Gujarati kadhi is a sweet tangy yogurt-based dish made with gram flour, spices, herbs and seasonings. This easy variant of kadhi is made without gram flour fritters (pakoda). It makes for a quick comforting lunch or dinner paired with a side of steamed basmati rice or roti.
To all those who do not know, Kadhi is a yogurt-based gravy dish to which gram flour (besan) is added, tempered and then simmered with spices. The addition of gram flour helps to thicken and also prevents the curd from separating or splitting while cooking. It also adds a creamy consistency.
To make this Gujarati kadhi you can use fresh yogurt or sour yogurt. I would recommend to use homemade Curd for the best taste.
At home we all love kadhi. Kadhis are excellent for summers as they are cooling. Every region in India has its own way of making kadhi like Punjabi kadhi, Rajasthani kadhi, Maharashtrian kadhi and so on.
In fact, every family has its own recipe of kadhi. Even though I love the Punjabi kadhi pakora, I also like the Gujarati kadhi.
The Punjabi kadhi is made from sour yogurt and is thick. Whereas the Gujarati kadhi is thin and sweet as jaggery or sugar is added to it. I love both versions.
The Gujarati kadhi is a light dish, but the Punjabi kadhi pakora is not a light one. It can be a bit heavy if you have too much of it. What with all the pakoras simmered in the thick yogurt gravy 🙂
This is a quick recipe and within 20 to 25 minutes your Gujarati kadhi will be ready. There are no pakoras in this recipe. But if you want you can add some pakoras or boondi to the kadhi.
The kadhi is excellent with basmati rice or soft Phulka with a side of vegetable dish, salad and pickle.
Vegans can make it with almond yogurt ot cashew yogurt. But just simmer the kadhi on low heat till you get the desired consistency. Don’t boil the kadhi while using plant based yogurt as then the curd can separate or curdle.
How to make Gujarati Kadhi
1: in a mixing bowl take the following ingredients:
- 4 tablespoon besan (gram flour)
- ½ tablespoon ginger-green chili paste or 1 inch ginger + 1 to 2 green chilies crushed in a mortar pestle.
- 1 cup yogurt (curd)
- 1 tablespoon sugar (or jaggery)
- salt as required
2: Add 2 to 2.5 cups of water.
3: Whisk everything to a smooth consistency. There should not be any lumps in this liquid mixture.
Making tempering
4: The tempering ingredients are in the below photo. The curry leaves are dry curry leaves.
5: In a sauce pan or pot, heat 1 tablespoon oil or ghee. Add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds and let them crackle on low heat.
Then add the rest of the below-mentioned spices and fry for a minute on low heat.
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 2 cloves
- 8 to 10 curry leaves
- 2 broken dry red chilies – remove the seeds
- ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- a generous pinch of asafoetida (hing)
6: Add the yogurt mixture slowly and carefully as it may splutter.
7: Stir and mix well to combine. On a medium-low to medium heat let the kadhi mixture come to a boil first.
Do use a large pan and stir often, so that the kadhi does not spill out or gets browned or stuck at the bottom of the pan.
8: Later let the gujarati kadhi simmer for 5 to 7 minutes more on low to medium-low heat. Stir in between to avoid the lumps from forming. Adjust the salt and sugar as required.
Check the taste and there should be no rawness from the besan felt in the kadhi. If there is some rawness from the besan, then simmer for some more minutes as required.
9: Serve Gujarati kadhi hot or warm with steamed basmati rice or phulka or paratha. It makes for a comforting meal with rice served with a side of a vegetable dish, pickle or salad.
Any leftovers can be used within a day. On refrigeration the taste and flavor changes.
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Gujarati Kadhi | How to make Gujarati Kadhi
Ingredients
For the kadhi
- 1 cup Curd (yogurt)
- 2 to 2.5 cups water
- 4 tablespoons gram flour (besan)
- ½ tablespoon ginger-green chili paste or 1 inch ginger and 1 to 2 green chilies crushed in mortar-pestle
- 1 tablespoon sugar or jaggery, add more for more sweetness
- salt as required
- coriander leaves for garnishing
For tempering
- 1 inch cinnamon
- 2 cloves
- 8 to 10 curry leaves
- 1 generous pinch asafoetida (hing)
- 2 dry red chilies broken and deseeded
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- 1 tablespoon oil or ghee
Instructions
- In a bowl mix the gram flour (besan), green chilly-ginger paste, yogurt, sugar and salt with water.
- Beat to a smooth mixture without any lumps.
- In a saucepan heat oil. Keep the heat to low. First add mustard seeds and let them crackle and splutter.
- Then add cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, cloves, curry leaves, broken and deseeded red chilies, fenugreek seeds and asafoetida (hing). Fry on a low heat for a minute taking care not to burn the spices.
- Add the yogurt-water mixture which we had prepared earlier. Stir and mix well.
- Give a boil first on medium-low to medium heat. Then simmer for 5 to 7 minutes more or as required on low to medium-low heat. There should be no raw taste of besan.
- Continue to stir in between and often to avoid lumps from getting formed while the kadhi is cooking.
- Once done garnish with chopped coriander. Serve Gujarati kadhi hot or warm with steamed rice or phulka accompanies with a vegetable side dish, pickle and salad.
- Any leftover kadhi can be consumed on the same day.
Notes
- Use good quality besan that is in its shelf life.
- You can use homemade fresh curd or curd that has become sour.
- If you like you can add some pakoda or boondi to it.
- For making vegan Gujarati kadhi use cashew yogurt or almond yogurt but don’t boil the kadhi. Just simmer on low heat till the consistency thickens. Boiling may separate or curdle the plant based yogurt.
- For a gluten free use gluten-free asafoetida or skip adding it.
- You can decrease or increase the amount of sugar or jaggery according to your taste preferences.
- The recipe can be scaled to make a small batch or big batch.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Gujarati Kadhi post from the archives (May 2012) has been updated and republished on 21 October 2021.
