Pakistani and Indian Classics
Kadhi Pakora recipe
Kadhi pakora is a tangy yogurt and besan curry with soft fried fritters, eaten with plain rice or roti for lunch.

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Serves5 servingsPrep25 minCook45 min
Ingredients
- For the pakoras
- 1 cup besan (gram flour)
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 green chilli, chopped
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Oil for deep frying
- For the kadhi
- 1 cup sour yogurt (250 g)
- 1/2 cup besan
- 5 cups water
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- For the tarka
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 3 dried red chillies and 6 to 8 curry leaves
- 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
Method
- Mix the pakora ingredients with 3 to 4 tbsp water into a thick batter. Heat oil on medium; fry spoonfuls for 4 to 5 minutes until golden. Take care with hot oil. Drain and set aside.
- Whisk the yogurt, 1/2 cup besan, turmeric, salt and chilli powder with the water until completely smooth with no lumps.
- Pour into a pot and bring to a boil on medium heat, stirring constantly.
- Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring often, until the kadhi thickens and the raw besan smell is gone.
- Add the fried pakoras and simmer for 5 minutes so they soften.
- For the tarka, heat the oil and fry the cumin, red chillies, curry leaves and ginger garlic paste for 30 seconds. Pour over the kadhi and serve.
Good to know: Stir the kadhi constantly until it boils to avoid lumps and splitting. Sour yogurt gives the best tangy taste.