With the perfect balance of sweet and spicy flavors, this white kadhi aka Gujarati kadhi, is the best way to put your bowl of slightly sour, curdled yogurt to use.
Unlike the classic Punjabi kadhi and Rajasthani kadhi, this one is wonderfully sweet, and pairs perfected with some steamed rice, or even any flatbread for that matter.
Best of all, it comes together super quick, and takes just 20 minutes to make.
My love for Indian food knows now bounds, and I always turn to experimenting with and trying out lots of different Indian recipes.
I recently tried a lot of heavy and robust Indian curries like white chicken karahi and bhuna gosht, and while they were both big hits in my household, I really wanted to try a light and simple vegetarian curry that I could easily whip up on a weekday.
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What's So Great About the Recipe?
My favorite part about this recipe has to be the fact that it is super comforting and incredibly easy to make.
It is the perfect cooling recipe to try during the hot summers, when you want to enjoy a light meal that doesn’t take too long to make.
Ingredients For the White Kadhi Recipe
You’ll need just a few simple ingredients for the Gujarati kadhi recipe.
Yogurt: You’ll need to start off with thick curd or yogurt, which will form the base for the kadhi.
Green chilies: I used a bit of green chilli paste to lend the kadhi a bit of spicy flavor. You can choose to use chopped green chillies if you want to.
Ginger: Fresh ginger adds a delicious spicy undertone to the kadhi. Substitute with ginger powder if you don’t have fresh ginger.
Gram flour: Besan aka gram flour aka chickpea flour is a little secret ingredient here that does all the magic and gets the Gujarati kadhi to that perfect creamy and rich consistency.
Mustard seeds: Mustard seeds, when added to the tempering, lend a nice bit of texture and aroma to the curry.
Cumin seeds: Cumin seeds are again, another must for the tempering.
Curry leaves: I also added some curry leaves to the tempering aka tadka, which really added to the flavor of the dish.
Salt & sugar: To season the kadhi, you’ll need some salt and sugar. Start with a little, give it a taste and adjust to your liking.
Oil: You’ll also need some oil for the tempering.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Gujarati White Kadhi
Ready with all the ingredients? Here’s what you’ll need to do to make Gujarati kadhi.
Step 1: Start by combining the yogurt and besan along with green chilli paste, ginger, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Whisk it well until you see no lumps, and the kadhi mixture has a creamy, smooth consistency.
Step 2: In a pot, heat the ghee or oil, add mustard seeds and let them crackle. Now add the remaining ingredients, cook for a minute and then carefully add the yogurt mixture.
Turn down the heat, let the kadhi simmer for 5-7 minutes and let it come to a boil, stirring continuously. Take the kadhi off heat, garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot!
Substitutions & Variations
- If you want to lend some more delicious ‘Indian’ flavor to this kadhi, you can use ghee instead of oil for the tempering.
- Looking for a healthier way to add the sweet taste to the kadhi? Swap the sugar in the recipe for some jaggery instead.
- Fenugreek seeds, cloves and dried red chilies are all great additions to consider adding into the tempering for a bit of extra flavor.
💭Top Tip
Remember that this version of kadhi doesn’t have turmeric powder or any pakoras added in, and isn’t typically served with khichdi, but rather with rice.
Equipment
How to Store Leftover White Kadhi
Your leftover Gujarati kadhi can be refrigerated for up to 2 days, reheated in a microwave or in a pot and then enjoyed with your steamed rice.
Since this is a yogurt-based curry, I would recommend storing it for no longer than two days, as the curry can start to taste a bit sour.
And if you still have a bit of extra yogurt that you want to put to use, you can whip up a nice cucumber and mint raita or a Turkish yogurt dip or even a cooling yogurt soup.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- Getting the sweet and spicy curd mixture right is the key to getting this Gujrati kadhi recipe right.
- Since this kadhi is a yogurt-based gravy, you won’t need to add any water into it to get the kadhi to the right consistency.
- Always use sour yogurt when making white kadhi. The mixture of sour yogurt and chickpea flour is what helps make kadhi sweet and sour.
- Remember to prepare the tempering on medium heat, as the seeds and curry leaves can crackle when you add them in the oil.
- To lend the classic rustic flavor, you can also add a pinch of asafoetida into the tempering at the end, after you take it off heat.
- Also make sure you reduce the flame and simmer the kadhi for a few minutes, but remember never to boil it over.
How to Serve Gujarati Kadhi
This sour and sweet white kadhi makes for the perfect comfort food when served with some rice and a crunchy salad or poppadom. Garlic turmeric rice can be a great teammate to the kadhi.
I personally love serving it with a nice side dish like some oven roasted sweet potatoes or a chutney like tomato peanut chutney.
If you have a few extra minutes, you can quickly put together some Air Fryer cauliflower steaks, which work amazingly well with the kadhi. And of course, some minty buttermilk to finish it all up!
FAQs
You can! Just remember to strain the yogurt and remove the excess water before using it. The idea is to use thick yogurt to get that perfect creamy texture.
You can use Greek yogurt too! Make sure you use unsweetened, unflavored plain Greek yogurt to get the perfect taste.
Related Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Gujarati White Kadhi
Ingredients
- 3 cup yogurt
- 1 tablespoon chickpea flour
- ½ teaspoon green chili paste
- ½ teaspoon ginger chopped
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 5-6 curry leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon oil
Instructions
- Start by combining the yogurt and besan along with green chilli paste, ginger, salt and sugar in a large bowl.
- Whisk it well until you see no lumps, and the kadhi mixture has a creamy, smooth consistency.
- In a pot, heat the ghee or oil, add mustard seeds and let them crackle.
- Now add the remaining ingredients, cook for a minute and then carefully add the yogurt mixture.
- Turn down the heat, let the kadhi simmer for 5-7 minutes and let it come to a boil, stirring continuously.
- Take the kadhi off heat, garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot!