Baking Soda vs Baking Powder: Pakoras, Naan and the Acidity Risk

A quarter teaspoon. That’s the whole difference between a naan that rises soft and one that tastes soapy and turns a strange yellow. In the baking soda vs baking powder confusion, remember that meetha soda and baking powder look identical in the jar but aren’t interchangeable, and one of them is also misused as a stomach remedy.

Baking soda vs baking powder: what’s the difference

Meetha soda, khane ka soda, cooking soda, bicarbonate of soda: all the same thing. When it meets something acidic and moisture, it releases carbon dioxide gas, and those bubbles lift the batter. On its own with no acid, it doesn’t rise much and leaves a bitter, soapy taste and a yellowish colour.

Baking powder is soda already mixed with a powdered acid and a little starch to keep it dry. Most packets are “double acting”: a first set of bubbles when wet, a second burst in the heat of the oven or tawa. You can use it in recipes without any dahi or lemon.

Two quick freshness checks, because both lose power in humid kitchens:

1. Soda: add 1/4 teaspoon to 2 tablespoons vinegar or lemon juice. Strong fizzing straight away means it’s good.
2. Baking powder: add 1 teaspoon to 1/4 cup hot water. Lively bubbles mean good; lazy bubbles mean replace it.

Rule of thumb for swaps: 1 teaspoon baking powder ≈ 1/4 teaspoon soda plus an acid (like 1/2 cup dahi or 1 teaspoon lemon juice in the recipe). Going the other way, 1/4 teaspoon soda ≈ about 1 teaspoon baking powder, though swaps rarely come out identical, so try a small batch first.

Don’t confuse either with washing soda (sodium carbonate), sold for laundry and drains. It’s much harsher, it isn’t food, and it can burn the mouth and gut, so keep it in a separate cupboard, never in the kitchen spice shelf. Also, “Eno” style fruit salts are a mix of soda and citric acid; they’re a pharmacy product, not a baking ingredient, even though some dhokla recipes use them. The acid half of that mix is the same tatri in your cupboard.

How much in pakoras

Honestly, pakoras don’t need soda. Thick batter, hot oil and a little rice flour make them crisp. Soda makes them puffier but they absorb more oil and go soft faster. If you want it:

1. For 1 cup (about 100 g) besan, use a pinch, about 1/8 teaspoon meetha soda. Never more than 1/4 teaspoon.
2. Add it at the very end, just before frying, not an hour earlier. The gas escapes as the batter sits.
3. Alternatively, stir in 1 teaspoon hot oil from the karahi into the batter. Many cooks do this instead of soda for a lighter bite.
4. Fry at 170 to 175 °C.

Full batter ratios are in our besan cooking guide, and oil reuse is in the cooking oil guide.

How much in naan (tawa or oven)

Makes 6 naan. This uses both, because dahi gives the soda its acid and the powder gives an extra lift.

1. In a bowl mix 2 cups (about 250 g) maida, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon meetha soda, 1 teaspoon sugar and 3/4 teaspoon salt.
2. Add 1/2 cup dahi (at room temperature) and 2 tablespoons oil. Mix into crumbs.
3. Add about 1/3 cup warm milk or water gradually, kneading into a soft, slightly sticky dough for 5 minutes.
4. Cover and rest 2 hours in a warm place. With no yeast, this rest is when the flour relaxes and the dahi works.
5. Divide into 6 balls, roll into ovals about 5 mm thick, sprinkle kalonji and press in.
6. Cook on a very hot cast iron tawa until bubbles appear, flip, then cook the top directly over a flame with tongs, or bake at 240 °C for 6 to 8 minutes. Brush with butter.

Soapy taste or yellow spots in the naan mean too much soda or not enough dahi to balance it.

Soda in chana and daal soaking

A pinch of soda softens tough kabuli chana, lobia or old rajma much faster, which is why cholay walay use it. It works by making the water alkaline, which breaks down the skins.

1. For 1 cup dry chana, soak in 4 cups water with 1/4 teaspoon meetha soda for 8 to 10 hours.
2. Drain and rinse well. Cook in fresh water, not the soaking water.
3. Pressure cook 5 to 6 whistles, or simmer 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

The trade-off: alkaline cooking destroys some of the B vitamins (particularly thiamine) in pulses, and too much soda turns chana mushy and soapy. Better options first: buy fresher chana, soak longer, or add a teaspoon of salt to the soak. Keep soda for really old stock.

The “soda for acidity” habit: why it’s risky

Sodium bicarbonate does neutralise stomach acid, and it’s an ingredient in some pharmacy antacids. That’s why a little in water feels like it works. The trouble is using it at home, repeatedly, with guessed amounts.

For gentler kitchen approaches and myths like cold milk for heartburn, see our acidity and heartburn guide.

More pantry basics in Desi Remedies.