices
Frequently asked questions
How long does kadhi pakora take to make?
About 10 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
What spices are in kadhi pakora?
The essentials are fenugreek seed, cumin, turmeric, asafoetida, mustard seed. Nice to have: dried red chillies, curry leaves.
Tips from travellers
Use Kadhi pakora differently at home? Share your tip. The first good one goes right here.