Name: Palak Kadhi pakora/spinach fritter Kadhi - Air Fryer Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 200 gms – Spinach leaves (shredded); 1 cup – Besan/Chickpea flour (for pakora); 2 tbsp – Green chili chopped; Pink salt or regular salt to taste; 1 tsp – Carom seeds; 1 tsp – Turmeric powder; 1/2 cup – Water; 1 cup – Besan/ Chickpea flour (kadhi); 2 cup – Dairy-free Yogurt/ Plain yogurt if not vegan; 1 tsp – Red chilly powder; Pink salt to taste; 3 to 4 cups – Water (a little more if required); 2 tbsp – Oil for air frying pakoras; 2 tbsp – Oil for frying onion; 1 tsp – Black Mustard seeds/Rai; 1 tbsp – Ginger (Julienne); 4 cloves – Garlic (minced); 1 cup – Onion (sliced); 1/2 tsp – Asafoetida/Hing; 1 cup – Onion sliced; 2 tbsp – Green chili chopped; 1 tbsp – Red chili powder; Pink salt to taste; 1/2 tsp – Turmeric powder; 2 tbsp – Coriander leaves chopped; 1 tbsp – Oil if vegan or ghee if vegetarian; 1 tsp – Mustard seeds; 1/2 tsp – Asafoetida/Hing; 1/2 tsp – Red chili powder

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Palak Kadhi pakora/spinach fritter Kadhi – Air Fryer Recipe is crisp and tasty Palak Kadhi Pakoda is made from spinach leaves, gram flour (besan), onion, herbs, and spices. The spinach fritters are dipped into a spicy, tangy yogurt sauce known as Kadhi.

Palak pakora is quick and easy to cook. A plate of kadi is the ultimate comfort food. It is wholesome, delicious, packed with complex flavors, and incredibly satisfying. To prepare this delicious Kadhi Pakora, you just need to gather the ingredients, simmer, and make pakoras; in an hour, you’ll have the meal on the table.

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Palak Kadhi pakora/spinach fritter Kadhi - Air Fryer Recipe — Palak Kadhi pakora/spinach fritter Kadhi – Air Fryer Recipe

What is Kadhi Pakora?

Kadhi is a synonym for ‘kadhna’ — a slow-cooked curry — and pakora refers to the gram-flour fritter.
The dish is collectively called – a creamy soup-like curry topped with gram flour fritters. North Indians love Punjabi Kadi pakora for its comfort food qualities.

This recipe for Punjabi Kadhi Pakora involves three steps:
First, prepare the yogurt-based curry. Next, make the spinach pakoras (fritters). Dip them in yogurt-based curry and serve. A delicious tempering completes the dish.

About Palak Kadhi pakora/spinach fritter Kadhi – Air Fryer Recipe

The pakora kadhi is an Indian spinach fritter made with fresh spinach leaves, gram flour, spices, and herbs. You can serve these spinach pakoras with Indian masala chai or with chutney as a tea-time snack. In Hindi, palak means spinach and pakora means gram flour fritters. Fritters like bajji, bonda, vada, and many more are made in India.

We have not deep-fried the spinach fritters here but we air-fried the spinach fritters here.

For those who don’t know, kadhi is a dish cooked with yogurt and besan (gram flour). The Hindi word “Kadhi” refers to a thick yogurt sauce that has been simmered for a long time. The word “pakora” refers to gram flour fritters (besan). The fritters are produced using a flavorful, spiced batter made with onions, gram flour, and seasonings in this recipe.

Gram flour has a nutty flavor and is prepared from peeled black chickpeas. Sour curd is the type of curd used to produce kadhi. As a result, the flavor of this meal is sour, spicy, tangy, and creamy.

We call kadhi chawal – where chawal is the Hindi word for rice – when we serve this delicious kadhi pakora with steamed rice or jeera rice.

This palak pakora kadhi is,

It has the same flavor as the one you get at your favorite roadside dhabas.
is both hot and flavorful.
The next day, it’s even better!
tastes best when combined with steamed rice.

