Simple recipe, simple ingredients, and with lots of flavors, this Gujarati Kadhi is a delicious thin yogurt-based curry that will blow your mind with its sweet and sour taste.
This dish is considered great for summers, as the curd/yogurt works as a cooling agent for your body. But I make Gujarati kadhi at least once every 15 days, no matter it’s summer or not.
It’s comfort food when served with rice or khichdi. Adding potato sabzi or any legume dish on the side makes it a completely soul-satisfying meal!
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What is kadhi?
Kadhi or Karhi is a yogurt-based curry that is popular in North India and West India.
Every region has its way of making it.
Traditionally, to make this dish, thick curd is mixed with besan (gram flour) and watered down to the desired consistency.
It is then cooked until the raw taste of the besan disappears. To give some flavors, a tempering (tadka) of ghee, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, hing, and curry leaves is added.
This can be made on the stove-top as well as in an Instant pot and served with Matar pulao, Plain Rice or Khichdi.
Types of kadhi
Kaale Channe ki kadhi also known as Jaisalmer chana kadhi – This dish with Rajasthani origins has black chickpeas added to it.
Punjabi kadhi – It’s is made with curd-based Kadhi with Pakodas (onion or methi fritters).
Maharashtrian kadhi – The recipe is very similar to the Punjabi kadhi, except it is made without pakoras.
Gujarati kadhi – This is the simplest version of kadhi. It is a sweet, tangy, and spicy kadhi recipe and has more watery than the others, and also does not use turmeric.
This is the Kadhi we will make today. It’s the version I’ve grown up with.
We typically eat this Kadhi with Khichdi, Rice, rotli, and with a side of sabzi. It’s often a thali addition, as well as popular on wedding menus.
Chuti Mug Ni Dal (Stir-fried Split mung dal), Gujarati Kadhi, Kobi Nu Shaak (Stir-fried cabbage), Rotli and Bhaat (Rice) is a classic Gujarati menu during special occasions or gatherings.
In Gujarat, 3 varieties of Kadhis are made.
- Fajeto is prepared with fresh mango for a fruity take on the dish.
- Bhinda (okra) ni Kadhi made with okra and yogurt-based curry
- And Simple regular kadhi.
I love every Kadhi recipe because of its unique taste and texture.
Out of 3, I have already shared the Bhinda ni kadhi and Mango kadhi recipes. So today I am sharing a simple and regular kadhi recipe.
This Gujarati Kadhi is
- Great for weekday meals and when you want to eat something light
- Tastes best with khichdi or plain rice
- Easy, fuss-free, Simple, and comforting
- Gluten-free and can be made vegan
Ingredients required
Curd/yogurt – This is one of the main ingredients to make this recipe. Make sure to make this recipe with Sour curd. The Kadhi tastes the best when made with slight sour Curd. You can use homemade curd or Indian store-bought curd as well.
Greek yogurt works fine too. If using greek yogurt, you need to add more water to adjust the consistency as Greek yogurt is very thick.
Besan/gram flour – Besan is another main ingredient of this recipe. It gives binding to the kadhi and prevents the yogurt from splitting/curdling.
Sweetener – A little jaggery is also added to balance the sour taste. Gujarati Kadhi is slightly sweet, and that’s why jaggery is added. You can even use regular sugar or brown sugar instead of jaggery.
Ginger and green chilies – to add more flavor to the kadhi. You can increase or decrease the amount of green chili according to your taste preference. If making this recipe Jain, skip ginger.
The tempering is the game-changer in this recipe and adds so many flavors to this besan kadhi recipe. This Gujarati Kadhi mixture is tempered with cumin seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, cloves, cinnamon, and dry red chilies in the hot ghee. Ghee adds such a nice flavor to the dish. You can use a combination of ghee and oil or only oil. But I highly recommend using ghee.
Cilantro for garnishing.
Step by step process
Take besan, curd, green chili paste, Ginger paste, grated jaggery, and salt into a pot or saucepan. Whisk them together until completely mixed and no lumps remain. (image 1 to 4)
Add water to the mixture and mix well. (image 5 and 6)
Put the pot on medium to high heat to boil. Now add jaggery and mix. (image 7 and 8)
Boil the kadhi for about 5 minutes, stirring continuously. Don’t forget to stir otherwise curd will curdle and kadhi will overflow while cooking. (image 9)
Pro-tip – to avoid overflow, place a small empty bowl inside the kadhi while kadhi is boiling. (as shown in the video and photo below). (image 10)
When it comes to a boil lower the heat to low to medium and prepare the tempering.
Heat ghee in another pan. Add cinnamon sticks, cloves, fenugreek seeds, and cumin seeds. (image 11 and 12)
When the seeds crackle, add the asafoetida, curry leaves, and red dried chilies. (image 13)
Turn off the stove and add this tempering into the simmering kadhi. (image 14)
Let the kadhi simmer for 5 minutes over medium heat.
Switch off the flame, take out the bowl and garnish the kadhi with cilantro. (image 15 and 16)
Serve hot with Rice or Khichdi. Enjoy!
Note – (Instant Pot Kadhi recipe is given in recipe card).
Notes, Pro-tips and quick FAQs
- I prefer to add tempering as a final flavoring but if you want to make it a one-pot meal, start with the tempering and then add the yogurt-besan mixture as in the Instant Pot recipe above.
- Use full-fat yogurt to make the Gujarati Kadhi creamy. If using a low-fat curd, increase the amount of Besan to make it a little thick.
- Do not miss sugar or jaggery, it helps in maintaining the sourness from the yogurt.
- To make your fresh yogurt sour, keep it out of the fridge for a couple of hours.
