Kadhi Chawal Recipe: The use of mild spices and easily available ingredients, makes it an easy-to-make comfort dish

Kadhi Pakora is one of the most popular North Indian delicacies. Made with the goodness of curd, gram flour(besan), and fried onion pakoras, this dish is usually prepared during special occasions.

The use of mild spices and easily available ingredients, makes it an easy-to-make comfort dish. Kadhi Chawal was traditionally prepared in areas where there was a scarcity of water. This is the reason why this dish does not require much vegetables and water.

If you are preparing the dish at home and want to add a punch of flavours you can also add garam masala to the slurry, however we haven’t used it in this recipe.

You can also add some hot oil to the pakora batter to make the pakoras more crunchy in texture. Here’s a simple recipe, which you can make at home without putting in much effort. 

Ingredients of Kadhi Chawal

4 Servings

350 gm yoghurt (curd)

salt as required

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1 cup shredded onion

2 handfuls coriander leaves

refined oil as required

1 Pinches carom seeds

water as required

1 tablespoon ghee

1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds

2 1/2 cup water

1/2 teaspoon spice chili powder

35 gm gram flour (besan)

2 tablespoon green chilli

water as required

salt as required

1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder

2 dry red chili

1 handful curry leaves

How to make Kadhi Chawal

Step 1 Cook rice

To begin with this simple recipe, wash and soak rice for 2-3 hours. Rinse the rice and drain the water. Next, take a vessel or pressure cooker, add in the rice and fill it with water and cook the rice. If you are cooking rice in a vessel, drain the starch and keep aside.

Step 2 Cut and veggies

To begin with the Kadhi Pakora, take onions, green chilies, wash them and chop them. Followed by coriander leaves.

Step 3 Make the pakora

Take a large bowl and add in the besan (gramflour) add salt, red chili powder, carom seeds, mix it well with water. Make a smooth batter, which is not to runny. Add the onions, coriander leaves and green chilies. Mix it all together.

Step 4 Deep fry the pakoras

Take a pan and add oil to it, make sure you add ample oil as the pakora must be deep fried for the perfect texture. Gently add the batter to the oil using a spoon. Cook the pakoras for 2 minutes and then flip the side, cook them over medium flame to cook inside out. Transfer to a bowl and keep aside.

Step 5 Make the Kadhi mixture

Take a vessel and add curd, water, besan, red chili powder, salt and using a whisker, mix the batter. You can also use a blender to make the slurry. Once done you can either cook it or make the tempering and pour it.

Step 6 Prepare the kadhi pakora

Take a pan and add in some ghee, add whole red chilies, mustard seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves. Once the tempering starts to splutter, reduce the flame and add the kadhi slurry.

Keep stirring and adjust the salt and spices as per taste and add in the pakoras. Simmer the dish for 5-6 minutes so that pakora absorbs the goodness of the kadhi.

Step 7 Serve it with hot rice

Lastly, take a plate, place the rice and add the Kadhi pakora and serve with some ghee and enjoy!