A Karhi Recipe with big flavours made in less time! This Kadhi Pakora uses two time saving techniques to make sure your Karhi is ready in under an hour, but with that full slow cooked flavour!
🔍 Quick Look: Kadhi Pakora
- 🍳 Cook Time: 55 minutes
- 👥 Servings: 6
- 🔥 Cook Method: Stovetop
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy
- Key to Success: Taste and adjust! Different yoghurts will have different flavour profiles!
All of your recipes are exceptional! I'm grateful u have shared them with us so selflessly. I love karhi so much and this hit the spot ! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Scidra
Jump to:
- 🔍 Quick Look: Kadhi Pakora
- 3 Things about Karhi that you may not know
- Kadhi Pakora Tested and Retested
- Time Saving Hacks Explained
- Karhi Ingredients: 2 Must Knows
- Baghaar/Tempering Ingredients: To Onion or not to Onion
- How to Make Kadhi Pakora
- Kadhi Pakora FAQs and Troubleshooting
- What do I serve with Karhi Pakora?
- Some more Satisfying Sabzis
- Authentic Kadhi Pakora in HALF the time!
- Comments
3 Things about Karhi that you may not know
What is Karhi? At it's core Karhi is a simple besan gram flour and yoghurt based curry into which fried besan fritters are added to create a moreish dish. Worth noting that it is also often made with buttermilk outside Pakistan where the default is yoghurt.
1.) The base of Karhi is one of the oldest documented South Asian dishes with references to it from centuries ago.
2.) This dish was traditionally a 'winter' one, as farmers ran out of their produce stock from warmer times. It was a way of making basic ingredients into something moreish and special.
3.) Regional variations across India are significant with sweeter versions, greener ones, etc. In Pakistan there is more a uniform Kadhi which is a less thick version of the traditional Punjabi one and has it's roots in UP in India. Notable exception: Sindhi Kadhi which features vegetables not pakoras.
Kadhi Pakora Tested and Retested
Confession: I am not a Karhi person. Most of the time it tastes (to me) like a whole lot of nothing. Harsh? Maybe a little.
I have tried every iteration of Karhi recipes. I've made the ones with ingredients that boiled for hours and then strained out, thick ones, runnier milder ones, and the ones that produced so much Karhi that I struggled to find a small army of people willing to eat it. I've even tested different quantities of yogurt, chickpea flour, and simmering time.
This Pakistani recipe WINS because it is easy to make, actually full flavored, ready in under an hour, and approved by some very very picky Karhi fans.
Time Saving Hacks Explained
This Karhi Pakorai recipe has two time saving hacks: one is the dry roasting of the besan and the second is the cooking of a masala base. The chalky taste of 'raw' besan is half the reason Kadhi needs to cook for so long. The assertive flavor profile of uncooked spices is the other half. Roasting the besan solves problem one, and cooking the masalas in a little oil solves the other.
Karhi Ingredients: 2 Must Knows
- Besan: Besan be made from chickpea flour or chana dal flour, I prefer chickpea flour but chana dal flour works too!
- Yogurt - I use whole here, low fat versions tend to be saltier so for those hold back the salt a little to start.
Baghaar/Tempering Ingredients: To Onion or not to Onion
Now some people add sliced oniones to their Kadhi baghaar/tempering- you are absolutely welcome to. However, the thing is fried onions are lovely on top when you first eat the Karhi, but by the next day they mix into your Kadhi Pakora to give it a salan vibe. I think it's better to fry your onions and serve them on the side.
How to Make Kadhi Pakora
Visual learner? Me too! Here's a quick look at the process!
Making the Base
Step by step instructions that show my time saving hacks!
- Dry roast your besan until toasty and aromatic.
- Blend your besan and yoghurt together
- Saute your cumin, fenugreek, and curry leaves in a little oil.
- Add in your garlic and spices, cooking on medium heat to bloom flavours.
- Add your yoghurt and besan mix and whisk well and bring to a boil.
- Add green chilies and let simmer for 45 minutes
TIP: To keep your karhi from boiling over leave a spoon horizontally across the top when you bring it to a simmer. This is a tip that works in my Doodh Patti recipe and here as well.
Pakora Time & Finishing Touches
7. Combine the pakora ingredients in a bowl
8. Drizzle in half a cup of the water and slowly add the remaining until you get a thick batter
9. Heat a few inches of oil in a pan. Remember to fry a test pakora and adjust seasoning to taste!
10. Fry the rest for a few minutes on each side and drain on a wire rack. Remember to make them small! they will expand once added to the kadhi!
11. When the kadhi base is ready, add your pakoras, bring to a boil and turn it off.
12. Top with the aromatic baghaar and serve with hot basmati rice!
Genius tip from a friend: If you have a Pakora mix prepped and in your pantry you can use that to make the pakoras for your Karhi! Thanks Z!
Kadhi Pakora FAQs and Troubleshooting
Greek yoghurt is far thicker and harder to blend into a karhi, it does however have higher protein and lot's of tang. In an absolute pinch you can do ⅓ cup of greek yoghurt and additional water to make ½ cup when blending the kadhi base.
It thickens considerably as it sits, but like many South Asian dishes it also gets tastier, so if you are making it ahead I recommend not adding the baghaar until before serving so you can reheat the base stovetop and adjust thickness.
Unfortunately not, the yoghurt base takes on a very unappealing texture.
Air frying pakoras is tricky at best, but if you have a go to recipe you use for air fried pakoras have at it! I find it incredibly time consuming and fiddly especially since these pakoras have to be tiny - they expand as they cook - so you have to make them quite small.
Only if you need it as an alternate cooktop. There is no pressure cooking required here.
What do I serve with Karhi Pakora?
