The perfect, quintessential comfort food from North India is Punjabi kadhi pakora. This is an authentic and traditional recipe in which crispy pakoras (onion-gram flour fritters) are dipped in a tangy and thick yogurt sauce (kadhi).
In a large bowl, add yogurt, gram flour, salt and turmeric. Whisk it well. Then add water, continue whisking to make sure no lumps are formed.
To make Kadhi
Heat a large pot on medium-high flame. Add the ghee or oil. If possible, use mustard oil, it gives an authentic flavor to the kadhi. Make sure to heat the mustard oil until it smokes.
Add the asafoetida, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves. Let them splutter.
Add the green chili, ginger, garlic, and saute for 30 seconds.
Add the onions and saute for a minute. Then add the coriander powder and give it a mix.
Add the prepared yogurt mixture to the pot while stirring continuously.
Keep stirring until it starts to boil. (We don't want the kadhi to curdle)
Once boiled, keep on low and simmer for about 20-25 minutes.
For pakora
In a bowl, mix all the pakora ingredients except onions and oil. If you have time, keep this mixture for about 15 minutes. This helps to make soft pakoras. If not, add a pinch of baking soda to the gram flour batter. This will be a thick batter, not a runny batter.
Add onions and mix well. You want to add onions to the batter when you are ready to fry the pakoras.
Heat vegetable oil in a large frying pan (kadhai) over medium to high heat until it reaches 300°F. Once oil is hot, lower the heat to medium.
Use a small scoop (or your fingers if you are comfortable) and drop the pakoras in the oil. Cook several minutes per side until the pakora is golden brown. Turn the pakoras to make sure they cook evenly on the other side. Transfer the pakoras to a paper towel lined plate or bowl.
Kadhi should have cooked well by now. If the kadhi has thickened too much, you can add more water if you like.
Add the pakoras to the kadhi and let it continue to simmer on low heat.
Making tadka
In a small pan, add ghee and heat it on medium heat. Add cumin seeds and whole dry red chili's. Once seeds crackle, take the pan off heat.
Add the Kashmiri Red chili powder, and give a quick stir. Now right away pour the tadka on the kadhi. (Don't delay, as otherwise the red chili powder can burn)
Give a quick stir. Garnish with cilantro, and enjoy kadhi pakora with rice!
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Notes
Yogurt: Keep your yogurt out of the fridge for a few hours to make it sour.Green Chili Pepper: I typically use Thai, Birdeye or Serrano Chili Pepper in my recipes. Don't forget to adjust to your taste. Red Chili Pepper: You can use any variety of whole dried red chili pepper in this recipe. Remove the stem before using. Kadhi: The kadhi thickens as it cools so adjust the consistency by adding water as required when reheating the kadhi.Pakora: If you like, you can add diced potatoes, and/or spinach with the onions when making pakoras. Add pakoras just 10-15 minutes before serving, and simmer the kasha on low heat. This will make sure the pakoras are soft, and have soaked in the flavors. Don't add them too early, as otherwise they will get too soft and break. Air Fryer Method for pakoras: If you want to skip deep frying, you can air fry the pakoras.
Add 1 teaspoon of oil to the onion batter. This can help make the air fryer pakoras softer inside. Preheat the air fryer to 400°F.
Spray air fryer with some oil. Pick some batter in your fingers, and flatten in a patty like shape. Then place it in the air fryer basket. Make sure the pakoras don't touch each other. Do not overcrowd. Spray some oil on top.
Air fryer at 350°F for 12-14 minutes. Flip the pakoras at about 9 minutes.
Once they are golden and crispy, take out on a plate lined with paper towel.