Pakoras
Serves 4-6 | Recipe from Sarah Monte, MFC Outreach Director
This is a classic Indian snack. Serve hot out of the pan with one of the chutneys in this booklet. In the unlikely event you have leftovers, these are best reheated by either deep frying again or broiling in the oven.
Ingredients
1 C chickpea flour (besan)
1 t baking powder
1 t salt
1 t tandoori masala mix (in the bulk spice section of the co-op)
½ t ground cumin
1 C water
¼ C chopped cilantro
½- 1 whole jalapeno, minced
1 ½ t fresh ginger, minced
Approx. 2 C fresh veggies. Try finely chopped potato, finely chopped cauliflower, or roughly chopped onions. Use just one option or a mix.
Enough oil for deep frying. You’ll want it to be at least 1.5-2 “deep in the pot
Instructions
Whisk together the dry ingredients - chickpea flour, baking powder, salt, tandoori masala, and cumin.
Add water and stir until smooth and fully mixed. Add remaining ingredients and let rest for about 20 minutes. The vegetables will release some water to make your batter al ittle thinner.
Meanwhile, begin heating a neutral, high heat oil such as vegetable, canola, sunflower, or grapeseed oil. You can test the oil by tossing in breadcrumbs to see if they sizzle but I strongly reccomend using a thermometer. You want the temperature to be between 350° -375°F. Any lower and your pakoras will be greasy, any higher and you risk burning the exterior while the interior is raw.
Once the temperature is above 360° F (temp will drop once you add the batter so it’s good to start higher) use a large spoon to scoop up your pakora batter. Carefully slide the scoop into the oil, never drop it, you risk splattering yourself with hot oil. There will be some small pieces that break away, this is normal.
You can cook multiple pakoras at once but you should not crowd the pan too much. Watch the pakoras, checking for a golden brown color. You may want to turn them at least once to get even browing.
Once the pakoras turn golden brown, scoop them out with a spider or slotted spoon and set aside to drain. Some people place them on paper towel, but I prefer to put a cooling rack over a cookie sheet so the oil can drain away from the pakoras. Scoop out as much of the small crumbs that may be in the oil and add the next batch.
Enjoy immediately!
