I am finally sharing a recipe for kadhi pakora on the blog! And guess what? You can make both the kadhi AND the pakoras in an instant pot!
There’s no need to stand around stirring and staring as a pot of kadhi simmers away. What used to take over an hour on the stovetop now takes just ten(-ish) minutes in an instant pot.
What’s Kadhi?
There are many different regional variations of kadhi. I’m sharing a recipe for creamy Punjabi kadhi which is made with besan (Indian chickpea flour) and yogurt. Punjabi kadhi usually also calls for pakoras which are flavorful fried fritters that you serve in the creamy sauce. The whole thing is topped with a colorful spiced tadka, also known as tempering, which is basically ghee infused with spices.
When you eat kadhi, each spoonful should have some creamy sauce, soft textured pakora, and crisp toasty cumin seeds and mustard seeds. There should be a lot of flavor and texture in each bite.
The red tadka that you see drizzled kinda haphazardly on top of the kadhi does have a touch of South Indian flavor to it. I’m married to a South Indian guy and I happen to love the flavor of curry leaves and mustard seeds, so I like putting those two ingredients in the tadka. Highly recommend.
So, there is something you need to know about this particular kadhi recipe. In order to make it so that it tastes absolutely amazing, you really need to make all three parts: kadhi, pakoras, tadka. If you do not have all three of these things, the kadhi will be lacking in my opinion (I guess I probably don’t need to say that since everything on this blog is my opinion?). The kadhi (sauce) is a really simple recipe and so it needs the flavor bombs that are the pakoras and tadka.
Make and Fry Pakoras in the Instant Pot?!
Frying pakoras can be messy. Oil splatters everywhere. It’s a whole thing, right?
I fry pakoras in my instant pot using a limited amount of oil (see recipe card) on the sauté setting. I prefer to fry this way because the pot is pretty deep and so there’s less chance of oil splattering on me or my stovetop/countertop. I obviously keep leave the lid off when frying, and I never leave the pot unattended.
Just so you are aware, instant pot (the company) says you’re not supposed to fry things in an instant pot. If you are more comfortable frying pakoras on the stovetop, please feel free to do that.
How and Why to Make Pakoras:
These spinach and onion pakoras add a lot of flavor to the kadhi. They call for a few spices, but it’s the ajwain (also known as carom seeds) that make these pakoras, in my opinion (ah, there I go again). It’s a spice you can’t omit. If you’ve never had ajwain before, it tastes kind of like thyme but like, really intense thyme.
To make the pakoras, first, we need to make the batter.
This pakora batter has onions, spinach, yogurt, and spices. Mix it all up – it should look like this:
Then heat some oil (I tell you exactly how much oil is in the recipe card below), and once the oil is hot, fry some fritters!
Set the pakoras on a paper-towel-lined plate to absorb any excess oil. And let’s try our best not to eat them because even though they look (and are) delicious… it’s very important that we save our pakoras for the kadhi.
Okay, fine. Go on and eat just one – hurry, no one’s looking… 😜
How to Make Kadhi in Advance:
If you’d like to make this for guests or prepare this kadhi in advance, you can make the pakoras a day before you plan to serve this. Add the pakoras to the kadhi about an hour or so before you plan to serve it. That way, they still stay fresh and have a bit of time to absorb some of the kadhi.
You can also make the kadhi a day in advance, you may need to thin it out though as it will thicken a bit overnight.
I hope you love this recipe! You can serve it with plain basmati rice (kadhi chawal, my preference) or with roti.
Instant Pot Kadhi Pakora
Instant Pot Kadhi Pakora
Ingredients
Pakoras:
- 1 ½ cups neutral oil for frying (I like avocado oil)
- 1 cup besan
- ½ cup whole milk yogurt
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 cup fresh spinach chopped
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon carom seeds ajwain
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne
- ¼ cup water
Kadhi Mixture:
- 1 ½ cups whole milk yogurt
- ½ cup besan
- 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
- 1 ¼ teaspoons turmeric
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- 3 ½ cups water
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste
- 1 teaspoon garlic paste
- ⅛ teaspoon hing I like this brand: gluten-free hing
- 2 teaspoons kasoori methi dried fenugreek leaves
Tadka:
- 2 tablespoons ghee
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 2 green chilies Indian chili or serrano, slit in half
- 10-12 curry leaves
- 1 teaspoon paprika
Instructions
To Make Pakoras:
- Combine all of the ingredients listed under pakora (except for the oil) together in a bowl and mix well.
