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This classic Punjabi-style Kadhi Pakora is easy-to-make yet tastes 100% authentic. This no-fail recipe uses accessible ingredients and a fuss-free method yet remains true to the traditional Pakistani and North Indian flavors. Instant Pot and Stovetop Instructions included!
What is Kadhi Pakora?
Kadhi, or karhi, is a yogurt-based curry popular in various forms throughout the Indian subcontinent. In the Punjabi version, chickpea fritters (pakoras) are doused in a hearty yogurt-based gravy and topped with a spice-infused tadka, or tempering.
What Makes a Good Kadhi
Growing up, I didn’t like kadhi much. My husband would tell me it’s one of his favorite dishes. And I remained perplexed until the day I came across the kadhi that was source of his affection – his mom’s.
Her kadhi set a standard that’s hard to measure up to. It’s rich, yet light, deeply flavorful, and has tender, moist pakoras.
The best part? Her recipe (the one I’m sharing!) is fuss-free and simple to make – the middle ground between grandparent-approved taste and millennial-approved ease.
One common error is adding too much chickpea flour (besan). This causes the chickpea flour to swell and start bubbling, making it appear as though the kadhi has finished cooking. In reality, it requires a lot longer cooking time to make sure the chickpea flour is fully cooked.
How to Make Kadhi Pakora in the Instant Pot
To make kadhi in the Instant Pot:
- Combine the chickpea flour and yogurt and whisk to combine until no lumps remain. Add water and whisk again. Set aside.
- Select the high Sauté setting on the Instant Pot. Once hot, sauté the onion until it browns, then add the ginger and garlic. Add the spices and sauté for 15-20 seconds, then add the yogurt mixture and stir infrequently until it begins to boil. It’s very important to bring it to a boil, else you could risk a burn error. Once the mixture starts to reach a boil, hit cancel and pressure cook for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the pakora mixture and fry the pakoras.
- Open the pot, adjust seasoning and salt, add a little lemon for extra sourness, and then add the pakoras.
- Lastly, prepare the Tadka (or tempering) by heating ghee and sauting cumin and whole red chili. This is optional, but recommended.
How to make Kadhi Pakora on the Stovetop
The method for making Kadhi over the stovetop remains the same. To cook it over the stovetop:
Use a non-stick dutch oven to cook the kadhi. Once the yogurt and chickpea flour mixture comes to a boil (this will take around 12 minutes), lower the heat to medium-low so that the mixture simmers. Keep the lid uncovered, and allow it to simmer for 1 hours and 35 minutes to 2 hours. Stir occasionally. Then lower the heat to the lowest setting and allow to finish cooking.
How to create sourness in Kadhi
Kadhi is traditionally made with sour yogurt. I have tried desi-style yogurt from Indian stores, and it does have a subtle sour tang, but I prefer plain whole milk yogurt for this recipe. I’ve added a bit of lemon juice at the end to enhance the sour taste.
Another tip is to add 1-2 tsp vinegar while your kadhi is cooking. If you do this, add 1/4-1/2 tsp sugar to offset the sourness.
Tea For Turmeric Tips for making Kadhi Pakora:
- If you prefer to pan-fry or air-fry pakoras, you can do so with the instructions in my pan-fried pakora recipe.
- I typically prepare the pakoras while the kadhi is cooking in the Instant Pot. You may prepare the pakora mixture (be sure to cover and refrigerate) or the pakoras ahead of time and use them when the recipe requires.
- You know the kadhi is cooked when the oil has separated from the yogurt/chickpea flour mixture and risen to the top. The Instant Pot makes this easy to see, but you can tell over the stovetop when its given enough time to cook.
- To prevent a burn sign from occurring, make sure to bring the mixture to a boil before closing the lid for pressure cooking.
More Instant Pot you may like:
Instant Pot Shami Kebab (with stovetop instructions)
Instant Pot Maash ki Dal
Instant Pot Nihari
Instant Pot Butter Chicken
Instant Pot Chana Pulao (Chickpea Pilaf)
Instant Pot Red Lentil Dal
I hope you get a chance to try this recipe! If you do, let me know in the comments below! If you’re on Instagram, please tag me so I can see your creations. I love hearing from you!
