
Kairi ki Karhi
A tart, comforting curry featuring tender green mango simmered in a rich, spiced yogurt and gram flour sauce.
Popping spices
0.8 gFried in hot oil to begin the base (step 2)Whole tempering seeds
2 gAdded after the mustard seeds start to pop (step 2)Ground spices and garlic
8 gStirred into the softened aromatics (step 3)Everything else

Method
- Place 4 raw mangoes and their reserved pits into a large, heavy saucepan with 500 ml water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 10 minutes until the fruit is tender. Lift out and discard the pits, setting the mangoes and their poaching liquid aside.
- Warm 45.6 g vegetable oil in a second heavy pan set over medium heat. Add the popping spices and cook for roughly 1 minute until they crackle, then stir in the whole tempering seeds, 150 g onion, and 1.5 g curry leaf. Fry for 5 to 6 minutes until the onions are completely soft.
- Add the ground spices and garlic along with 1 teaspoon ginger and a light seasoning of salt. Fry for 1 to 2 minutes until aromatic, then pour in 250 ml water.
- Whisk 507 g plain yogurt and 2 tablespoon chickpea flour together in a bowl until completely smooth. Stir this into the pan and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Tip in the cooked mangoes along with their simmering liquid, 4.2 g granulated sugar, and 36 g green chilli. Lower the heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
- Fold in 100 g coriander leaves, season with salt to taste, and serve hot.
Don't have something?

Green mango

Raw green mangoUse the same weight; same result.
Raw unripe mangoUse the same weight; same result.
Sour green mangoUse the same weight; more sour, so adjust sugar.

Vegetable oil

Peanut oilUse 1:1 by weight. Handles high-heat frying identically and introduces a very subtle, pleasant nuttiness.
GheeUse 1:1 by weight. Yields a much richer, authentic aroma and a glossy, heavier mouthfeel.
Mustard oilUse 1:1 by weight. Heat until smoking, then cool slightly before cooking to temper its intensely pungent, sharp mustard kick.

Mustard seed

Black mustard seedUse the same weight. The seeds are smaller and hotter; fry in hot oil until they pop, about 20–30 seconds, and reduce the heat if they darken too fast. The dish will be a little sharper.
Yellow mustard seedsUse the same weight. They are milder and larger; fry a few seconds longer until they pop. The finished dish will have less pungency.
Ground mustard seedUse 70% of the weight of whole seed, added with the other ground spices rather than fried whole. You lose the popping texture and the heat comes through more evenly.

Fenugreek seed

Mustard seedUse 50% of the weight, crush or grind. Sharper heat and less maple-bitter; fry briefly in oil before adding.
Caraway seedsUse the same weight, crush lightly. Similar bitter-seed note but more aniseed; reduce other sweet spices slightly.
Ajwain seedsUse 25–30% of the weight, crush. Much stronger thyme-like flavour; do not overdo.

Cumin seed

Ground cuminUse 70% of the weight; add with ground spices or sauce bases rather than hot oil tempering, where it scorches quickly and turns bitter.
Black cumin seedsUse equal weight for oil tempering. Delivers an earthy profile with an additional musky, smoky, and slightly bitter edge.
Fennel seedUse 60% of the weight for tempering; offers comparable warm aroma, but leans sweet and liquorice-like rather than savoury and earthy.

Onion


Curry leaf

Bay leafFry 1 bay leaf for every 5 curry leaves in hot oil; imparts a warm, woodsy background note, but misses the citrus-sulphury punch entirely.
Lime juiceAdd a small squeeze (about 5 ml per sprig of curry leaves) right before serving; provides sharp citrus top notes without the toasty, herbal aroma.

Ground turmeric

Ground gingerUse 50% of the weight. Mimics turmeric's warm, earthy, rhizome background, but provides none of the golden-yellow colour.
SaffronSteep a tiny pinch (0.1 g per 2 g turmeric) in 2 tbsp warm water; use to match the rich golden hue. Contributes an aristocratic, honeyed floral flavour rather than earthy bitterness.