- If using the instant pot to make pakoras, press sauté and adjust the heat to the highest setting. Add 1 ½ cups of oil to the pot and wait 6-7 minutes for the oil to heat up. Drop a small amount of the pakora batter into the oil, if it begins to sizzle that means the oil is ready to use for frying. If not, wait a few more minutes and repeat.
- Carefully drop spoonfuls of batter into the oil (you can make around 6-7 pakoras at a time depending on size), wait for 3-4 minutes or until slightly firm and golden, then flip the pakora and wait another minute to cook the other side. Place the cooked pakoras on a paper-towel-lined plate. Repeat until batter is done.
- Discard oil and set the pakoras aside while you make the kadhi.
To Make Kadhi:
- Combine the yogurt, besan and spices together in a bowl and whisk the ingredients together, then add water and mix well. Set the bowl aside for now.
- Press sauté, add ghee to the pot and once it melts, add ginger, garlic, hing and stir-fry for a minute, then pour the kadhi mixture into the pot and mix well.
- Secure lid, close pressure valve and cook for 10 minutes at high pressure.
- Quick release pressure.
- Press sauté, add kasoori methi and pakoras. Cook for a minute or until the pakoras are heated through. The pakoras will absorb some of the liquid in the pot and the kadhi will continue to thicken a bit as it rests.
- Pour into a serving bowl and top with tadka (see below).
To Make Tadka:
- Add ghee to a small pot or pan on the stove and once the ghee is hot, add the cumin and mustard seeds. When the cumin seeds turn brown, add the green chilies and curry leaves and stir for a minute then add paprika. Pour this on top of the kadhi pakora dish prior to serving.
Ajaz Ahmed says
I have been a fan of your receipes since more than a year and cooking delicious food has never been this easy before.
But since my wife cooks most of the time I had only tried cooking in instapot and your receipes only a few times previously but with great reaults.
Recently she has gone back home to India to attend a family wedding and from that time onwards I have tried quiet a number of your non-veg receipes and with great results and compliments from my kids as well.
Coming to this Kadhi pakora receipe, everything turned out well, except the tadka.
I put cayenne pepper powder instead of paprika ( since out of stock ) and my whole tadka became black ( and not red ) as I think the cayenne pepper burnt out as soon as I put it at the last. I think I should not have put this in the kadhi, which I did, and it kind of spoiled the dish flavour.
Sonia says
Did you use 6 quart Instapot or smaller one the 3 quart
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Sonia, all of the recipes on my site are tested in a 6 quart 🙂
Meha Rajvanshi says
Hi, my first time using instant pot and making kadhi in it too. After I put kadhi mixture in the IP, and I close the lid, do I change the IP setting to pressure cook or keep it at saute. And just put the timer for 10 mins. Asking because when I just did it (with saute button and lid on), after exact 10 mins I got PR SE error code.
Toni says
I love the flavors in this recipe but I had a hard time getting my instant pot to build pressure. I’m not sure how to fix this. 🙁
Ruch says
Thanks for a wonderful recipe! I have always made this stovetop but making in instant pot was a first. Turned out pretty good.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Ruch, I’m so glad you liked it! 🙂
Matthew says
We made this for the second time tonight, and it was even more delicious than the first time!