Kadhi Pakora (Instant Pot and Stovetop)
Equipment
- Instant Pot
- Small Saucepan
- Fry Pan
Ingredients
- Scant 2 cups (500 grams) plain whole-milk yogurt
- 1 ¼ cups (130 grams) chickpea flour (gram flour/besan)
- 6 cups water
- 2 tsp mild Kashmiri red chili powder use less if using cayenne
- 1 1/2 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp black pepper powder
- ½-1 tsp garam masala
- 2 3/4 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/3-1/2 cup neutral oil such as grapeseed or avocado
- 1 small to medium onion finely chopped
- 5-6 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 heaped tbsp crushed ginger
Pakora
- 1 small red or yellow onion thinly sliced into quarter moons
- 1 small potato peeled and thinly sliced into quarter moons or thinly diced
- 1-2 Serrano peppers or 4-5 small Thai chili peppers or slit, seeds removed and finely chopped
- 2 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves
- 1 tsp salt
- 1-2 tsp red chili powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp lemon juice optional
- 1 ¼ cup chickpea flour
- 2/3 cup water or as needed
- oil, as needed for frying
After Cooking
- 1 tsp lemon juice or vinegar* (see note) optional
- 2 tbsp ghee or oil
- 7-8 whole red chili peppers any kind (I've used button chili peppers)
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp cilantro leaves chopped
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, add the chickpea flour and yogurt and whisk to combine until no lumps remain. Add water and whisk again. Set aside.
- Combine the spices and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
Stovetop Method
- Heat a non-stick dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the oil and chopped onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion turns golden, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and continue to sauté for 1-2 minutes, until the raw smell disappears. Add the spices and sauté for 15-20 seconds, then add the yogurt mixture and stir infrequently until it begins to boil.
- Once the mixture starts to reach a boil (~12 minutes), lower the heat to medium-low so that the mixture simmers. Keep the lid uncovered, and allow it to simmer for 1 hours and 35 minutes to 2 hours. Stir occasionally. Then lower the heat to the lowest setting for 5-10 minutes to allow it to settle.
Instant Pot Method
- Select the high Sauté setting on the Instant Pot. Once hot, add the oil and chopped onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion turns golden, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and continue to sauté for 1-2 minutes, until the raw smell disappears. Add the spices and sauté for 15-20 seconds, then add the yogurt mixture and stir infrequently until it begins to boil.
- Once the mixture reaches a boil (this will take 8-10 minutes), press the Cancel button to turn off the Instant Pot. Secure the lid and set the Pressure Release to Sealing. Select the Pressure Cook setting and set it to low pressure. Set the cooking time for 30 minutes.
To Prepare Pakoras
- Meanwhile, prepare the pakora mixture. In a small bowl, combine the ingredients listed under pakora (except oil) in the order they're listed. Add water, bit by bit, until the mixture is coated but not wet. Cover and set aside for 10 minutes to give the ingredients time to release their own juices.
- Heat a small deep frying pan over high heat. Once hot, add enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan by 2-3 inches.
- Add the pakora mixture a heaped tablespoon at a time, making sure not to overcrowd the pan (I do 4 at a time). Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, adding oil as needed. Use a slotted spoon to place on a plate topped with paper towels to absorb excess oil. Repeat until all pakoras are cooked.
After Cooking
- Allow the pressure to naturally release for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, manually release pressure by moving the Pressure Release to Venting.
- Open the pot and taste and adjust salt. I usually sprinkle in more salt at this point. Sprinkle in lemon juice, if desired. Add cooked pakoras to the mix and stir gently. Remove from the Instant Pot and place in a serving bowl.
Tadka (Tempering) – Optional, but recommend
- Heat a small sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add ghee or oil, cumin seeds, and red whole chili. Sauté for 1-2 minutes, until the cumin seeds have lightly toasted and the red chili peppers begin to darken. Remove from heat and then gently pour the oil over the kadhi. Sprinkle with cilantro. Serve with white basmati rice, roti, naan, or other bread.
Salaam alaikum—delicious and simple recipe! I followed the recipe for the kardi to the T, but my mother already had some pakoray in the freezer, so I just toasted them and tossed them in at the end. It worked beautifully. I don’t really like the flavor of tarkay so I skipped that.
I was really surprised at the rich aroma and the amount of flavor relative to the amount of work. My father is always really particular about food and he enjoyed it as well. It’s quite different from my mom’s version but tastier than many restaurant versions I’ve had.
Thank you for sharing such a simple and delicious recipe! It’s going in my regular rotation, inshallah.