Chilli powder

Red chilli powderUse 100% of the weight. Provides direct, sharp heat and red colour in equal measure.
Kashmiri chilli powderUse 150% to 200% of the weight if matching colour, but add a pinch of black pepper or hot chilli if you need equivalent fiery heat.
Cayenne pepperUse 75% to 100% of the weight. Offers a sharp, clean heat with slightly less earthy depth and less crimson colour.

Ground fresh ginger

Ginger pasteUse the same weight; it is practically the same.
Fresh gingerGrate the same weight; it is the same but more fibrous.
Ground gingerUse about 30% of the weight, mixed with a little water; it is drier and hotter, with less fresh brightness.

Ground garlic

Garlic powderUse equal weight (1:1). Behaves virtually identically, dissolving seamlessly into dry rubs or wet gravies.
Garlic pasteUse 300% to 400% of the weight (e.g. 3–4 g paste for 1 g ground). Sauté in oil to cook off the raw moisture; imparts a fresher, sharper punch.
GarlicFinely mince or grate fresh cloves; use 300% to 400% of the weight. Fry gently in oil early in the cooking process to mellow the pungency.

Plain yogurt

YogurtUse equal weight, whisked thoroughly until smooth before adding to hot dishes to prevent curdling.
Coconut milkUse equal weight with 1 teaspoon lemon juice mixed in. Provides rich creaminess in curries, but adds a noticeable coconut flavour.
Single creamUse 80% of the weight plus a squeeze of lemon juice for acidity. Enriches sauces nicely, though it is richer and less tangy.

Chickpea flour

Yellow split pea flourUse 100% of the weight. Many commercial gram flours are milled from split peas; performs identically in pakora batters and kadhi.
CornstarchFor crisping batters or binding cutlets: use 50% to 60% of the weight. Produces a very crisp shell but lacks the earthy, roasted nutty flavour of besan.

Granulated sugar

JaggeryUse equal weight; grate or shave finely so it dissolves rapidly, giving a warm, caramel-like sweetness and slightly darker sauce.

Green chilli

Chilli powderUse 10 to 15% of the weight (about 1/4 teaspoon per chilli); imparts dry pungent heat and reddens the dish without the grassy crunch.
Dried red chilliUse 1 dried pod per fresh green chilli; snap in half and temper in hot oil for a deeper, toastier heat.

Coriander

Coriander leafUse equal weight, chopped fresh and stirred in off the heat or used as garnish. Matches the citrus-herbal profile identically.
MintUse 40% to 50% of the weight; chop finely and add at the very end. Adds fresh herbal brightness, but shifts the aroma toward cool menthol.
Similar dishes

- Same: Rajasthani Karhi shares a base of yogurt and chickpea flour seasoned with cumin, garlic, green chillies, turmeric, and chilli powder.
- Different: It omits the raw mango, onions, curry leaves, mustard, fenugreek, and sugar, using asafoetida and finishing with a cumin-infused ghee tempering instead.

- Same: Kairi ki Chutney shares green mango, mustard seed, fenugreek, turmeric, chilli powder, salt, and a little vegetable oil with this dish.
- Different: Kairi ki Chutney uses sesame oil as its main fat and adds mustard powder, asafoetida, dried red chilli, chana dal, and urad dal, while it lacks this dish’s yogurt, chickpea flour, onion, curry leaf, ginger, garlic, green chilli, coriander, and sugar.

- Same: Karhi Pakori also simmers a tart base of plain yogurt thickened with chickpea flour and seasoned with cumin seeds, mustard seeds, turmeric, and chilli powder.
- Different: Instead of raw mango, onion, garlic, curry leaves, and fenugreek seeds cooked in vegetable oil, Karhi Pakori includes fried moong dal fritters and a tempering finished in ghee with asafoetida and dried red chillies.

- Same: Like this dish, Kokam ni Karhi uses a base of yogurt and chickpea flour tempered with mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin, and curry leaves.
- Different: Kokam ni Karhi uses kokum instead of raw mango for sourness, adds masoor dal, jaggery, ginger paste, and asafoetida, and omits the onion, garlic, turmeric, and fresh green chillies used in this dish.





































