Vegetable Pakora

Sandi (From CA)'s Note:

Simple and fast, yet delicious, these Indian battered and deep fried vegetable bits are great served by themselves as a snack or as an appetizer or side dish. Might I shamelessly suggest my Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani) as a main dish? Serving size depends on how many other items are on one's plate to fill up on!

• Total Time: 15 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 5 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 2

BATTER

• 1 cup chickpea flour (besan)
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup water

VEGETABLES

• 1 -2 green chili, chopped (jalapeno or your choice depending on heat pref.)
• 1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
• 1 potatoes or 1 yam, sliced 1/4 thick
• 1 small cauliflower, broken into very small florets
• 1 cup spinach leaves, torn
• 1 1/2 cups onions, halved and sliced

Directions:

1. Boil the potato or yam slices until *just* tender, being careful not to overcook.
2. Mix batter ingredients well. Beat in a blender for 4-5 minutes to incorporate air (this will make the batter fluffier). Let batter rest 1/2 hour in a warm place.
3. Add the vegetables and mix in evenly.
4. Deep fry in oil that is heated to 375° until deep brown (somewhere between 4-6 minutes per batch). Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.
5. Serve with cilantro or mint chutney or cucumber raita.

Reviews

[UmmHumza]

During Ramadan pakoras are everywhere. I always wanted to make them but had no clue how to. I love loved this recipe. The directions were easy and the results were so tasty. I must admit that I added a few more veggies and made "pakora balls". I ended up doubling the amount of batter in order to cover the veggies. I used cauliflower, eggplant (chopped),green chilie, onion, potato, and carrot (grated).The only thing I found was that it took me a lot longer then 15 min cook time and 10 min prep. This was probably because I had a few more vegetables to slice. These were just perfect! Thanks for Posting the recipe.

[UmmIbrahim]

Good one Sandi, a great way to get the the kids eating more veggies too. My son used this recipe for school, they all had to bring in a food mentioned in the book 'kiterunner' and being a fan of pakora this was what he volunteered. The entire calss enjoyed it and the teacher confessed it was her favorite of the dishes offered. Thanks for a great recipe!

[VegeTara]

I used this recipe to make pakoras for the first time and it was just fabulous! Thanks for sharing.