Gujarati Kadhi is a velvety, sweet-and-sour yogurt curry. When paired with fluffy grains of rice and effortlessly steamed together in a single pot; it makes the ultimate fuss-free comfort meal.
Indian meals are often considered complex. From needing a range of ingredients to multiple steps and complex procedures. This is partially true; especially for super traditional and festive recipes. Undhiyu, bharela bateta ringda, baingan bharta are in this category.
However, everyday recipes that are made in Gujarati households are easy to make, quick and always delicious. A great balance of sweet, spicy, salty and sour; these are things Gujaratis make day in and out.
These recipes include bhinda bateta nu shaak, Gujarati dal, kobi no sambharo, Gujarati kadi and white pulao. Plus, there is paratha, rotli and puri.
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What is Gujarati Kadhi
If there is one meal that defines comfort in a Gujarati household, it is the soul-warming combination of kadhi and rice. A curry made with chickpea flour, yogurt and spices, Gujarati kadhi is thinner than Punjabi kadhi. It has no pakoras and is a tad bit sweeter than other kinds of kadhi.
White rice is the perfect companion to this kadhi. Soft fluffy grains of rice and a sweet, sour ansd spicy kadhi makes a great meal. Pair it with crunchy papad or salad and it makes such a comforting meal.
Why use the Instant Pot
Traditionally, this meal of kadhi and rice requires multiple pots. A pressure cooker for the rice, a pot and tempering pan for the kadhi. Plus, there is constant stirring to ensure the delicate yogurt base doesn't curdle.
However, the Instant Pot completely changes the game. By using the Pot-in-Pot (PIP) method, you can achieve a silky, tangy-sweet Kadhi and perfectly fluffy rice simultaneously.
This makes it a true weeknight hero that delivers authentic flavor with minimal cleanup. And yes, the results are just like the traditional recipe without a compromise.
Why this recipe works
- It is super quick to make the rice and kadhi together using the pot-in-pot (PIP) method.
- Everything is cooked in one go, making it a mess-free recipe.
- The entire recipe does not need the stovetop, making it perfect for camping too.
- No more standing over the stove, stirring constantly to prevent curdling.
- You get that signature khatti-meethi (sour-sweet) flavor profile without the stress.
- The flavor profile of kadhi and the add-ins in rice are easy to modify.
Ingredients and Substitutions
For the Kadhi
- Yogurt and water: The starting point of kadhi is sour yogurt. Store bought or homemade yogurt works. Simply place a bowl of non-sour yogurt on the counter for a few hours to turn slightly sour. Add water to get the right consistency.
- Chickpea flour: The thickening agent in the kadhi is besan or chickpea flour. Easily available at Indian stores, a small bit of besan goes a long way. So add only as much as required. It also keeps the yogurt from curdling when heated.
- Whole Spices: A bunch of whole spices make the kadhi flavorful. Mustard seeds, cumin seeds, cloves, curry leaves, cinnamon stick, and dried red chili work well. Moreover, adding some fenugreek seeds is a great idea. Try not to skip the asafetida as it adds depth to the flavor and curry leaves add the authentic Indian flavor.
- Seasonings: Salt and sugar are the spices we add in he kadhi. If the yogurt is not too sour, simply add some lemon juice for tartness. Some chopped cilantro is also great in the recipe.
- Ginger & Chili: A little ginger makes the kadhi flavorful. And the spice comes from green chili. Add large pieces of chili if you would like to remove it after cooking. Else mince it and let it remain in the kadhi.
- Ghee: A little ghee is used to temper the Gujarati kadhi. I like to use my homemade ghee for this. Use any neutral oil for a Vegan version.
For the Rice
- Rice: Any kind of white rice will work for this recipe. As we need to cook the kadhi and rice together, we need rice that needs similar time to cook. Brown rice takes much longer and will remain uncooked in that time.
- Water: I use rice to cook the rice. That is the simplest. However, use vegetable stock if you would like more flavor. The ratio of rice to water is 1:1.25. This ratio works best for soft and fluffy rice.
- Ghee: A little ghee makes the rice super flavorful. However, this can be skipped too. For a Vegan version, add a little oil or skip the fat all together.
