Shrimp in Kadhi (Shrimp in Yogurt Curry)
Updated October 16, 2025
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
- Ready In
- 35 min
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
1 pound large peeled, deveined shrimp
Kosher salt
3 tablespoons chickpea flour (see Tip)
½ teaspoon Kashmiri chile powder (or other mild red chile powder)
¾ teaspoon turmeric
1 ½ cups plain whole-milk yogurt
1 tablespoon ghee or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds (see Tip)
¼ cup chopped cilantro, plus sprigs for serving (see Tip)
1 green Thai chile, halved lengthwise, optional
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, plus more for serving
Basmati rice, for serving
Preparation
- Step 1
Pat shrimp dry with paper towels and season all over with 1 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
- Step 2
Add 2 cups of water to a 4-cup measuring cup or medium bowl. Add chickpea flour, chile powder, turmeric and 1 teaspoon salt. Whisk very well until the chickpea flour is dissolved. Add yogurt and whisk until combined.
- Step 3
Heat a medium pot over medium-high. Add ghee and mustard seeds. Once mustard seeds begin to sizzle and pop, add cilantro, green chile (if using) and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until garlic is fragrant and beginning to turn golden brown. Add yogurt mixture and bring to a boil, continuing to stir until it comes to a boil to prevent the mixture from splitting.
- Step 4
Once boiling, reduce heat to medium, place a wooden spoon inside to break the surface tension and prevent the kadhi from boiling over, and continue to simmer until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. The final consistency should be similar to a gravy. (Kadhi can be made up to 3 days in advance and refrigerated. Bring to a simmer over medium heat before proceeding with the next step).
- Step 5
Remove from heat and stir shrimp into kadhi. Cover the pot and simmer until shrimp are pink and just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Stir in lemon juice, taste, and season with more salt if desired.
- Step 6
Serve over basmati rice, topped with more cilantro and green chile, if desired, with lemon wedges alongside.
Chickpea flour is made from finely ground chickpeas. Find it in the natural foods section of many supermarkets.
Instead of black mustard seeds, you can use whole cumin seeds or crushed coriander seeds.
Instead of cilantro, you can substitute a sprig of curry leaves, dill or basil.
Private Notes
Comments
What gives the Kadhi in India its unique flavor and a slight bitterness is fenugreek seeds. These would be added here about 30 seconds before the mustard seeds are added to the ghee. Use at least as much fenugreek seeds as mustard seeds if you are looking for that Indian Kadhi aroma and flavor. Once you realize how good fenugreek is for you, you might want to put another half a spoon. The seeds would retain their flavor and slight bitterness even after all the cooking but it's not unpleasant.
I am thinking one might sub falafel instant mix for the plain chickpea flour?
This is delicious! And easy. I also want to add that as an Indian, it makes me genuinely teary-eyed (in a good way) when I see a recipe like this, with the word "kadhi" in it. That's a word I only ever heard growing up, one I never expected to see in the NYT. Also, re: the comment below: Not all kadhis contain fenugreek seeds. Yes, that's in some dishes, but regional kadhis vary a LOT. Please don't speak in broad strokes about Indian dishes as though they're a single entity.
Made exactly as written…and for me, at least, this was not very good at all. I've had kadhi before, but this was borderline bland and felt like it was missing something. Fortunately, the recipe calls for shrimp to be added at the end, so I reserved half to mix with spices and breadcrumbs to fry separately.
we didn't have chickpea flour so ground up dried garbanzo beans. It took a few minutes but worked perfectly.
Added ginger along with the garlic, and baby spinach to wilt at the end. Delicious