By Aditi Saraswat
June 30, 2026
Some dishes taste even better when it's raining outside, and Punjabi kadhi pakoda is one of them. Tangy yogurt curry, fluffy gram flour pakodas, and fragrant tempering come together in a bowl that's made for slow lunches, family dinners, and steaming hot servings with rice.
1 cup besan (gram flour) 1 medium onion, thinly sliced 1–2 green chillies, chopped ½ tsp ajwain ¼ tsp turmeric powder ½ tsp red chilli powder Salt to taste Water as needed Oil for frying 1½ cups sour curd ½ cup besan 4 cups of water 1 tsp turmeric powder Salt to taste 2 tbsp mustard oil or ghee 1 tsp cumin seeds ½ tsp fenugreek seeds 2 dry red chillies 1 pinch hing 8–10 curry leaves 1 tsp ginger, finely chopped
In a bowl, mix besan, onions, spices, and ajwain with salt to make a thick, lump-free batter. Deep-fry to make pakodas out of it.
In another bowl, whisk curd, besan, turmeric, salt, and water until you get a smooth texture.
Transfer the prepared mixture to a deep pan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until it starts to boil so that the curd does not split.
Reduce the flame and let the kadhi simmer for about half an hour. Stir in between so that it does not stick to the bottom.
In a small pan, heat mustard oil and add cumin, fenugreek, hing, ginger, curry leaves, and dry red chillies to make a fragrant tempering.
Add the fried pakodas once the kadhi has been boiled, leave it for some time, pour the prepared tempering over it, and serve hot with rice and roti.