We did cheat a little and use a saucepan and a deep fryer rather than insta-pot 🙂 With the deep fryer, it worked well to pat the pakoras smooth and then dip them in just a bit of besan. I remember the previous time the wet batter had stuck a bit to the fryer.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Matthew, that’s so great to hear! I’m glad you like the kadhi so much 🙂
Rajinder says
Hi Ashley, I made the kadhi again and doubled the recipe and came out very nice….thank you for yummy recipe x
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
That’s great to hear! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out 🙂
Katherine says
Another winning recipe! This is so delicious. The flavors are warm and comforting. Due to a dairy allergy, I used a coconut-based yoghurt instead of dairy. Everything turned out just fine. Wow! I can’t wait to make these again!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Thank you, Katherine! Happy to hear that you like this so much 🙂 And great to know it worked well with coconut yogurt!
Amy Mukherjee says
a question….can I use 0% greek yoghurt in this recipe? or does it have to be full fat yoghurt. Thanks! Love your recipes!
Amy says
Decided to take a chance and make it with the 0% greek yoghurt at hand. It turned out sooo awesome! This was the ultimate comfort food. I ended up just eating some at the end without rice cause I already had seconds. Thanks Ashley for an amazing recipe!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Amy, that’s awesome – so happy to hear that! Thank you for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Amy, I haven’t tried this with fat-free greek yogurt but I saw your other comment – so glad it worked out!
Amardip Panesar says
Hi Ashley,
Thank you for providing such amazing recipes. I’ve just started using my Instant pot. I prefer cooking curry in traditional way. But wanted to try out in instant pot. My ques. is that I will be making twice the amount of your recipe. That is using 3 cups of yogurt. Will I be able make that amount in the instant pot safely. Because when making in regular pot, the curry rises for about 10 min as the besan cooks. Thx.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Amardip, I haven’t tried doubling this recipe but I think it’ll be fine to do so in a 6 quart. As for the pakoras, if you double that as well, you can keep the amount of oil for frying the same. Let me know what you think of the recipe – it really is easier than making it on the stovetop. Enjoy!
Lauren says
If you double the recipe does the time stay the same? So just double besan water spices etc for the kadhi and how about time?
Sharon says
My husband and I both LOVED this dish! It tasted better than both of our mothers versions of the dish.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Sharon, that’s the best compliment! I’m so glad you both loved this – thank you for sharing! 🙂
Farhana says
Thank you Ashley for the amazing recipe. I have always been intimidated by kadi because of the constant stirring required. I am so glad I found your instant pot recipe. It was such a hit at home. Everyone loved it. I had to hide some pakoras from them for putting them in the kadi! 😃 Bookmarked this one along with many other recipes of yours.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Farhana, so happy to hear that you liked this so much! Hiding the pakoras is a good idea lol! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out 🙂
Ghazala says
Ashley, your recipes are so wonderful! The kadhi pakora tastes exactly as the dish I grew up with, and now thanks to your awesome blog, I can make it with the appropriate measurements (because moms don’t provide measurements, ha) and in the instant pot! Continue being awesome – I absolutely love all of your recipes!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Ghazala, that’s great to hear – glad you’re liking my recipes! Thank you for the kind words and for letting me know how the kadhi pakora turned out for you 🙂
munish says
Thank you for the recipe. It was delicious. Made one change. Used organic buttermilk instead of yogurt. No more stirring over a hot stove!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Munish, I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Lovi says
This is hands down the best and easiest recipe ever. I have made it multiple times now. It has become my go to recipe when I am in rush. I also make it to satisfy my cravings 😃 my two year old son loves it too which is the biggest win!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Lovi, I’m so glad your 2-year-old loves this – that’s awesome! Thanks for letting me know how much you like this recipe 🙂
Anita Puri says
Hi Ashley, I have tried making punjabi kadhi several different ways, but this recipe is by far the easiest and the fastest. I never thought that kadhi could be made in an instant pot, since it requires constant stirring for hours. So, I very skeptically tried this recipe thinking that there is no way it would be cooked in 10 minutes. But, I was proved wrong. I followed your recipe completely with 2 exceptions: 1) added 1/4 tsp ajwain (personal preference) & 2) After the 10 minute pressure, I cooked it slightly longer in the saute mode (about 15 more minutes), even though the kadhi was cooked, mainly because my husband likes it very thick. I had made pakoras separately with my mom’s recipe that i have used for years. I will try your pakora recipe next time. I am sure I will be following this recipe for kadhi from now on! Thank you, for making it so easy and fast to cook this otherwise very time-consuming dish!