- Do use a large pan or pot for making the kadhi and stir often, so that the kadhi does not spill out.
Use coconut yogurt or cashew yogurt instead of dairy yogurt and oil instead of ghee.
You can serve this Gujarati Kadhi with Steamed Rice, Roti, Daliya, or even quinoa Khichdi or dal khichdi.
You can also serve it along with Jeera Rice, Matar Pulao, Vegetable Pulao, or any other North Indian Pulav.
Always use room temperature yogurt/curd.
Add salt before you turn on the heat.
Always keep the heat medium while the kadhi is boiling.
As soon as you turn on the heat, keep stirring constantly until it starts simmering. Once it starts simmering, you can stir it occasionally instead of constantly.
To make the curd sour, Remove the curd from the refrigerator, let it sit on the countertop overnight or for 6-8 hours depending on the temperature of the kitchen. If it’s hot summer then 3-4 hours are enough.
Don’t worry. I have a solution for it. Add a few drops of lemon juice at the end. It will give a nice tang to the kadhi. Make sure to add the lemon AT THE END after your turn off the stove. Otherwise, kadhi will curdle.
If the kadhi splits, prepare besan mixture by mixing 1-2 tablespoons of besan with some water. Add it to Kadhi and boil it for 5 more minutes. Or you can also add 1-2 tablespoon corn starch with 3 tablespoon water. Mix and add it to the kadhi and re-cook
This stays good for up to 2 days in the fridge when stored in an air-tight container. I would not recommend you store Kadhi in the fridge for more than 2 days
While reheating, add a little water and mix everything well, and heat it properly till the Kadhi comes to a boil. You can reheat in microwave or stovetop.
Some More Gujarati Recipes –
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Gujarati Kadhi
Ingredients
- 1 cup Curd / yogurt Should be slightly sour
- 2 tablespoon Besan / gram flour
- 2 tablespoon grated Jaggery or Depending on the sourness of the curd. You can use sugar too.
- ½ teaspoon Ginger paste
- ¼ teaspoon Green chili paste
- Salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon Chopped cilantro
- 2 cup Water
For tempering
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
- 1 Whole red chilies
- 4 to 5 Curry leaves
- 1 tablespoon Ghee
- ⅛ teaspoon of Asafoetida
- ⅛ teaspoon Fenugreek seeds
- 1 inch Cinnamon stick
- 2 cloves
Instructions
- Take besan, curd, green chili paste, Ginger paste, grated jaggery, and salt into a pot or saucepan. Whisk them together until completely mixed and no lumps remain.
- Add water to the mixture and mix well.
- Put the pot on medium to high heat to boil for about 5 minutes, stirring continuously. Don’t forget to stir otherwise curd will curdle and kadhi will overflow while cooking. Pro-tip – to avoid overflow, place a small empty bowl inside the kadhi while kadhi is boiling. (as shown in the video and photo below).
- Now add jaggery and mix.
- When it comes to a boil lower the heat to low to medium and prepare the tempering.
- Heat ghee in another pan. Add cinnamon sticks, cloves, fenugreek seeds, and cumin seeds.
- When the seeds crackle, add the asafoetida, curry leaves, and red dried chilies.
- Turn off the stove and add this tempering into the simmering kadhi.
- Let the kadhi simmer for 5 minutes over medium heat.
- Switch off the flame and garnish the kadhi with cilantro.
- Serve hot with Rice or Khichdi. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
-
- Add besan and yogurt to a saucepan. Whisk them together until completely mixed and no lumps remain.
- Add water, green chilies, grated ginger, jaggery, and salt to the mixture and mix well. Keep it aside.
- Set the Instant Pot on Sauté normal Mode.
- Add ghee into the inner pot. Once the display reads ‘Hot’, add cinnamon, cloves, fenugreek seeds, and cumin seeds.
- When the seeds crackle, add the asafoetida, curry leaves, and red dried chilies.
- Next, add the besan-yogurt mixture into the steel pot and mix well.
- Place washed ½ cup rice, ¾ cup water, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a stainless steel bowl or other small pot in a pot container for the Instant Pot. Cover it.
- Now place a tall trivet inside the inner pot of the instant pot. Place the rice pot on top of it. (Skip this step if you don’t want to do PIP).
- Cover the instant pot with its locking lid, vent valve in sealing position.
- Press the Cancel button and then select the Soup setting and set the cooking time for 6 minutes.
- When the cooking time is done, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then quickly release the remaining pressure.
- Open the lid, take out the rice bowl, and trivet. Stir the kadhi and garnish with cilantro. Serve with hot rice.
- If your Kadhi overflows while cooking, Put one small steel bowl inside the kadhi pan. It will not overflow.
- I prefer to add tempering as a final flavoring but if you want to make it a one-pot meal, start with the tempering and then add the yogurt-besan mixture as in the Instant Pot recipe above.
- Use full-fat yogurt to make the Gujarati Kadhi creamy. If using a low-fat curd, increase the amount of Besan to make it a little thick.
- Do not miss sugar or jaggery, it helps in maintaining the sourness from the yogurt.
- To make your fresh yogurt sour, keep it out of the fridge for a couple of hours.
- Do use a large pan or pot for making the kadhi and stir often, so that the kadhi does not spill out.
- Ingredients substitution and information are given in the blog post.
- For quick FAQs, please scroll the page up.
- This recipe is updated with new photos and video, originally published in Feb 2015.
Nutrition
Regards,
Dhwani.
I like all recipes very much.&interesting.
Thanks Anaya Ambardekar for visiting this place. I am glad you liked it. Happy cooking. 🙂
I made this kadhi using your receipe, simply fabulous, amazing taste. 👏
So good to know dear. Thank you 🙂