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These Indo-Burmese Kadhi noodles are comfort food that you’ve got to try! Noodles simmered in mustard seed curry leaf spiced yogurt broth topped with spiced roasted veggies! Soyfree Nutfree
Table of Contents
Kadhi is a yogurt-based sauce or soup that is part of Indian cuisine. There are different recipes based on the state.
Punjabi kadhi usually has some fried fritters added to it. Marwari kadhi has crisp papadam or some sliced onion added to it. Maharashtrian kadhi is usually thinner and lighter.
There are tons of variations of kadhi. It’s super delicious with just a few spices and just some yogurt and chickpea flour to make a thin or thick sauce.
My husband’s mom used to feed him kadhi noodles when he was growing up, and when he told me about it, I was super surprised because that’s such an unusual combination.
Kadhi noodles is also a dish that is served in Burmese cuisine. But this is not the authentic Burmese version(kadhi khow suey). This vegan kadhi noodles recipe is based on my husband’s recollection of the kadhi noodles that his mom used to make, that I then modified and made into a more ramen-style dish with roasted vegetables to top it.
This kadhi ramen is comfort food with amazing flavors, so you’ve got to try it. Add a serving of my crispy breaded tofu for a heartier meal!
Why You’ll Love Vegan Kadhi
- easy to make but still packed with flavor
- Who doesn’t love noodles in a creamy sauce?
- gluten-free option
- one-pot meal
More One-Pot noodles Recipes
Kadhi Noodles
Ingredients
For the veggies and the tadka (spiced oil)
- 2 teaspoons oil
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds, optional
- 8-10 curry leaves, , fresh, frozen or dried
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 3-4 cloves
- 3/4 teaspoon turmeric, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, or Indian red chili powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1 cup chopped cauliflower, (heaping cup or more and small chopped cauliflower)
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced or chopped carrots, or add other vegetables that you like
For the noodles:
- 4 cups of water or broth
- 5 ounces of ramen, or udon noodles
For the kadhi:
- 1/4 cup nondairy yogurt, or you can use coconut cream
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chickpea flour, or you can use 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
For topping and garnish:
- sesame seeds, hemp seeds, chopped cilantro, green onion, lime juice
Instructions
Make the tempering(spiced oil) and the roasted vegetables.
- Heat a large, deep skillet over medium high heat, and add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and fenugreek seeds and cook until they start to sizzle pretty rapidly. Depending on your stove, this will happen within a few seconds, or it will take at least half a minute.
- Once the seeds are sizzling and have changed color significantly — the mustard seeds will lighten and the cumin seeds will darken — reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic, 1/4 teaspoon turmeric, and cayenne and mix in. Cook for a few seconds, then add in the curry leaves carefully and mix in.
- Now, add in the chopped cauliflower and carrots and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Mix this really well, the. Cook uncovered for 2-3 mins to brown some edges. Then cover with the lid and cook until the cauliflower is cooked to preference. Check in after 6 or 7 minutes. If the skillet is drying out too much, add 1-2 tablespoons of water and continue to cook until the vegetables are tender but not absolutely cooked through. I like to keep them tender-crisp. Remove most of these vegetables to add in later. Do not remove all of the tempering spices from the pan, so leave most of the seeds, garlic, etc. in the pan.
- Add in the water or broth and the remaining salt and mix in. Once it starts to come to a boil, add and press and mix in the noodles. Cover and cook for 8 to 9 minutes, if you're using udon noodles. Cook for just 3 to 4 minutes for ramen noodles. The time depends on the type of noodles you're using. See the package for the time.
Make your kadhi mixture while the noodles are cooking.
- In a bowl mix in the yogurt, flour, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric and set aside. If the yogurt mixture is too thick and you're having difficulty mixing the chickpea flour in, add in 1/4 cup of water at a time.
Make the kadhi noodles.
- Check if the noodles are al dente, then mix them well and add in the yogurt mixture. Once the yogurt mixture is incorporated into the noodles and the broth, bring it to a good boil and let it cook for 2 to 3 minutes to cook out the chickpea flour flavor. If the mixture is thickening too much, you can add in 1/2 cup or more broth at this point and continue boiling. Taste and adjust salt, flavor, and heat, as needed.
- Add in a squeeze of lime juice, fold in ana third of the roasted veggies, and switch off the heat. Then plate in your serving bowls by taking some noodles out of the pan and taking some of the kadhi sauce , pouring it in and then top with the roasted veggies, seeds, green onion, cilantro and lime. To make a heartier meal, add some crisped breaded tofu or crisped garam masala spiced vegan chicken!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- tempering – The tempering/tadka (spiced oil) brings so much flavor to this sauce! It combines a little bit of oil with mustard, cumin, and fenugreek seeds along with curry leaves, garlic, turmeric, and cayenne. If you can’t find fenugreek seeds, it’s fine to omit them.
