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Punjabi Kadhi

A Punjabi curry of spiced yogurt and chickpea flour thickened and simmered, served with fried chickpea flour dumplings (pakoras).

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 17 ingredients
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Why it works: Onion and potato are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,023 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Punjabi Kadhi

Timeabout 15 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Make the pakora

  1. Mix all pakora ingredients except the oil with about 1/2 cup water until well mixed.

  2. Heat the oil in a deep skillet, pot or wok.

  3. Form the pakora mixture into balls the size of walnuts, or smaller.

  4. Deep fry until golden.

  5. Remove and let drain on paper towels.

  6. Set aside.

Make the kadhi

  1. Beat the yogurt and flour together until there are no lumps.

  2. Add turmeric, salt and 3 cups of water.

  3. Heat the 2 tbsp of oil in the same pot used to fry the pakoras.

  4. Toast the fenugreek seeds and dried red chili pepper for about 30 seconds.

  5. Add the yogurt and flour mixture and bring to a boil.

  6. Simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1121Calories
52 gProtein
23 gFat
180 gCarbs

Counts 13 of 15 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 13 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Potato1 medium (173g) baked161
Chickpea1/2 cup canned (120g) drained134
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Soy Yogurt170g plain Greek100
Tofu100g firm76
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Lemonjuice of 1 lemon (48ml)12
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Ginger1 tsp grated fresh (2g)2
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Fenugreeknot in our table0
Seednot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Onion + potatotop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together9,023 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  2. Chickpea + lemontop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together527 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).

  3. Ginger + lemontop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,154 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  4. Chickpea + potatotop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together156 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).

  5. Chickpea + flourtop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together330 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Chickpea flour
Forms the batter that binds and crisps the pakora balls as they fry.
Soy yogurt
Provides the tangy, creamy base of the kadhi and thickens it when heated.
White flour
Thickens the yogurt mixture so the kadhi becomes smooth and body-rich.
Potato
Adds starch and moisture to the pakora mixture, keeping the inside tender.
Baking powder
Releases gas during frying, lifting the pakoras to be lighter and airier.

The step that matters

Beating the yogurt and flour together until smooth. Flour added to yogurt clumps unless it is fully dispersed first. Whisking the flour into the yogurt before heating creates a smooth, lump-free kadhi once it thickens.

Swap the lemon

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chickpea, flour, onion, potato, ginger, yogurt, tofu):

  1. Avocadofits better
  2. Coconutfits better
  3. Limefits better
  4. Lemonthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against chickpea, flour, onion, potato, ginger, yogurt, tofu. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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