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Pakistani Yogurt Curry with Dumplings / Pakoray Wali Karhi

Course Main Course
Cuisine Pakistani
Keyword Curry, Main Course, Pakistani, Traditional, Vegetarian, Yogurt
Servings 4 Servings

Ingredients

Curry/ Karhi

  • 3 medium onions, cut into large chunks
  • 2 cups full-fat yogurt
  • ½ cup gram flour
  • ½ cup neutral flavored oil
  • 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
  • 4 teaspoons turmeric
  • 1½ teaspoons red chili powder
  • Salt, to taste

Dumplings/ Pakoray

  • 1½ cups gram flour
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons chopped mint
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • ½ teaspoon ginger garlic paste
  • ¾ teaspoon red chili powder
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • Salt, to taste
  • ½ - ¾ cup water (as needed)
  • Neutral flavored oil, for deep frying

Tempering/ Bhagaar

  • ½ cup neutral flavored oil
  • ½ medium onion, sliced thin
  • 4 cloves garlic, sliced thin
  • ¼ cup curry leaves
  • 1½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 4 button red chilies

Instructions

Prepare Curry/ Karhi

  1. Combine onions and water (starting with ½-cup, adding a bit more as necessary to form a smooth paste) in a blender and blitz until smooth. Transfer approximately ¼ of the blended onions to a large bowl and set aside (this will be used for the dumplings), and transfer the remaining puree to a large cooking vessel (one that will be used to cook the Karhi).

  2. Add yogurt, gram flour, and 6-cups water to the blender and blitz until smooth. Set aside.
  3. Add oil to the vessel with the larger amount of onion puree and place it on the stove over medium-high heat. Add ginger garlic paste, turmeric, red chili powder, and salt, and sauté until the oil begins to separate, about 3 to 5 minutes.

  4. Slowly add the gram flour and yogurt mixture to the pot, stirring all the while. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until thickened to desired consistency, about 1 ½ to 2 hours. If the Karhi seems to be boiling over, adjust the lid a little to allow the steam to escape. Also, if the karhi seems too thick, add more water. If it is too thin, simply cook further. Remove from heat and set aside.

Prepare Dumplings/ Pakoray

  1. Combine the prepared pureed onions, gram flour, cilantro, mint, cumin seeds, ginger garlic paste, red chili powder, baking soda, and salt.
  2. Starting with ½-cup water, gently stir in water to form a thick batter, adding more as needed. The consistency should be such that it can run from a spoon in a thick stream, and can hold its shape when fried.

  3. Heat oil in a wok over medium heat. To test if the oil is ready, drop a little bit of the pakora batter into it. The batter should begin to sizzle and rise to the surface of the oil within a few seconds. Drop heaping tablespoons of the batter into the hot oil and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the pakoray directly to Karhi once cooked through.

Prepare Tempering/ Bhagaar

  1. Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and fry until the edges begin to lightly brown. Add garlic, curry leaves, cumin seeds, and dried red chilies. Stir and sauté until the onions are completely golden brown. Pour this mixture directly into Karhi and cover. Allow the Karhi to remain undisturbed for 15 minutes. Stir and serve.

Recipe Notes

Curry leaves can readily be found at local South Asian grocery markets.

Pakora batter can be prepared earlier on during the cooking process. Simply fry once the Karhi has been prepared. It is important to note that the Karhi should be warm when adding the pakoray, but the stove must be turned off. If the Karhi was prepared earlier on, simply warm it up, turn off the heat, and add fried pakoray. Leaving the stove on while adding the pakoray will toughen them up, and you will no longer have the melt-in-your-mouth characteristic of a classic Pakoray wali Karhi.