- veggies – My version uses cauliflower and carrots, but feel free to use any veggies that you like!
- noodles – You can use ramen or udon noodles for this recipe.
- broth or water – allows you to cook the veggies in the same pot as the sauce.
- non-dairy yogurt – This is the base for the vegan kadhi. You can use coconut cream, instead, if you prefer.
- chickpea flour – The flour thickens the kadhi. You can use all-purpose flour instead if needed.
- garnishes/toppings – Sesame seeds, cilantro, green onion, and lime juice bring zesty flavors and some extra texture to your vegan kadhi noodles.
Tips
- When you add the noodles to the pan, make sure that you press it into the liquid. This will help prevent it sticking to itself while cooking.
- Curry leaves tend to pop and sizzle when you add them to the pan, so be careful when you drop them in.
- When you remove the veggies from the pan, make sure to leave behind as much of the spices and oil as you can, since this brings so much flavor to the sauce!
- Keep the veggies in a covered bowl, so they don’t get cold while you finish the sauce.
How to Make Kadhi Noodles
Heat a large, deep skillet over medium high heat, and add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and fenugreek seeds and cook until they start to sizzle pretty rapidly.
Depending on your stove, this will happen within a few seconds, or it will take at least half a minute.
Once the seeds are sizzling and have changed color significantly — the mustard seeds will lighten and the cumin seeds will darken — reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic, 1/4 teaspoon turmeric, and cayenne and mix in.
Cook for a few seconds, then add in the curry leaves carefully and mix in.
Now, add in the chopped cauliflower and carrots and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Mix this really well, and cook uncovered for 3-4 mins to sear some edges, then cover with the lid and cook until the cauliflower is cooked to preference.
Check in after 6 or 7 minutes. If the skillet is drying out too much, add 1-2 tablespoons of water and continue to cook until the vegetables are tender but not absolutely cooked through. I like to keep them tender-crisp.
Remove most of the vegetables to add in later. Do not remove all of the spices from the pan, so leave most of the seeds, garlic, etc. in the pan.
Add in the water or broth and the remaining salt and mix in. Once it starts to come to a boil, mix in the noodles. Press the noodles in. Cover and cook for 8 to 9 minutes, if you’re using udon noodles. Cook for just 3 to 4 minutes for ramen noodles. The time depends on the type of noodles you’re using. See the package for the time.
Make your kadhi mixture while the noodles are cooking. In a bowl mix in the yogurt, chickpea flour, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric and set aside. If the yogurt mixture is too thick and you’re having difficulty mixing the chickpea flour in, add in 1/4 cup of water at a time.
Now, check if the noodles are al dente, then mix them well and add in the yogurt mixture.
Once the yogurt mixture is incorporated into the noodles and the broth, bring it to a good boil and let it cook for two to three minutes to cook the chickpea flour flavor. If the mixture is thickening too much, you can add in 1/2 cup or more broth at this point and continue boiling.
Taste and adjust salt, flavor, and heat, as needed. Then, add in a squeeze of lime juice, fold in some of the roasted veggies and switch off the heat.
Plate the vegan kadhi noodles in your serving bowls by taking some noodles out of the pan and taking some of the kadhi broth and roasted veggies to top the noodles.
Frequently Asked Questions
Kadhi is a yogurt-based sauce or soup that is part of Indian cuisine from different states. There are different recipes for kadhi depending on the state.
Traditional kadhi does contain dairy, but it is very easy to make it dairy-free by using non-dairy yogurt.
It definitely can be! Just make sure you’re using gluten-free noodles and the chickpea flour option in the kadhi.
Yes! Make sure you choose soy-free non-dairy yogurt, and you’re all good.
Yes! Make sure you choose nut-free non-dairy yogurt. Some people with nut allergies are also allergic to chickpeas, so you may want to also use the all-purpose flour option.
This was delicious! I added some tofu into the broth for the last couple minutes of cooking. I love that it was one pot.
Yay! Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Fantastic, unique, comforting food. I think I’m going to make it (again) ahead of time and eat it for breakfast. Love that the besan and nondairy yogurt (I used Trader Joe’s cashew yogurt) add some protein.
so glad you enjoyed!
This sounds so good! But what do you recommend serving with it? I find your suggested portion sizes are often really small – <300 calories is not enough for a meal for many people!
My Breaded crispy tofu or some crisped up vegan chicken or meats