Step 1

In a bowl take the sour curd and whisk it well till smooth

Step 2

Add gram flour, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder and salt to the whisked curd.

Step 3

Stir and mix everything again.

Step 4

Add 3 cups water and stir again.

Step 5

Stir very well to make a smooth mixture without lumps. If there are lumps, then break them with a wired whisk or a spatula or with your fingers. Set the curd slurry aside.

Step 6

You can use a blender to make this mixture, but make sure you don’t over do it. You will get butter instead of a smooth blended curd.

Step 7

Take the gram flour in a bowl and add carom seeds, red chili powder, garam masala powder and salt.

Step 8

Add 1 cup thinly sliced onions.

Step 9

Mix everything well and set aside covered for 30 minutes.

Step 10

This will allow the onions to release their water in the mixture. Depending on the water content in the onions, the mixture will become very moist or just about moist.

Step 11

Then accordingly add water as required to make a thick batter. I added ¼ cup water.

Step 12

Heat oil for deep frying in a pan or kadai. With a spoon or with your hands drop the pakora batter in the oil.

Step 13

When the pakora are partly cooked, then turn over and fry the other side.

Step 14

Fry till the pakora are crisp and golden.

Step 15

Remove the fried pakora and place them on a kitchen paper towel so that extra oil is absorbed. Fry the pakora in batches this way. When done set all of them aside.

Step 16

In another pan or kadai, heat mustard oil. Make sure to use a large bottomed pot so that while boiling, the kadhi does not spill.

Step 17

Add the cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds and asafoetida. Allow the cumin seeds to crackle and the fenugreek seeds to change their color. Fry on a low flame, so that these spices do not get burnt.

Step 18

Add chopped onion. Stir and sauté for 3 minutes on a low flame.

Step 19

Then add chopped ginger, chopped garlic and chopped green chillies. Stir and sauté for a minute.

Step 20

Now add curry leaves, dry red chilies (halved or broken). Stir and sauté for a minute on a low flame.

Step 21

Then add the curd slurry.

Step 22

Stir very well.

Step 23

Increase the flame to medium and bring the kadhi to a boil. Keep on stirring often so that the bottom does not get browned. Time taken to cook kadhi will be around 14 to 16 minutes.

Step 24

After the kadhi has come to a boil, then lower the flame and simmer for more 6 to 7 minutes. The kadhi will thicken.

Step 25

If the kadhi becomes too thick, then add some hot water.

Step 26

Now add the onion pakora to the kadhi and stir gently.

Step 27

Cover with a lid and let the onion pakora be soaked in it for 8 to 10 minutes.

Step 28

Lastly sprinkle some garam masala powder.

Step 29

Serve kadhi pakora with steamed rice or cumin rice, topped with few teaspoonfuls of ghee. You could also have kadhi with roti or paratha.