Recipe: Kadhi

Recipe: Kadhi

10m prep | 40m cook

Last updated

Kadhi is a north Indian dish that comes in many variations that change region to region, but is essentially a thick, spiced ‘soup’. Made with yoghurt, chickpea flour and an aromatic blend of spices, including the golden warmth of turmeric and the vibrant heat of Kashmiri chilli, kadhi is luxuriously rich and layered with flavour. It’s warming, bright, comforting and nourishing all at the same time.

We’ve topped ours with crispy, roasted chickpeas rolled in gunpowder spice for a one bowl meal but you could also serve it with fluffy rice, extra yoghurt, and some fried curry leaves.

As an added bonus, kadhi is quite high in protein from the yoghurt and chickpea flour, and our recipe is gluten-free and vegetarian-friendly, but could be made vegan by switching the plain yoghurt for coconut yoghurt.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

  • 1 cup full cream plain yoghurt
  • ¼ cup chickpea flour
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • ½ tsp chilli powder
  • ½ tsp garam masala
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 2 tbsp ghee (or mustard oil)
  • 5 whole cloves
  • 6 curry leaves (or 2 bay leaves)
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper
  • ½ tsp black mustard seeds
  • ½ tsp fenugreek seeds
  • ½ tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp chaat masala (or lime juice)
  • Cooked rice to serve (optional)
FOR THE SPICE TOPPING:
  • 1½ tbsp ghee or mustard oil
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • ¼ tsp chilli powder
  • 3 dried red arbol chillies, crumbled
FOR THE CRISPY CHICKPEAS:
  • 1 cup cooked chickpeas or 400g canned chickpeas, drained and patted dry
  • 2 tbsp mustard oil
  • 2 tbsp gunpowder spice
  • 6 curry leaves (optional)

For the crispy chickpeas, heat oven to 200C and in a roasting pan combine chickpeas, curry leaves (if using), mustard oil and gunpowder spice, tossing well. Roast for 20 minutes until browned and crunchy.

For the soup, mix the yogurt and chickpea flour in a large jug with a whisk until smooth. Stir in 1 cup of water and turmeric, chilli powder and garam masala. Mix well until there are no lumps. Set aside.

Bloom the spices by melting the ghee (or mustard oil) in a heavy pot over medium low heat. Add cloves, ground pepper, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, and cumin seeds. Stir and toast until the mustard seeds start to pop but do not allow anything to burn. Add garlic and curry leaves, stirring until lightly browned. Reduce the heat to low and add the yogurt mixture along with 3 cups water. Stir to combine. Season with 2 tsp salt and the chaat masala. Taste – it should be tangy, rich and well flavoured by the spices. Add more chaat masala (or lime juice) to taste and more salt if needed.

Increase heat to medium and bring to a very gentle boil, stirring often so that the bottom doesn’t brown. Once bubbling, maintain this heat and cook for 10 minutes without stirring. Stir and cook for a further 5 minutes. The kadhi should become thicker and brighter in colour and look like a creamy soup. Taste again and season if needed.

Before serving make the spice topping. In a small pan over medium heat, melt 1 ½ tbsp ghee. Add cumin seeds and toast until they start to pop and brown. Remove pan from the heat and stir in dried chillies and chilli powder.

Serve kadhi in bowls topped with the crispy chickpeas and drizzle over the spice topping. For an even more substantial meal, serve over fluffy white rice.

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