Ingredients

For spinach fritters/palak pakora:

200 gms Spinach leaves (shredded)
1 cup – Besan/Chickpea flour (for pakora)
2 tbsp – Green chili chopped
Pink salt or regular salt to taste
1 tsp – Carom seeds
1 tsp – Turmeric powder
1/2 cup – Water

For Kadhi:

1 cup – Besan/ Chickpea flour (kadhi)
2 cup – Dairy-free Yogurt/ Plain yogurt if not vegan
1 tsp – Red chilly powder
Pink salt to taste
3 to 4 cups – Water (a little more if required)
2 tbsp – Oil for air frying pakoras
2 tbsp – Oil for frying onion
1 tsp – Mustard seeds
1 tbsp – Ginger (Julienne)
4 cloves – Garlic (minced)
1 cup – Onion (sliced)
1/2 tsp – Asafoetida/Hing
1 cup – Onion sliced
2 tbsp – green chili
1 tbsp – red chili powder
Pink salt to taste
1/2 tsp – Turmeric powder
2 tbsp – Coriander leaves chopped

For tempering:

1 tbsp – Oil if vegan or ghee if vegetarian
1 tsp – Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp – Asafoetida/Hing
1/2 tsp – Red chili powder

Yogurt – Yogurt is the most important ingredient in Kadhi. I made kadhi with full-fat yogurt for a creamy texture. Low-fat yogurt, on the other hand, will suffice. You should make sure whatever yogurt you take full fat or low fat should be at room temperature. If you are vegan then use vegan or dairy-free yogurt.

Besan/chickpea flour – Besan (chickpea flour) is the second most important ingredient in Kadhi. To make a smooth and lump-free batter, a small amount of besan is mixed into the yogurt.

Water – To dilute the kadhi, we will be using water.

Spices – Our Kadhi pakora is spiced with turmeric, salt, Asafoetida(Hing), fenugreek seeds(opti0nal), carrom seeds (ajwain seeds) black mustard seeds, Kashmiri red chili powder, pink salt, coriander powder, and cumin seeds, which give it an intriguing, earthy, and warm flavor.

Onion and garlic – We will require chopped onions and minced garlic, which require only a few minutes of sauteing but infuse our Kadhi with so much flavor.

Ginger – Cut ginger juliennes for garnishing.

Green chili – sometimes all you need is a little heat to make things interesting. A modest amount of green chili chopped will go a long way. If you don’t like spicy foods, you can modify the heat level to your preference.

Oil/Ghee – Tempering is done with oil if vegan. You can also use ghee if not vegan it gives a more delicious flavor to the kadhi.

Spinach – Adding spinach to the pakoras (fritters) elevates them to new heights. If you don’t like spinach, remove the spinach leaves out and keep the rest of the ingredients the same. If you’re not using our spinach, up the besan by 4 tablespoons. Extra besan will bind the kadhi well if spinach isn’t available.

Fresh cilantro leaves – serve as a garnish, but they will improve the flavor and aroma of the Kadhi.

Check out the Palak Kadhi pakora/spinach fritter Kadhi – Air Fryer Recipe Video :

How to make Palak Kadhi pakora Air Fryer Recipe step by step with photo:

For spinach fritters: Wash and clean the spinach leaves thoroughly in water preferable to use organic ones. In a mixing bowl, add the shredded or chopped spinach leaves.
Then add pink salt according to taste, carom seeds, green chilly chopped, and turmeric powder.
Add chickpea flour or besan. And then add 1/2 cup water.
Mix everything together. Then use washed hands to mix everything nicely.
Take a small portion and make round balls.
Prepare all in the same manner.
In a large mixing bowl, add chickpea flour, yogurt, red chilly powder, and pink salt or regular salt according to taste.
And then add 1 cup of water.
Mix everything nicely together. Check the consistency of the batter it should be runny.
In an air fryer, place a parchment paper. Add some oil to the parchment paper.
Place some palak pakoras and then use a brush to grease the oil on the palak pakoras. Air fry them at 380° F for 15 to 20 minutes.
When the palak pakoras are crisp golden they are ready to take them out and keep them aside.
For kadhi: In a frying pan, add oil, mustard seeds, ginger julienne, garlic cloves chopped, and asafoetida/hing stir for 30 seconds.
Add onion chopped, mix for 1 minute then add green chili chopped, red chili powder, pink salt, and turmeric powder.
Mix well everything and cook for 2 minutes.
Add yogurt mixture.
Mix everything nicely for 4 minutes.
Add 2 cups more water. Let it simmer for 10 minutes. Check the consistency of the kadhi if you want thick then don’t add more water and if you want thin kadhi you can add water and then simmer. The more you simmer the kadhi tastes great.
Add the palak pakoras to the kadhi and then mix well.
Add the chopped coriander leaves and mix everything nicely.
For tempering: Take a Tadka pan, add ghee or oil if vegan.
Add mustard seeds, and asafoetida, and then turn off the flame and then add red chilly powder.
Now pour the tempering over the kadi and mix well.
Palak kadi pakora is ready to be served.
Palak Kadhi pakora/spinach fritter Kadhi – Air Fryer Recipe

