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Sindhi kadhi is a spiced Indian vegetable curry thickened with chickpea flour. It’s a versatile curry that you can make using any veggies that you have on hand! (soy-free, nut-free with gluten-free option)
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Sindhi kadhi – a creamy, dairy-free Indian curry – is absolutely packed with flavors! Kadhi is usually a creamy simply spiced yogurt and chickpea flour sauce. This kadhi from sindhi cuisine uses just chickpea flour and whole spices. Sindhi cuisine is is the cuisine from the region of Sindh in Pakistan and India and has influences from Iranian, Mughal and central Asian cuisines. It has many specific recipes and this kadhi is one of them.
Sindhi kadhi starts with a layer of whole spices, like cumin and fenugreek seeds. Then you add savory aromatics – ginger and green chili. The next layer of flavor comes from ground turmeric and cayenne pepper. There is no onion and garlic in this recipe, we use asafetida(hing) for the garlicky flavor. you can add some onion and garlic if you like.
But this amazing curry doesn’t stop there!
Adding tomato, tamarind, and lime juice near the end of cooking rounds out the amazing flavor profile of this dish.
Instead of dairy, Sindhi kadhi gets its creaminess from chickpea flour, which you roast with the aromatics. As it cooks, it absorbs the water and yields a rich, creamy broth, no yogurt or cream needed.
Why You’ll Love Sindhi Kadhi
- absolutely flavor-packed Indian curry
- use any veggies you like!
- naturally dairy-free, soy-free, and nut-free with easy gluten-free option
More Creamy Curries
What to Serve with Sindhi Kadhi
Serve with rice, flatbread, or naan to make this a meal. It’s also great over potatoes, like my jeera aloo, or served as a soup!
Sindhi Kadhi
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1/3 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- 1/8 teaspoon asafetida hing, omit to make gluten-free or use a certified gluten-free asafetida
- 8 to 10 curry leaves, fresh or frozen
- 1 tablespoon chopped ginger
- 1 hot green chili finely chopped
- 1/4 cup chickpea flour or besan
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 3.5 cups of water, room temperature or luke warm
- 3/4 teaspoon or more salt
- 1.5 to 2 cups small chopped veggies, potatoes, green beans, carrots, cauliflower etc
- 1 tomato finely chopped
- 2 to 3 teaspoon tamarind paste , or 1 to 2 tbsp tamarind pulp, dry tamarind pods soaked in hot water, pulp reserved and the seeds removed
- 1/2 teaspoon lime juice or to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil over medium heat in a saucepan. When the oil is hot, add cumin and fenugreek seeds and cook until they change color and get fragrant. Stir frequently. 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add asafetida and curry leaves carefully. Once the sputtering has died down, add ginger and green chili and cook for a minute. Add the chickpea flour and mix in. Roast the chickpea flour for 3 to 4 minutes, stir every minute.
- Add turmeric, cayenne and 1 cup of water and mix in. Use a whisk if needed. Mix until all of the chickpea flour is well dissolved and there are no lumps.
- Add rest of the water, salt, and veggies. Mix, cover and cook over medium heat for 17 to 18 minutes.
- Add in the tomatoes, tamarind, and lime juice, and mix in. Reduce heat to medium low. Partially cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust salt, tang, and heat. Add a dash of sugar or jaggery if needed and mix in. Serve over rice, with roasted potatoes, or as a soup.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- oil – To toast the spices and to sauté.
- whole spices – You’ll use cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, asafetida, and curry leaves. Omit the asafetida for gluten-free.
- aromatics – Ginger and green chili bring flavor and heat to this dish.
- chickpea flour – You can use chickpea flour or besan in this recipe.
- ground spices – Turmeric and cayenne bring even more flavor and heat to your Sindhi kadhi.
- water – To hydrate the chickpea flour.
- veggies – Use whatever veggies you like or have handy, like potatoes, green beans, carrots, cauliflower, okra, etc.
- tomato – Adds umami richness to the curry sauce.
- tamarind paste – Adds sweetness and tang.
- lime juice – For even more tang!
💡 Tips
- Keep a close eye on the whole spices while roasting them, so they don’t burn.
- It’s important to stir the chickpea flour frequently, as well, so it doesn’t burn while you roast it.
- If the curry is too hot at the end, a little bit or sugar or jaggery will offset that heat.
How to Make Sindhi Kadhi
Heat oil over medium heat in a saucepan. When the oil is hot, add cumin and fenugreek seeds and cook until they change color and get fragrant. Stir frequently. 1 to 2 minutes.
Add asafetida and curry leaves carefully. Once the sputtering has died down, add ginger and green chili and cook for a minute. Add the chickpea flour and mix in. Roast the chickpea flour for 3 to 4 minutes, stir every minute.
Add turmeric, cayenne and 1 cup of water and mix in. Use a whisk if needed. Mix until all of the chickpea flour is well dissolved and there are no lumps.
Add rest of the water, salt, and veggies. Mix, cover and cook over medium heat for 17 to 18 minutes.
Add in the tomatoes, tamarind, and lime juice, and mix in. Reduce heat to medium low.
Partially cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust salt, tang, and heat. Add a dash of sugar or jaggery if needed and mix in.
Serve over rice, with roasted potatoes, or as a soup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sindhi kadhi is dairy-free, nut-free, and soy-free. To make it gluten-free, simply omit the asafetida and add in 2 minced cloves of garlic along with the ginger.
Asafetifa (hing) powder can have wheat flour or starch. You can also find gluten-free asafetida which has rice flour and use that.
Can dried curry leaves work as well? It’s tricky finding fresh curry leaves where I live!
Yes!
Yesterday I made this special kadhi. The flavours are out of this world! Paired it with some fluffy rice. So nutritious and satisfying!
Yay! Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Could you make this in an instapot? Thanks!
yes, probably 2 mins manual hi pressure at step 4 (or try low pressure). Then quick release and mix in tomatoes,tamarind etc and saute for 2 mins. Veggies might overcook in the instant pot.
Yes, follow still step 4 on saute then pressure cook for 3 mins then quick release after 5 mins
Thank you!
I’ve made this a bunch of times, and love it. Before I found tamarind paste, I improvised with tamarind balls. This is perfect for those times when I forget to soak legumes the night before, and don’t want tofu or lentils.
What is tang, and where in the ingredient list is it? Am I missing something?
Lime juice adds the tang (its a flavor) and it is listed as the last ingredient.
Hi Richa – how would I make this in my instant pot? Thanks!
probably 2 mins manual hi pressure at step 4 (or try low pressure). Then quick release and mix in tomatoes,tamarind etc and saute for 2 mins. Veggies might overcook in the instant pot.
Instant pot you could use soup setting and cook for 6 mins with npr too. Worked for me 😋
This is always my go-to recipe for using up odds and ends of vegetables I have in my fridge. And I see its vegan by accident….what’s not to like! Thankyou Richa!
Awesome!