- Salt: A pinch of salt is optional but works well for the rice. Also, some cumin seeds would be great for sure.
See the recipe card for detailed ingredient information, measurements and nutrition.
How to make this recipe
1- In a bowl mix together yogurt, 1 cup 1water and chickpea flour. Using a hand blender or whisk, blend to a smooth consistency.
2- Set the Instant Pot to Sauté and Normal. Add ghee and wait till the display reads Hot.
3- Then add the mustard seeds.
4- Then add the cumin seeds, asafetida, curry leaves, dried red and green chili, cinnamon and cloves.
5- Once the seeds pop, add in the ginger along with the chili ginger paste. Mix well and let the ginger cook for a minute.
6- Next add in the yogurt chickpea flour mixture and mix well.
7- Also add 2 cups water.
8- Mix everything well and add sugar and salt.
9- Wash the rice and add them to a steel bowl. Add water, salt and ghee.
10- Place a trivet in the middle of the kadhi.
11- Then place the rice container on it.
12- Press Cancel on the Instant Pot and then press Soup mode. Set mode to Normal and time to 6 minutes. Close the lid and set the valve to sealing.
13- Let the rice and Gujarati kadhi cook. Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Then release the remaining pressure and open the Instant Pot.
14- Using tongs remove the bowl with rice.
15- Sprinkle cilantro on the Gujarati kadhi and mix well.
16- Serve kadhi warm.
Serving Suggestions
Gujarati kadhi is great to enjoy in a meal. Pair it with the prepared rice, this carrot pickle and papad. Plus some kachumbar is great. If making quinoa instead of rice, that works too. Moreover, it is great to add some tadka with cumin seeds to make jeera rice.
Serve this kadhi and rice along with some soft Gujarati phulka or thepla. The earthy bitterness of the fenugreek in the thepla balances the sweetness in the Kadhi. Pair it with a dry sabji like potato okra stir fry, jeera aloo or Brussels sprouts stir-fry.
Storage and Reheating
Any leftover kadhi is easy to store. Simply bring to room temperature and pop into a glass or stainless steel container. Avoid plastics for this. Then pop in the refrigerator and store up to 3-5 days.
To reheat, simply add some warm water and boil on medium flame on the stovetop. Microwave tends to heat food unevenly and is not the best option here. Adjust the consistency and serve.
As we make Gujarati kadhi with yogurt and besan, it tends split and curdle when frozen and thawed. So I would not recommend freezing the kadhi.
Expert Tips and Notes
- Avoid lumps: If there are any lumps in the yogurt chickpea flour mixture, they will remain in the kadhi. It is best to use a hand blender or a traditional wooden churner (madhani) to make the mixture lump free. Also, ensure all the besan is incorporated before proceeding.
- Water to chickpea flour ratio: Traditionally Gujarati kadhi is boiled for several minutes and it is easy to add or burn off extra water. However, as we cook the kadhi in a sealed environment, we need to have the correct ratio before we start. Having less water will result in a 'burn' warning.
- Use the right trivet: Use a netted trivet versus the one which is just a thick rim. When the thick rim is used, and a heavy bowl placed over it; the liquids remain separate within and outside the ring. The liquid inside tends to burn and give a burn warning.
- Replace rice with quinoa: It is easy to replace half or complete rice with quinoa. Use tricolor or white quinoa. Ensure the quinoa is thoroughly washed before starting. Else it tends to become bitter.
- Pick the right rice: We rely on the cooking time of the kadhi and rice for this recipe to work. So we need rice that will cook in about 6 minutes on soup mode. Pick long grain or short grain white rice. Brown rice typically takes 23 minutes to cook. Thus, it will remain undercooked here.
Recipe FAQs
Yes certainly. The soup mode is specifically for the liquid to come to a slow boil and then for the pressure to release naturally so the liquid does not come out violently from the valve. To mimic this, simply set the mode to pressure cook at low pressure. And do not release the pressure after the cooking is done. Wait for all the pressure to release before opening the instant pot.
Gujarati Kadhi curdles due to two reasons:
1- Not whisking the besan and yogurt well and they split while cooking.
2- Doing a release before all the pressure has subsided. This causes the liquid to come up violently and the kadhi tends to curdle.
