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Kadhi Pakora (Yogurt Curry with Gram Flour Fritters)

Name: Kadhi Pakora (Yogurt Curry with Gram Flour Fritters)
Prep time: 1 h 25 min
Total time: 1 h 26 min
Cuisine: Indian · Punjab
Ingredients: plain yogurt — 500 g; chickpea flour — 120 g; water — 1200 g; turmeric — 5 g; salt — 10 g; chickpea flour — 150 g; onion — 150 g; carom seeds — 3 g; baking soda — 1 g; water — 80 g; mustard oil — 460 g; ghee — 41 g; fenugreek seeds — 5 g; cumin seeds — 5 g; asafoetida — 1 g; dried red chillies — 20 g; chilli powder — 5 g

Kadhi Pakora (Yogurt Curry with Gram Flour Fritters) reads richness 5.1, salinity 3.6 and allium 3.6 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Indian · Punjab main, about 1 hr 26 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 4.2 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 1.8 / 10
Sour & Bright — 2.8 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 3.0 / 10
Rich & Fat — 6.1 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 4.2 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Richness 5.1 · Salinity 3.6 · Allium 3.6 · Heat 3.4 · Nutty 3.4 · Funk & Ferment 2.8 · Sourness 2.8 · Warm Spice 2.8 · Earthy 2.7 · Umami 2.3 · Sweetness 1.7 · Bitterness 1.6 · Herbaceous 1.2 · Floral 0.7

What's in it (17)

plain yogurt — 500 g
chickpea flour — 120 g
water — 1200 g
turmeric — 5 g
salt — 10 g
chickpea flour — 150 g
onion — 150 g
carom seeds — 3 g
baking soda — 1 g
water — 80 g
mustard oil — 460 g
ghee — 41 g
fenugreek seeds — 5 g
cumin seeds — 5 g
asafoetida — 1 g
dried red chillies — 20 g
chilli powder — 5 g

Time & effort: about 1 hr 26 min (1 hr 25 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 96.4 kcal, 3.7 g protein, 5 g fat, 9.3 g carbs

Dietary: Vegetarian · Contains dairy — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (7 steps)

Whisk the yogurt with the 120 g gram flour, turmeric and salt until perfectly smooth, then whisk in the 1.2 litres of water and strain into a heavy pot.
Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly until it thickens, then turn the heat right down and simmer uncovered for 45 to 60 minutes, stirring every few minutes. The long cook is what takes the raw taste out of the besan and gives Punjabi kadhi its nutty depth; a twenty-minute kadhi tastes of flour.
Meanwhile mix the 150 g gram flour with the sliced onion, carom seeds, bicarbonate of soda and the 80 ml water into a thick batter that holds a spoon upright.
Heat the mustard oil until it smokes, let it settle for a minute, then drop in tablespoons of batter and deep-fry at about 175C (350F) for 4 to 5 minutes, until the pakoras are deep gold and sound hollow when tapped.
Slide the pakoras into the simmering kadhi and cook a further 10 minutes so they drink up the sauce and go soft in the middle.
For the chhaunk, heat the ghee in a small pan, add the fenugreek and cumin and let them darken a shade over about 25 seconds, then the asafoetida and dried chillies for 10 seconds, and take it off the heat to stir in the chilli powder.
Pour the tempering over the surface of the kadhi at the table and do not stir it in. Serve with plain rice.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Gatte ki Sabzi (Gram Flour Dumplings in Yogurt Gravy) — Indian · Rajasthan
Doubles — Trinidadian
Buttermilk Fried Chicken — Southern
Chicken Korma — Indian
Reibekuchen (Potato Pancakes) — German

Keep reading: what richness, salinity, allium mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.