Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Karhi Pakori
Karhi Pakori (Dumpling & Yoghurt Curry)

Karhi Pakori

Dumpling & Yoghurt Curry
Vegetarian●●●Origin PunjabPrep 20 minutes, plus soaking timeCook 30 minutes

Crisp, airy moong dal fritters simmered in a tart, velvety yoghurt gravy, finished with a fragrant, spiced ghee tempering.

Karhi spices

6 gWhisked into the yoghurt base (step 1)
01
Ground turmeric · Haldi
3 g1 teaspoon
spice
02
Chilli powder · Lal Mirch Powder
2.6 g1 teaspoon
spice
Stir together until evenly blended.

Tempering spices

14 gFried in the hot ghee (step 6)
01
Cumin seed · Jeera
4.2 g2 teaspoons
spice
02
Mustard seed · Rai
3.3 g1 teaspoon
spice
03
Asafoetida · Hing
~0.3 gpinch
spice
04
Dried red chilli · Sukhi Lal Mirch
6–8 g6–8 chillies
spice
Keep whole: they go into the hot oil together.

Everything else

01
Plain yogurt · Dahi
507 g500 ml
dairy
02
Chickpea flour · Besan
24 g4 tablespoons
flour
03
Salt · Namak
to taste
salt
04
Split mung beans · Moong Dalrinsed and drained
100 g
legume
05
Salt · Namak
~0.3 gpinch
salt
06
Ghee or vegetable oil · Ghee ya telfor deep-frying
to taste
oil/fat
07
Ghee or vegetable oil · Ghee ya tel
125 g
oil/fat

Method

  1. In a mixing bowl, combine 507 g plain yogurt, 4 tablespoon chickpea flour, the karhi spices, and salt to taste. Whisk until smooth, then whisk in 1 litre of water and set aside.
  2. Submerge 100 g moong dal in a bowl of fresh water and soak for 2 hours, then drain thoroughly.
  3. Transfer the drained dal to a food processor or blender along with 0.3 g salt and 500 ml water. Process until you achieve a light, airy batter, then scrape into a bowl.
  4. Pour vegetable oil or ghee for deep-frying into a deep, sturdy pot and bring to 180°C (350°F). Drop small spoonfuls of the batter into the hot fat and fry in batches for 2 to 3 minutes until deep golden, then remove with a slotted spoon to drain on paper towels.
  5. Pour the whisked yoghurt mixture into a wide heavy pot and warm over medium heat until it nearly boils. Lower the flame to low, cover, and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring from time to time, until it settles into a thin sauce consistency.
  6. Drop the fried dumplings into the sauce, bring back up to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently for 4 to 5 minutes.
  7. While the curry simmers, melt 125 g ghee or vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the tempering spices and fry for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring, until the seeds pop, the asafoetida expands, and the chillies darken.
  8. Pour the sizzling spiced oil directly over the karhi, remove the pot from the heat, and adjust the salt seasoning as needed.

Don't have something?

Plain yogurt
  • Yogurt

    Use equal weight, whisked thoroughly until smooth before adding to hot dishes to prevent curdling.

  • Coconut milk

    Use equal weight with 1 teaspoon lemon juice mixed in. Provides rich creaminess in curries, but adds a noticeable coconut flavour.

  • Single cream

    Use 80% of the weight plus a squeeze of lemon juice for acidity. Enriches sauces nicely, though it is richer and less tangy.

Ground turmeric
  • Ground ginger

    Use 50% of the weight. Mimics turmeric's warm, earthy, rhizome background, but provides none of the golden-yellow colour.

  • Saffron

    Steep 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.

Chickpea flour
  • Yellow split pea flour

    Use 100% of the weight. Many commercial gram flours are milled from split peas; performs identically in pakora batters and kadhi.

  • Cornstarch

    For 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.

Chilli powder
  • Red chilli powder

    Use 100% of the weight. Provides direct, sharp heat and red colour in equal measure.

  • Kashmiri chilli powder

    Use 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 pepper

    Use 75% to 100% of the weight. Offers a sharp, clean heat with slightly less earthy depth and less crimson colour.