My Heart Beets says
Hi Anita, I’m so glad you tried and liked this recipe! I also love that you used your mom’s pakora recipe – I’m sure that made it even more special 🙂
Michelle says
Hi Ashley,
I’d like to make this w rajma instead of pakoras. Do u think I could add soaked rajma in step 3 and pressure cooker for 30 min? Or would that burn the yogurt mixture?
Thanks!
My Heart Beets says
Hi Michelle, I’ve never heard of combining kadhi with rajma but I’m all for experimenting in the kitchen! Let us know how it goes 🙂
Nikita Puri says
Can we use greek yoghurt for kadhi?
My Heart Beets says
Yes 🙂
Renu Goel says
Hi Ashley I tried your recipe in the instapot and turned out really good. I was always skeptical about making kadhi in the instapot today thought to give it a try. Pakoras also turned out great. Only different I did was after 10 minutes doing on pressure when I opened I let it simmer on sauté mode for another 10 minutes to cook it little more because when my mom taught me making kadhi she told me keep cooking until you see oil start showing oil on the surface. Addpakoras and let it simmer for another 5 minutes. It looks and tastes amazing. You are the best. Love all your recipes❤️
My Heart Beets says
Hi Renu, I’m so happy to hear that you tried and liked the kadhi pakora! And that sounds like a great tip from your mom – they know best! Thank you for letting me know how this turned out for you 🙂
S says
very good recipe, so flavorful and very easy
My Heart Beets says
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how the kadhi turned out for you 🙂
Christine Sand says
Hi! I want to start by saying I LOVE your recipes! I made the Onion Masala, which turned into a virtual feast for my family a few days ago – the Chicken Saag was AMAZING and so easy! (We’re still eating the leftovers of the Chicken Tikka Masala Rice). I have a few questions about this recipe. First, can I use any other vegetables to replace the spinach in the pakora – I’m thinking shredded carrots or even kale? Second, I don’t have access to curry leaves for the tadka. I’ve read that basil or lime zest could be used as a substitute, and I’m wondering if you have ever done this?
My Heart Beets says
Hi Christine, I’m so happy to hear that your family liked the saga and tikka rice! Yes, shredded carrots or kale would make for great substitutes in the pakoras, you can definitely use those 🙂 And as for the curry leaves in the tadka, if you don’t have curry leaves I would just leave them out. This is a north Indian recipe and curry leaves are actually not necessary here, I just happen to love the flavor they add. I wouldn’t use basil or lime zest, it’ll change the flavor. Let me know how it goes!
Tina Chahal says
Hello Ashley,
I tried your Karhi Pakora but on the stove top.
It was so delicious and not at all close to what I have made in the past.
The third part made all the difference. My old way, included this in part two and the flavour just got lost in the cooking.
I forgot to take the pictures but the final product looked just like your picture.
I love Karhi and I finally got the correct way to making it. Many many thanks for your post.
Tina
My Heart Beets says
Hi Tina, I’m so glad you liked this! Thanks for leaving a review 🙂
Lydia says
I don’t have an Instant Pot but really want to try this. How long would I cook the kadhi for on the hob please?
Barbara says
How many does this serve please? Need to make for seven guests!
My Heart Beets says
Hi Barbara, I’d suggest doubling this for 7 people. I haven’t tried to double it all at once but my guess would be to double all ingredients but keep the cook time the same. Please let me know how it goes!
