Khaana | भारत के स्वाद
Sindhi

Sindhi Kadhi

roasted gram flour and tamarind curry thick with drumstick and okra, the Sunday lunch of every Sindhi house

vegetarianvegangluten freedairy freenut freehealthier
Prep20 min
Cook45 min
Total65 min
Serves4
Difficultymoderate

Allergens: none of the common ones

Ingredients

Quantities for 4.

  • 5 tbsp Besanroasting this properly is the whole dish
  • 4 tbsp Neutral Oil
  • 1/2 tsp Fenugreek Seedswhole seeds, not kasuri methi
  • 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
  • 1/2 tsp Mustard Seedsoptional
  • 12 Curry Leaves
  • 1/4 tsp Asafoetidause compounded-free hing if you need this strictly gluten-free
  • 2 medium, chopped Tomato
  • 1 tbsp, finely grated Ginger
  • 3, slit Green Chilli
  • 1/2 tsp Turmeric
  • 1 tsp Chilli Powder
  • 2, cut into 7cm batons Drumstick
  • 150g, topped and halved Cluster Beans
  • 2 medium, quartered Potato
  • 1, in thick rounds Carrotoptional
  • 150g, whole, tops trimmed Okrafried separately so it does not go slimy
  • walnut-sized ball, soaked in 100ml hot water Tamarind
  • 3 tbsp, chopped Coriander Leavesoptional
  • 1.2 litres, hot Water
  • to taste Salt

Equipment

stovetop, kadhai

Before you start

  • Soak the tamarind in 100ml hot water for 20 minutes, then squeeze and strain out the pulp.
  • Cut all the vegetables before you start — once the besan is roasted the pot moves quickly.
  • Keep the 1.2 litres of water hot on a second burner. Cold water into hot besan is how lumps happen.

Method

  1. Heat 3 tbsp oil in a kadhai, crackle the fenugreek seeds and cumin, then the mustard seeds, curry leaves and hing.Fenugreek turns bitter fast — 10 seconds, until it just darkens, then move on.
  2. Tip in the besan and roast on low heat, stirring constantly, 8-10 minutes until it is sandy-brown and smells like toasted biscuit.This is the step people rush. Pale besan gives a raw, pasty kadhi no amount of simmering will fix.
  3. Add the tomato, ginger and green chilli and cook 3 minutes until the tomato slumps.
  4. Take the pan off the heat and pour in the hot water in a thin stream, whisking hard the whole time until smooth.Off the heat and whisking is the anti-lump insurance. If lumps form anyway, pass it through a sieve now.
  5. Return to the heat, add the turmeric, chilli powder and salt, and bring to a boil. Simmer 10 minutes — it will thin out and then start to body up.
  6. Add the drumstick and carrot and simmer 10 minutes.
  7. Add the cluster beans and potato and simmer another 12-15 minutes, until a knife slides into the potato with no resistance.
  8. Meanwhile fry the okra in the remaining 1 tbsp oil over high heat for 5-6 minutes, until the cut edges are dry and no longer ropy.Never boil okra straight into the kadhi. Frying it first is the difference between kadhi and glue.
  9. Stir in the tamarind pulp and the fried okra and simmer 5 minutes. Taste: it should be assertively sour against the nutty besan.
  10. Scatter the coriander over and let it stand 10 minutes off the heat before serving with plain rice or bhuga chawal.

Storage

Keeps 3 days refrigerated and tastes better on day two. It thickens as it sits — loosen with hot water and reheat gently, but add the okra fresh if you want it firm.

Recipe v1.0.0, last updated 2026-07-31. Curated for Khaana and kept under version control.