Moong dal
  • Red lentils

    Use equal weight. It cooks in about the same time and breaks down to a similar soft, creamy consistency, though the colour will be slightly pinkish-orange.

  • Pigeon peas

    Use equal weight. Requires longer soaking and cooking time, and produces a slightly earthier, denser dal.

Ghee or vegetable oil
  • Peanut oil

    Use equal weight; handles high tempering heat well and keeps flavours neutral.

  • Butter

    Use equal weight; cook over gentle heat to prevent browning the milk solids too quickly.

Cumin seed
  • Ground cumin

    Use 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 seeds

    Use equal weight for oil tempering. Delivers an earthy profile with an additional musky, smoky, and slightly bitter edge.

  • Fennel seed

    Use 60% of the weight for tempering; offers comparable warm aroma, but leans sweet and liquorice-like rather than savoury and earthy.

Mustard seed
  • Black mustard seed

    Use 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 seeds

    Use 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 seed

    Use 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.

Asafoetida
  • Garlic powder

    Use double the weight. Stir into hot oil just before adding wet ingredients; mimics the allium savoury background without the sulphurous edge.

  • Garlic paste

    Use 2 g for every 0.5 g of asafoetida. Sauté in oil until the raw smell clears; adds moisture and sweet allium depth.

Dried red chilli
  • Dried kashmiri chilli

    Use equal weight whole. Fry in hot oil or ghee as tempered spice; gives a richer red colour with slightly milder heat.

  • Red chilli powder

    Use 50% to 70% of the weight. Stir into the oil with ground spices; distributes heat evenly throughout the dish without whole chilli skins.

Similar dishes

Rajasthani Karhi
Gram (Chickpea) Flour & Yoghurt Curry
Rajasthani Karhi tastes sharper with fresh garlic and green chilli heat, lacking the mustard pungency and heavy, fritter-soaked richness of this dish.
  • Same: Rajasthani Karhi shares a tart yoghurt base thickened with chickpea flour and seasoned with cumin seeds, turmeric, chilli powder, and asafoetida.
  • Different: Rajasthani Karhi omits the fried moong dal dumplings, mustard seeds, and dried red chillies, adding garlic paste and fresh green chillies to a lighter, plain gravy.
Hari Matar ke Kofte
Green Gram Balls in Yoghurt Sauce
Hari Matar ke Kofte has a sharper, garlicky heat with a lighter consistency compared to the richer, chickpea-thickened tartness of this dish.
  • Same: Both dishes feature crisp fried legume fritters served in a tart yoghurt gravy tempered with cumin seeds, asafoetida, and dried red chillies.
  • Different: Hari Matar ke Kofte incorporates garlic paste and fresh green chillies, but omits the mustard seeds and chickpea flour used to thicken this dish.
Sukhi Urad ki Dal
Dry Black Lentils
Sukhi Urad ki Dal tastes earthy, dry and lightly spicy from ginger and green chilli, not tart or velvety like this yogurt-based dish.
  • Same: Sukhi Urad ki Dal shares lentils, turmeric, asafoetida, cumin seed, dried red chilli, salt and a ghee tempering with this dish.
  • Different: Sukhi Urad ki Dal uses urad dal and is dry-sautéed with fresh ginger and green chilli, while this dish uses moong dal fritters and chickpea flour simmered in a yogurt gravy with mustard seed and much more ghee or oil.
Kokam ni Karhi
Sweet & Sour Yoghurt Soup
Kokam ni Karhi has a distinct sweet-and-sour flavour with warmth from ginger, whereas this dish is savoury, tart, and spiced with chilli powder.
  • Same: Both dishes share a base of plain yoghurt thickened with chickpea flour and a tempering of mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dried red chillies, and asafoetida in ghee or oil.
  • Different: Kokam ni Karhi incorporates masoor dal, jaggery, ginger paste, curry leaves, and fenugreek seeds, but lacks the turmeric, chilli powder, and fried moong dal dumplings of this dish.