Sindhi kadhi is a curry made by the Sindhi community of India. It’s a vegan curry made using chickpea flour, lots of vegetables, and mild spices. Serve it with steamed rice and aloo tuk for a comforting meal.
You should also try my Sindhi Koki recipe, which is a favorite in Sindhi households and is often prepared for their everyday meals.
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About This Recipe
Sindhi Kadhi is a delicious Indian curry that is prepared in almost all Sindhi (an Indian community) households. It is a perfect Sindhi feast for Sunday afternoons with a side of chawal (plain rice) and Sindhi aloo tuk (double crisped potatoes).
This soupy kadhi is very different from its Punjabi cousin. There is no yogurt added to it and unlike the Punjabi kadhi pakora, it is loaded with vegetables. Sindhi kadhi is spicy, tangy, sweet, and hot and has a lovely nutty flavor from the roasted chickpea flour.
The key to getting this curry right is to roast the chickpea flour on low to medium heat until it slightly changes its color and starts to emit a nutty aroma.
Ingredients
Vegetables – This is a great dish to use all your leftover veggies. Traditionally, okra (bhindi), green beans, cluster beans, drumsticks, carrot, pumpkin, and potatoes are added to it.
Chickpea Flour – Chickpea flour (besan) thicken this curry and gives it a nutty aroma and flavor.
Oil – Use any vegetable oil.
Tomatoes – Add grated fresh tomatoes to give the kadhi a lovely tangy taste.
Tamarind – Tamarind paste also adds to the tang.
Jaggery – Balance the tang and spice from a little sweet from jaggery.
Spice Powders – You will need a few basic Indian spice powders such as red chili powder, turmeric powder, and salt. You can swap red chili powder with cayenne pepper or paprika.
Others – You will also need cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, asafetida (hing), green chili peppers, curry leaves, fresh ginger, boiling water, and cilantro (coriander).
To make it gluten free, skip adding asafoetida.
How to Make Sindhi Kadhi
Start by preparing the vegetables
- Potato – Wash and peel one small potato and cut it into wedges. Soak it in water until ready to use.
- Carrots – Cut ½ carrot into ½-inch cubes.
- Drumsticks – Cut ½ drumstick into 2-inch pieces.
- Pumpkin – Cut a small piece of pumpkin into 1-inch cubes.
- Okra – Cut 3-4 okra into quarters.
- Brinjal – Cut 1-2 small brinjals into wedges. Soak them in water until ready to use.
Heat 4 tablespoon vegetable oil in a skillet over medium high heat.
Once the oil is hot, add 2 teaspoon cumin seeds, ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds, ¼ teaspoon asafetida, 2 teaspoon finely chopped ginger, 2 teaspoon finely chopped green chili peppers, and 10-12 curry leaves, and let them crackle for 4-5 seconds.
Reduce the heat to low and add ½ cup chickpea flour in small increments. Keep stirring continuously while adding the flour to avoid the formation of lumps.
Fry until the flour turns golden brown in color. Keep stirring continuously while frying. It will take 4-5 minutes.
Add ½ cup grated tomatoes and cook for a minute.
Take the pan off the heat and slowly add in 6 cups of boiling water while stirring continuously using a wire whisk from your other hand. Mix to form a lump-free mixture.
Put the pan back on low heat and stir in ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder, salt to taste, and 2 cups of chopped vegetables.
Cover the pan and cook for 8-10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
Add 2 teaspoon tamarind paste and 1 teaspoon crushed jaggery and mix well.
Note – If using whole seedless tamarind in place of tamarind paste, then soak 2 small lime size balls in ½ cup water for 30 minutes. Squeeze and discard the pulp. Add the water to the skillet.
Cook on medium heat until the curry thickens (4-5 minutes). Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot with rice.
Note – You can give a second tempering of mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafetida and red chilli powder just before serving the kadhi.
Frequently Asked Questions
Some people add cooked toor dal to their kadhi. It makes the kadhi thicker and also added to the taste.
Pressure cook ½ cup toor dal with salt, 2-3 dried kokum, and 3 cups of water and whisk until smooth. Add the dal after roasting the besan and keep the remaining process the same.
If you own an instant pot, making this recipe will be easier and quicker. Once you prep all the ingredients, insert the inner pot inside the instant pot and switch it on.
Press SAUTE and when the screen displays hot, pour in the oil. Once the oil is hot, add cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, asafetida, ginger, green chili peppers, and curry leaves and let them crackle for 4-5 seconds.
Add ½ cup chickpea flour in small increments. Keep stirring continuously while adding the flour to avoid the formation of lumps.
Fry until the flour turns golden brown in color. Keep stirring continuously while frying. It will take 4-5 minutes.
Add grated tomatoes and cook for a minute.
Slowly add 4 cups of boiling water while stirring continuously with a wire whisk using your other hand and mix to form a lump-free mixture. Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt to taste, and all the vegetables.
Close the lid and set the valve to sealing. Press PRESSURE COOK and cook on high for 3 minutes. Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally. Open the lid, add tamarind paste and jaggery and mix well. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.
Serving Suggestions
Kadhi Chaawaran or Kadhi Chawal (steamed rice) is a comfort food for many Sindhis.
In Sindhi homes, this Kadhi is served with plain steamed rice and Sindhi aloo tuk. You can also serve roasted or fried papad and pickle on the side to complete the meal.
Many homes serve sweet boondi along with kadhi chawal, to add a sweet taste to the meal.
You can serve this kadhi with phulka or tawa paratha for your everyday meals or maybe with a lightly spiced pulao such as matar/peas pulao.
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Recipe Card
Sindhi Kadhi Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- ¼ teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped ginger
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped green chili peppers
- 10-12 curry Leaves
- ½ cup chickpea flour (besan)
- ½ cup grated fresh tomatoes
- 6 cups boiling water
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- salt to taste
- 2 cups mixed vegetables (I used a mix of potato, carrots, drumsticks, pumpkin, okra and brinjal.)
- 2 teaspoons tamarind paste (Or soak 2 small lime sized seedless tamarind balls in ½ cup water for 30 minutes. Squeeze, discard the pulp and use teh water.)
- 1 teaspoon crushed jaggery
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro (coriander)
Instructions
- Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium high heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, asafetida, finely chopped ginger, finely chopped green chili peppers, and curry leaves, and let them crackle for 4-5 seconds.
- Reduce the heat to low and add chickpea flour in small increments. Keep stirring continuously while adding the flour to avoid the formation of lumps.
- Fry until the flour turns golden brown in color. Keep stirring continuously while frying. It will take 4-5 minutes.
- Add tomatoes and cook for a minute.
- Take the pan off the heat and slowly add in boiling water while stirring continuously using a wire whisk from your other hand. Mix to form a lump-free mixture.
- Put the pan back on low heat and stir in turmeric powder, Kashmiri red chilli powder, salt, and chopped vegetables.
- Cover the pan and cook for 8-10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
- Add tamarind paste and crushed jaggery and mix well.
- Cook on medium heat until the curry thickens (4-5 minutes). Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot with rice.
Shriya Shenolikar
I just loved the Recipe..
Neha Mathur
Happy to hear 🙂
Vishita
Hiii…i have made this recipe nd itz jst mouthwatering dish awsme thnk u….plz keep creating many such more…????
Neha Mathur
Awesome 🙂
Rathi
Great way to use up veggies