The pressure cook mode is an easy substitute for the soup mode. Most recipes (including Kadhi) can be done on High Pressure too. Just reduce the cook time by 1–2 minutes to compensate for the higher heat.
Yes that is true. This happens because besan (gram flour) is a thickener. If it settles at the bottom, it can scorch. To avoid it, whisk the Gujarati kadhi base thoroughly and make sure there is no settled flour on the bottom before you put the trivet and rice bowl in.
More Instant Pot Recipes
Love this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the recipe card below & if you REALLY like it, consider a review in the comments whilst you are there, thanks!
Instant Pot Gujarati Kadhi (with Rice)
Ingredients
For the Kadhi
- 1 cup yogurt (room temperature)
- ¼ cup chickpea flour (besan)
- 3 cups water
- 3 tablespoon ghee
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ⅛ teaspoon asafetida
- 1-2 dried red chili
- 4-5 curry leaves
- 1 green chili (chopped)
- ½ inch ginger (grated)
- ⅓ teaspoon ginger chili paste
- 2-3 pieces cinnamon
- 4-5 cloves
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1½ teaspoon salt
- 3-4 stalks cilantro (chopped)
Instructions
- In a bowl mix together yogurt, water and chickpea flour. Using a hand blender or whisk, blend to a smooth consistency.1 cup yogurt, 1 cups water, ¼ cup chickpea flour
- Set the Instant Pot to Sauté and Normal. Add ghee and wait till the display reads Hot.3 tablespoon ghee
- Then add the mustard seeds.1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- Then add the cumin seeds, asafetida, curry leaves, red and green chili, cinnamon and cloves.1 teaspoon cumin seeds, ⅛ teaspoon asafetida, 1-2 dried red chili, 4-5 curry leaves, 1 green chili, 2-3 pieces cinnamon, 4-5 cloves
- Once the seeds pop, add in the ginger along with the chili ginger paste. Mix well and let the ginger cook for a minute.½ inch ginger, ⅓ teaspoon ginger chili paste
- Next add in the yogurt chickpea flour mixture and mix well.
- Also add 2 cups water.2 cups water
- Mix everything well and add sugar and salt.1 tablespoon sugar, 1½ teaspoon salt
- Wash the rice and add them to a steel bowl. Add water, salt and ghee.1 cup white rice, 1.25 cups water, ½ teaspoon ghee, ½ teaspoon salt
- Place a trivet in the middle of the kadhi.
- Then place the rice container on it.
- Press Cancel on the Instant Pot and then press Soup mode. Set mode to Normal and time to 6 minutes. Close the lid and set the valve to sealing.
- Let the rice and Gujarati kadhi cook. Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Then release the remaining pressure and open the Instant Pot.
- Using tongs remove the bowl with rice.
- Sprinkle cilantro on the Gujarati kadhi and mix well.3-4 stalks cilantro
- Serve kadhi warm with the rice.
Video
Notes
- Avoid lumps: If there are any lumps in the yogurt chickpea flour mixture, they will remain in the kadhi. It is best to use a hand blender or a traditional wooden churner (madhani) to make the mixture lump free. Also, ensure all the besan is incorporated before proceeding.
- Water to chickpea flour ratio: Traditionally Gujarati kadhi is boiled for several minutes and it is easy to add or burn off extra water. However, as we cook the kadhi in a sealed environment, we need to have the correct ratio before we start. Having less water will result in a 'burn' warning.
- Use the right trivet: Use a netted trivet versus the one which is just a thick rim. When the thick rim is used, and a heavy bowl placed over it; the liquids remain separate within and outside the ring. The liquid inside tends to burn and give a burn warning.
- Replace rice with quinoa: It is easy to replace half or complete rice with quinoa. Use tricolor or white quinoa. Ensure the quinoa is thoroughly washed before starting. Else it tends to become bitter.
- Pick the right rice: We rely on the cooking time of the kadhi and rice for this recipe to work. So we need rice that will cook in about 6 minutes on soup mode. Pick long grain or short grain white rice. Brown rice typically takes 23 minutes to cook. Thus, it will remain undercooked here.
- Instant Pot: Remember to always account for the time needed for the Instant Pot to come to pressure. The cook time listed does not account for this.
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