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Punjabi Kadhi sans pakoda is made with chickpea flour, yogurt, and spices. This slightly tangy and delicious dish is commonly known as Kadhi Chawal.
Punjabi Kadhi was the very first post I ever did. I decided to update the pictures and recipe slightly 11 years later. I grew up eating Kadhi Chawal, it was one of my favorite types of curry as a kid. I’d request my mom to make this dish on average once a week over Chole and Rajma.
My version is prepared without pakodas (Indian fried fritters) simply because I don’t fry food in my home and for health reasons. This dish goes perfect with white basmati rice and a crunchy desi salad on the side. Hope you guys enjoy it.
Punjabi Kadhi is:
Flavorful
Comfort Food
Perfect Cold/Rainy Day Meal
Made without Pakoda (fried fitters)
Healthy
Gluten-Free
How to make Punjabi Kadhi recipe with step by step photos?
Prep
Use a whisk to mix well.
Add a pinch of turmeric powder. Set aside for 1/2 hour.
Slice the onions. Chop the ginger and garlic.
Set aside the spices – curry pata, hing, turmeric powder, cumin seeds, cloves, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, and one dry red chili.
Cook the Punjabi Kadhi
Heat up a pot on medium heat, once hot, add oil.
Add the spices, saute for 30 seconds.
Add the ginger and garlic. Saute for 30-45 seconds.
Now add the onions. Saute for 3 minutes.
Add red chili powder, coriander powder, and a little salt to season the onions. Stir.
Slowly pour the besan-yogurt-water mixture to avoid curdling. Add an additional 2 cups of water.
Stir, season with 3/4 tsp of salt, and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes – until the kadhi starts boiling away.
This is what you should have 5 minutes later, the kadhi will get thick.
Cover with a lid and cook the kadhi for 15 minutes on low-medium heat.
This is what you should have. Taste and adjust seasonings if need be. Add more water if you prefer your kadhi thinner (1-2 cups max).
Add mango powder, dry fenugreek leaves, and garam masala. Stir and turn off the stove.
for Tadka/Tempering
Heat up a pan on medium heat. Once hot, add oil followed by dry red chilies and Kashmiri chili powder. Cook for about 1-2 minutes max. Turn off the stove.
Pour tadka over kadhi and garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.
Enjoy!
More Indian Gravy Dishes!
Punjabi Kadhi (healthy, gluten-free)
INGREDIENTS
for chickpea flour (besan) mixture
- 1 cup chickpea flour/besan
- 2 cups yogurt
- 4 cups water
- pinch of turmeric powder
for the kadhi
- 1 1/2 tbsp avocado oil
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/4 tsp asafoetida/hing, for gluten-free, use GF hing
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds, methi
- 3 cloves
- 1 dry red chili
- 12 curry leaves
- 1 large red onion, sliced
- 1 inch piece ginger, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 3/4 tsp salt (season kadhi) + a little salt (for onions)
- add chickpea flour (besan) mixture
- 1-2 cups water (optional.. for thinner gravy)
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 2 tsp mango powder, amchoor
- 2 tsp dry fenugreek leaves/kasoori methi
for the tadka/tempering
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 2 dry red chilies
- 1/2 tsp Kashmiri red chili, or paprika
for garnish
- fresh cilantro leaves
- pour tadka/tempering on top
INSTRUCTIONS
Prep
- Mix the chickpea flour and yogurt together to get rid of lumps, then add water.
- Use a whisk to mix well.
- Add a pinch of turmeric powder. Set aside for 1/2 hour.
- Slice the onions. Chop the ginger and garlic.
- Set aside the spices - curry pata, hing, turmeric powder, cumin seeds, cloves, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, and one dry red chili.
Cook the Punjabi Kadhi
- Heat up a pot on medium heat, once hot, add oil.
- Add the spices, saute for 30 seconds.
- Add the ginger and garlic. Saute for 30-45 seconds.
- Now add the onions. Saute for 3 minutes.
- Add red chili powder, coriander powder, and a little salt to season the onions. Stir.
- Slowly pour the besan-yogurt-water mixture to avoid curdling.
- Stir, season with 3/4 tsp of salt, and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes - until the kadhi starts boiling away.
- This is what you should have 5 minutes later, the kadhi will get thick.
- Cover with a lid and cook the kadhi for 15 minutes on low-medium heat.
- This is what you should have. Taste and adjust seasonings if need be. Add more water if you prefer your kadhi thinner (1-2 cups max).
- Add mango powder, dry fenugreek leaves, and garam masala. Stir and turn off the stove.
for Tadka/Tempering
- Heat up a pan on medium heat. Once hot, add oil followed by dry red chilies and Kashmiri chili powder. Cook for about 1-2 minutes max. Turn off the stove.
- Pour tadka over kadhi and garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.
I’ve been making pakora curry for years, a family favourite coming from Karachi.. Interestingly we cook this for 3-4 hours and is a summer dish and never forsake the addition of pakoras….lovely with roti… spooned in a bowl or with boiled rice. Enjoy however you make it.
This recipe is easy,authentic and healthy.Perfect for a busy work day lunch also high in protein.
Made this recently for dinner because I had a kadhi craving. I subbed dairy yogurt with forager plain cashew yogurt and it turned out great!! The quantity was amazing – since the cashew yogurt also had some starches i had to water down the kadhi a bit more. Next I want to try the paneer makhani with tofu! 🙂 Really like Honeywhatscooking recipes!
I love punjabi food but I cannot prepare them but after reading this recipe I am felling quite confident of cooking this yummy recipe, will surely make and let you know how well it cooked and tasted.
I made this kadhi following your recipe couple of nights ago… Despite this being a simple dish I could never make it right so haven’t attempted it in more than 10 years… But the pictures on your recipe looked so good I decided to give it a try… It turned out sooo good… All of us thoroughly enjoyed it, and I was so happy your recipe helped me make it after so many years… Thank you for sharing some of the best recipes… Love your blog and all your content…
Very easy to make and I loved how thick this was!