Charlotte says
Just made this for the first time and wow, it was soo good. I was worried that this dish would be hard to get right, but the pakoras stayed together nicely while frying and the kadhi and tadka turned out perfectly. So happy that I can now make one of my favorite dishes at home! 😀
My Heart Beets says
Charlotte, I’m so glad you made it and liked it! Thanks for letting me know how this turned out for you 🙂
Jeanette Younger says
First, I just want to say thank you for your recipes and for opening up a whole new world of possibilities for the instant pot. My husband is Indian and I’m not. I have been trying for years to learn how to make Indian recipes but have struggled with recipe conversions, or vague instructions. Having recipes for so many of the dishes we enjoy, with specific ingredients/instructions and in the instant pot have been a game changer for me. Acknowledging that recipes vary from city to city and state to state in India, I don’t know better if kadhi is not always sour, but the kadhi I’ve had has always had a sourness to it. I made your recipe the first time to the letter, and ultimately ended up adding some amchur powder. The second time, I substituted the whole milk yogurt with kefir and it had the sourness. I’m not sure which I prefer but just thought I’d mention this in case others were looking for that sourness. And it also gave me an excuse to express my gratitude. Thank you again!
My Heart Beets says
Jeanette, I’m so glad you’re making and enjoying my recipes 🙂 Great tip about the kefir – thanks for sharing!
Mukta says
Tried this recipe last night, it came out so good! It was my first time making Kadhi Pakoda and my 12 year old just loved it!!
My Heart Beets says
Hi Mukta, that’s really great to hear! I’m glad that you made this for the first time and that your 12-year-old enjoyed this 🙂
Kim Y says
This dish has been catching my eye, so today as I was preparing Everyday Dal I decided to dig in and make this dish too! It was a hit with my family . . .sooooo good! I only had fenugreek seeds and sources indicated it wasn’t a good substitute for the leaves. Having never tasted the seasoning, I found a variety of suggestions, including dijon mustard, maple syrup and thyme . . . so I used a mix of the three! I’m not sure what it was supposed to taste like, but the taste was very good:). The pairing of flavors was so satisfying with the rice and everyday dal on the side too.
I plan to use more of your recipes and am wondering if the fenugreek leaves, as well as green mango powder come up a lot? I’d like to gather the basics of more traditional Indian spices that I don’t have in my spice cabinet. Currently, I have cumin seeds, mustard seed, coriander, tumeric, etc. Is there a list of basic spices that you would suggest, so I have the basics when making your recipes?
Thanks so much for all this food making inspiration!
My Heart Beets says
Kim, that’s so great to hear! I’m really glad you liked it 🙂 I love that you were able to figure out a substitute for dried fenugreek leaves – that sounds really interesting! As for spices, in addition to those you mentioned, I would definitely put dried fenugreek leaves on your shopping list along with a few other spices like amchur, garam masala, ajwain. I’d also make roasted cumin powder to have on hand along with my homemade meat masala spice blend if you plan on making any of my south Indian Keralite recipes. I’d also buy curry leaves and store them in the freezer – they add great flavor that’s hard to substitute/replicate. I hope that helps and I can’t wait to hear what you make next!
Kim Y says
Thanks so much!
Yash Shah says
HI Ashley, love your recipes. I used to google for every recipe, I still do that but just add myheartbeets after my search term to land on your site 🙂 I am quite comfortable with the taste that I get out of your recipes.
Regarding the time for pressure cook in IP, I have seen other people talking about cooking 30 minutes on low pressure instead of high pressure so that besan will mix well. Have you tried on low pressure and was there any difference in the taste?
My Heart Beets says
Hi Yash! That’s so awesome to hear – really glad you’re making and liking my recipes 🙂 As for this recipe, I haven’t tried low pressure but to me, this tastes just like stovetop kadhi. If you try, let me know what you think!
Cathy says
Hi Ashley, is there a way to make the pakoras without deep frying? Can they be baked perhaps in a mini muffin pan? Or perhaps an air fryer? Thanks!
My Heart Beets says
Hi Cathy, I’m sure – and now I need to try! I’m sure it’ll be fine to bake or even air-fry – though if you do the air-fryer, I’d probably line it with foil first so it doesn’t drip down. Let me know how this goes if you try before me 🙂
Gautam says
Hi Cathy. I actually used pakoras from Deep brand. Frozen section. Just air fried them and put them in at the end. Spinach or onion pakoras. Turned out great.
RM says
You can make the pakoras in appe pan if you have it. Turns out pretty good