Kadhi can be a stand alone, serve with plain rice dish, but if you want ideas for a more full menu they are right here!
Some more Satisfying Sabzis
Vegetarian Pakistani food often doesn't get the recognition it deserves! Here are some of our moreish comforting favorites!
Thank you for being here! If you've made this recipe then please do leave a comment and rating below! I also love to see your recreations on Instagram where you can tag me @flourandspiceblog 🙂
Authentic Kadhi Pakora in HALF the time!
Equipment
- 1 cooking pot large, the kind you would use for rice!
Ingredients
Karhi/ Kadhi Ingredients
- ½ cup besan (chickpea or chana daal flour)
- 1 ½ cup yogurt (I use full fat, but 2% works)
- 3 tbsp neutral oil
- one sprig curry leaves
- ½ tsp methi dana or fenugreek seeds
- ¼ tsp ajwain seeds or carom seeds
- 2 cloves garlic (or 1 level tsp garlic paste)
- ¾ tsp red chilli powder or cayenne
- ¾ tsp cumin powder or zeera powder
- ¾ tsp coriander powder or dhania powder
- ¾ tsp turmeric powder
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 3 green chilies (whole)
- 5 cups water (add more according to taste, see notes)
Pakora Recipe
- oil for deep frying
- 1.5 cup besan or chickpea/chana daal flour
- ¾-1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- ½ tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- ⅓ tsp carom seeds or ajwain
- 1 diced onion (optional)
- 2 diced green chilies
- ¾ tsp baking powder
Baghaar/ Tadka/ Tarka
- ⅓ cup oil
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 4-5 whole red chillies
Instructions
- Heat your pot then add the besan to it and dry roast on medium heat until it smells aromatic. If the colour starts to change then pull it off the heat immediately.
- Puree the besan and yogurt together - you can use a blender. I use an immersion blender because then I can measure the yogurt in, add the besan and blitz.
- Now add a little oil in the same pot and your curry leaves, methi dana (fenugreek seeds), and ajwain (carom) seeds and saute until fragrant.
- Immediately add your garlic and dry spices, keep a little water handy in case you need to add a splash to prevent the spices from burning. When it comes together you're good to go.
- Add your besan and mix well, it will start to clump up, but don't worry and just whisk the water in.
- Now add the green chilies and bring it to a boil then down to a simmer for 45 minutes., stirring intermittently and scraping the bottom.TIP: keep a heat proof kitchen utensil across the top of the pot to contain boiling over.
- Once the time is up you can pull out the chilies and curry leaves or leave them there. Taste and adjust seasoning. Also the Karhi will thicken as it cools so you want it runnier here.
Pakoras
- Start on these while the karhi is simmering.
- Combine the pakora ingredients and start drizzling in the ¾ cup water mixing well. Stop at around the half cup mark and see if you have a thick cake batter consistency. If not drizzle the remaining in and keep mixing. If you add it all at once it's harder to mix.
- Heat oil for deep frying (you can pan fry as well, but then they don't puff up as much)
- Fry a test pakora and taste. Adjust according to preferences.
- Drop the mixture by small teaspoonfuls into the hot oil making sure not to overcrowd. The pakoras will expand as they fry but they will also expand when added to the karhi. Fry for 3 minutes on each side or until deeply golden.
- When the karhi is ready add your pakoras, bring it to a boil and turn off. They will simmer in the residual heat.
Baghaar
- Heat your oil in a frying pan and add the baghaar ingredients, when they are sizzly and aromatic then pour the baghaar over your karhi.
Video
Notes
- The flavour of yoghurt changes the flavour of the karhi. If your yogurt isn't naturally a little "khatta" or sour then you can add a little lemon juice.
- Kadhi thickens as it sits so if you eat it the next day then you will need to thin it out with some water.
- Fried onions are lovely with kadhi and you can fry some in ghee and serve them on the side, but add them to the baghaar and while they'll be lovely right away they will alter the taste/colour of the karhi by the next day.
sam says
if you want to freeze karhi or even if you want to make it ahead-
make the karhi'
fry pakoras.
do not mix.
you can freeze them separately if keeping it for a long time. or in fridge. cover really well.
for thawing, leave in fridge overnight.
before serving initially heat karhi on a slow flame. do stir couple of times to ensure it is not sticking to bottom of the pan.
add pakoras at end, do the tempering just before serving. put fresh cilantro on top and no one can tell it is not made fresh.
Sarah Mir says
How interesting! thank you for sharing this!
Mona says
Hi,
Are there no potatoes in the pakoray in this recipe?
Do you prefer it without potatoes? I've only ever had with potatoes so wondering what your thoughts are.
Thank you for your great work!
Sarah Mir says
Hi Mona! potatoes in kadhi pakoray are new to me, but I love hearing different variations!
Zehra haider says
Have I reviewed this already? If not then I’ve been remiss because this recipe slaps! It captures the complex flavors and the deep comfort of summer afternoons growing up when you’d have a big plate of this with chawal and then go down for a nap in the AC wala kamra IYKYK
If you can let it simmer for an hour or more it’s even better but 45 mins is more than enough. And the flour and spice pakora mix can really shorten the process.
Sarah Mir says
Zehra you just made the insane amount of testing I did for this one totally worthwhile! thank you for this review!!!!!
Afsheen says
Hi Sarah, looking forward to trying it. What are your thoughts on using Greek yogurt? Which ingredients/ steps in the process will need to be adjusted if using that? Many thanks!
Sarah Mir says
Great question! Okay so I have not made it with greek yoghurt BUT I can't see why it wouldn't work, the only thing I'd do differently because it is so thick is use 1 cup yoghurt plus 1/2 cup water instead of 1 1/2 cup yoghurt - keep me posted on how it goes!