Important Suggestions To Keep In Mind

Leftover curd used in kadhi is a delicious way to use up sour curd. When making Kadhi pakora, I always use sour curd since it adds a subtle tang to the flavor.
Be sure to use good quality gram flour/besan when using gram flour. Even when it is within the shelf life, store-bought flour goes rancid and is bitter within a few months. You should always test the flour before using it in a recipe.
Gram flour/ besan is always used to make pakoras, in contrast to rice flour, semolina, or corn starch. A small amount of rice flour makes them extremely crispy. To create a great texture, you can use fine semolina or corn starch instead of rice flour.
To make spinach pakoras, the mixture should be thick, like dough, rather than batter-like. Their crisp texture comes from the thick mixture. When making palak pakora, sprinkle more water and mix the ingredients to make a loose batter instead of crisp ones. Oily pakoras may also result from the loose batter.
When sour curd isn’t readily available, you can either add 1/2 teaspoon of Amchur powder (dried mango powder) or a teaspoon of lemon juice to enhance the sour flavor.
Curdling can be prevented by always using room-temperature curd or yogurt. The mustard seeds should be simmering at this point. Slowly add the yogurt-besan mixture to them. If the heat is raised too high, it may curdle the kadhi.
Adjust water with besan as per the thickness you want your kadhi.
The two most important steps in making a delicious Kadhi are simmering and stirring – give the Kadhi plenty of time to simmer slowly and long. It is the slow cooking method that gives Kadhi pakora its distinctive flavor and taste. Make sure you stir the Kadhi regularly to prevent it from burning or sticking to the pan’s bottom.
Take 2 teaspoons of hot oil and add it to the pakora batter while frying the pakora. The batter should sizzle, and the oil should be mixed in well. As a result, the pakoras will be light and fluffy. The oil is not hot enough for pakoras if the batter does not sizzle.
Pakoras should always be fried on medium heat. If there is insufficient oil, the pakoras will absorb it. Similarly, avoid frying at a high temperature since you risk getting raw or undercooked pakoras with a crispy, overcooked outside.
Cook the tadka or tempering on low heat to prevent the mustard seeds, and red chili powder from burning and becoming bitter.
Remember to use ghee or oil for the last tadka: it adds flavor and truly makes the dish pop, so don’t skip it! For the final tadka, I like to use ghee since it provides a lot of flavor and aroma. The Kashmiri red chili powder adds a lovely color to the top.

Storage Suggestion

To store the Kadi pakora, place it in an airtight container once it has cooled. Leftover Punjabi Kadhi pakora can be kept in the refrigerator for up to a day.
Add 2 to 3 teaspoons of water to the cold Kadhi when ready to serve again. Reheat the kadhi in a saucepan on the stovetop until it reaches a boil. Then serve immediately.

Serving Suggestion

Serve this delicious palak pakora kadhi with chawal means steamed rice or paratha along with some pickles on the sides.

Frequently Asked Question

How can you keep Kadhi from splitting?

If your kadhi splits or separates when cooking, here’s what you should do:
Take the yogurt out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes before using it.

Before adding the yogurt to the batter, whisk it thoroughly. I normally whisk the room temperature yogurt first, then add the besan.
Add the salt later: bring the kadhi to a boil, then reduce to low heat and cook for 15 minutes before adding the salt. Adding salt at the start of the process may cause the kadhi to split.

Continually stir the kadhi until it reaches the first boil: once the batter is added to the pan, whisk it continuously until the kadhi reaches a boil. When it come to a boil, reduce the heat and let it simmer. After that, you won’t need to stir it constantly.

Can you Bake the pakoras?

Instead of deep-frying the pakoras, you might bake them. Preheat the oven to 380 degrees F and bake the pakora till golden and crisp. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons oil to the mixture for baking pakoras, and maintain the batter moist but make sure the batter is not too wet.

Some other easy snacks recipes you would like on my blog – Hara Bhara Stuffed Kebab, Bread Pakora (With Stuffing), Crispy Cheesy Hash Brown, Veggie Cheese Cake.