So awesome to hear that, Jasmine. The freezer pakora stash sounds amazing! Thank you for trying and for sharing your review!
Is it possible to cut this recipe in half?
Hi Naz! Yes! Just halve the ingredients as best as you can. I was actually considering testing a reduced quantity of this recipe as it does make quite a bit.
Hello Izzah,
I plan on trying this recipe today for my husband’s birthday. Any way to add coconut milk to this recipe as we do in the kadhi made for khaosay??
Looking fwd to your early response 🙂
Hi Yusra! Yes, that should be fine. It’ll change the flavor profile a tad but I think it’ll still be delicious! Enjoy the day!
Awesome no fail recipe! Thnks a lot
Thanks so much, Ayesha! So glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you for this recipe. Loved it. I use a 3 quart IP. I read comments about burn sign, so made it in IP on medium Saute setting for 30 minutes. Turned out great. ????
That’s awesome! Thanks for sharing, Sheetu!!
I love kadhi- so excited to try this recipe!
Do you have an suggestion for replacing the yougurt and making this dairy-free
Thank you, Sana! You can certainly try though I’m not sure as I haven’t tried it myself!
This recipe is BOOMBASSTICC! Karhi has always been one of my favourite comfort foods and moving across the country after getting married, I have missed my mom’s karhi so so much! Self Quarantine life got my butt into action to try this recipe and I am so glad I did! While I don’t think I can ever match my mom’s delicious karhi, this recipe came oh so close! My husband and FIL loved it too!
That is amazing to hear! Thanks so much, Madiha!
Made it today following your recipie. My first attempt.
Its my hisbands fave dish.
Was really nice and easy to cook.
My hubby said 20 on 10.
Aw I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks so much for sharing your review.
Hey I tried making this today but it seems the yogurt separated when I opened the instant pot after low pressure cooking. Any way to salvage this or should I start over on the stove top??
Sorry that happened, Anam! I’d try to salvage. Once cooked a little bit, it should blend!
I tried to make this recipe in my
6QT instant pot. I followed the instructions exactly but got a burn sign before the low pressure was reached. After deglazing the pot and adding another cup of water to the mixture, the same thing happened again. I eventually gave up and have put the mixture on the stove top which is a lot slower. Do you have any advice for this? Essentially I think my besan/yoghurt/water moxture is too thick, but I dont know how much more water I can add without affecting the final texture/quality of the dish. Thanks.
Hi, Reenam. I’m so sorry to hear about that. I have a 6 Qt too so I’m not sure what could be causing it, but one thing that comes to mind is that your yogurt may be thicker than the one I use. In that case, I would say either use less yogurt or I think you can get away with another cup of water. Just adjust the salt & spices. For reference, here’s a great resource on the burn message by my friend Neena: https://www.paintthekitchenred.com/instant-pot-burn-message/. Hope that helps!
Mine did the same thing too! 🙁
So sorry about that, Zuha. Did you allow the mixture to come to a boil before pressure cooking? I’ll try to test it again and see if there’s a way to reduce chances of it happening.
I have been making kadhi for years now. It is a well loved dish in our household. But I loved this recipe because how quickly I was able to make the dish. No standing at the stove stirring and watching the kadhi to boil. I was done in 45-50 minutes. My family loves pakoras. But whenever I make them, I make extra and freeze them. That way, I have pakoras available whenever I make kadhi. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
What a great tip, Shazia! Thanks for leaving your review. So glad the recipe benefited you 🙂
Hey, so I want to cook it on a normal pan instead of an instant pot. What settings would you recommend for that in terms of how long I should let it cook for?
I used a recipe once to make it but it was too thick. I’m excited to try this one to see how it turns out.
Also, if I want to make my yoghurt sour on my own, is there a way to do that? I made it with whole yoghurt the last time.
Hi Areej, I think a medium setting would be fine but keep in mind you’ll have to check up on it to ensure it’s not sticking to the bottom. When it’s fully cooked, you will see the oil rise to the top. For the yogurt, I haven’t attempted it on my own but I’d try adding lemon juice and letting it rest for some time. It also helps to begin with yogurt you like. I hope that helps!
Can’t wait to make this- it cooks a little longer than I would have thought. Karhi is one of those dishes where it’s hard to get a recipe for as everyone seems to wing the majority of it. When done right it’s aone if my favorites! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Yes, it cooks on low pressure so it takes longer. You’re welcome. 🙂 Do let me know if you try it!