Lighter Punjabi Kadhi with Baked Onion Pakoras
A wholesome Indian recipe crafted for health-conscious eating: nutritious, delicious, and easy to make at home.
Kadhi pakora is monsoon comfort. We keep the tangy besan–curd gravy classic, but bake the onion pakoras so you get crunch without a deep-fry bath.
Serve with a measured ladle of steamed rice or jowar roti for a complete, calmer plate.
Ingredients
How to Make It
Whisk curd with 8 tbsp besan, turmeric, chilli powder, garam masala, hing and salt. Loosen with 3 cups water until lump-free.
For pakoras: mix sliced onion with 1 cup besan, ajwain, chilli powder and salt. Rest 20–30 minutes.
Shape small pakoras on a lined tray, brush lightly with oil, bake at 200°C for 18–22 minutes until golden, flipping once.
Pour kadhi slurry into a heavy pan. Cook on medium, stirring often, until it thickens and no longer smells raw (12–15 minutes).
Slip in baked pakoras, simmer 3–4 minutes, temper optionally with cumin in 1 tsp ghee, and serve.
Nutrition per serving
* Approximate values per serving
Health Benefits
Baking pakoras cuts a large share of frying oil while besan and curd still deliver protein and probiotics. A smaller rice portion keeps the glycaemic load manageable.
Pro Tips
- →Stir kadhi continuously at the start so besan does not catch.
- →Use sour curd — fresh sweet dahi makes flat kadhi.
- →Add pakoras only after gravy thickens so they don’t fall apart.
Variations
- 1Skip pakoras and add steamed bottle-gourd cubes for a lighter bowl.
- 2Use hung curd diluted with water if curd is not sour enough, with a squeeze of lemon at the end.
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