Indian Vegetable Pakora Recipes

PAKORA (INDIAN VEGETABLE FRITTERS)

Steps:

• Make batter: Place chickpea flour in a bowl with the spices (turmeric, cumin, coriander, fenugreek, chilli). Slow whisk in the water.
• Mix in Vegetables: Add potato, cauliflower, onion, ginger, chilli and coriander. Mix well with a wooden spoon. It should be a thick batter, almost paste-like.
• Preheat oven to 80°C/175°F - to keep cooked pakoras warm. Set a rack over a tray.
• Heat oil: Heat 4cm / 1.5" oil in a large heavy based pot to 180°C/350°F (Note 6).
• Form patties: Drop 2 tbsp of batter roughly formed into a patty shape into the oil. I use my hands (as is typical in India!) but you can also use 2 tablespoons (be careful of splash-age). Don't crowd the pot, it will lower the temperature too much.
• Fry pakoras: Fry 2 - 3 minutes until golden. Drain on paper towels. Keep cooked pakoras hot in the oven on a rack set over a tray.
• Serve: Serve pakoras with Coriander Mint Sauce or Minted Yogurt Sauce!

CRISPY VEGETABLE PAKORAS

Steps:

• Sift the chickpea flour into a medium bowl. Mix in the coriander, salt, turmeric, chili powder, garam masala and garlic.
• Make a well in the center of the flower. Gradually pour the water into the well and mix to form a thick, smooth batter.
• Over medium high heat in a large, heavy saucepan, heat the oil to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Coat the cauliflower and onions in the batter and fry them in small batches until golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels before serving.

PAKORA RECIPE | VEGETABLE PAKORA

Steps:

• Wash the veggies and cut to thin 2 inch long strips. Check the pictures in the post.
• Add them to a bowl along with ginger garlic, green chilies (or chilli flakes), salt, garam masala, mint or other herbs. Mix well & squeeze them gently to release moisture. Keep aside for 10 mins.
• Add the gram flour, rice flour (or corn starch) along with ajwain (optional). Mix well to a slightly sticky dough. If the dough is too dry, sprinkle a few tablespoons of water and mix. It must be of a sticky dough consistency and not batter consistency.
• Taste test and add more salt, garam masala or green chilies.
• Heat oil in a deep pan on a medium heat. Test by dropping a small portion of dough, it must sizzle and come up but not brown. This is the right temperature.
• Take small portions of dough and flatten with your fingers to 1½ inch size portions and gently slide to the hot oil. You won't shape it or drop it in lumps.
• Regulate the flame to medium. Do not disturb for a minute or 2 until they firm up a bit. Then stir them and fry until golden, crisp and aromatic.
• Remove the vegetable pakoras to a cooling rack or steel colander. To make the next batch, ensure the oil is hot enough but not smoking hot. Fry in batches until you finish all of the prepared dough.
• Serve vegetable pakora hot with a cup of masala tea or green chutney.
• To keep them crispy for longer, place them on a wired rack in a low oven setting. You can also reheat them in air fryer.

VEGETABLE PAKORA

Steps:

• Rinse, peel and then finely chop all the veggies and measure them. Take all of the finely chopped vegetables in a mixing bowl. You can opt to grate or shred the vegetables.
• Add the chopped onions, green chilies and ginger.
• Add all the ground spice powders including salt. Mix everything very well.
• Now add cup besan (gram flour).
• Combine and mix thoroughly. Set aside this mixture for 5 minutes.
• Add water in small portions to make a thick flowing batter. I added ¼ cup water.
• Note that with the kind of vegetables you use, the amount of water will vary. For leafy greens and watery vegetables, add very little water or you may not need to add any water at all.
• Heat oil for deep frying in a kadai or frying pan. When the oil becomes hot, then drop spoonfuls of the batter in the oil. Fry the pakora on medium to medium-high heat.
• Use any neutral flavored oil with a high smoking point to deep-fry.
• When one side of the pakora firms up, looks cooked and is light golden, turn over gently and fry the other side.
• Turn over a couple of times and fry the vegetable pakora until they are crisp and golden.
• Once done, then remove them with a slotted spoon draining as much oil as possible in the pan. Place on kitchen paper towels to remove extra oil. Fry the pakoras in batches this way.
• Serve vegetable pakora with any chutney or sauce of your choice. I usually prepare mint chutney or coriander chutney to serve with them. You can also have them with roti or bread or sandwich them between bread slices.
• They make for an excellent evening tea time snack. Best to have them hot with a cup of tea and an accompanying green chutney of your choice.
• Serve mix vegetable pakora with any chutney or sauce of your choice like Mint Chutney, Green Chutney, Coconut Chutney, Cilantro chutney or Tomato Ketchup.
• These crisp veggie fritters also make for a nice evening snack with a side of Masala Chai or Ginger Chai or even Filter Coffee.
• They can also be had with Roti or with Bread. You can also sandwich them between bread slices and have as an evening tea time snack.
• Pakoras are best served hot. I suggest to fry a portion from the batter as much as you need. Refrigerate the leftover batter in a covered bowl or container for a few hours or up-to a day.
• Stored, leftover pakora looses their crispiness and do not taste the same like piping hot pakoras.

MIXED VEGETABLE PAKORAS

Steps:

• For the green chutney: Combine the chilies, cilantro, garlic, ginger, mint, lime juice, sugar, cumin, 2 tablespoons water and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Season to taste with additional salt if needed. Transfer to a serving bowl and set aside. Makes: 3/4 cup.
• For the batter: Combine the chickpea flour, cilantro, ajwain, asafoetida, chili flakes, baking soda, if using, and a heaping tablespoon of salt. Gradually add enough water, while mixing, to form a smooth batter that has the consistency of thin pancake batter, about 2 cups water; it should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
• For the vegetables and frying: Fill a large Dutch oven halfway with oil, attach a deep-fry thermometer and heat over medium-high heat to 340 degrees F. (It is important that the oil be medium hot, if too hot then the pakoras will brown on the outside but the vegetables will be raw on the inside.)
• Toss together the kale and yellow onion in a bowl. Then put the cauliflower/broccoli, red onion and potato into separate bowls. Once the oil is at temperature, add enough of the batter to the bowl of onions to coat. Then drop spoonfuls of the mixture into the hot oil (being careful not to overcrowd) and fry, turning occasionally, until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove to a cooling rack set over a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining batter and vegetables: 5 to 7 minutes for the cauliflower/broccoli florets, 6 to 10 minutes for the potatoes and 5 to 7 minutes for the kale.
• Sprinkle the pakoras with sea salt and serve hot with the green chutney for dipping.

VEGETABLE PAKORAS

Steps:

• Whisk the besan, rice flour, salt, turmeric, ajwain seeds and baking soda together in a large bowl. Add the ginger, lemon juice and enough water (roughly 1/2 cup) to form a batter. (Consistency-wise, it should be slightly thinner than heavy cream.)
• Warm the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat until it registers 375 degrees F on a thermometer. Set a cooling rack over a paper-towel lined baking sheet.
• Drop the onions, kale and cauliflower into the batter. Using tongs or your fingers, knock the excess batter off each piece before dropping into the hot oil. Fry in batches, making sure not to overcrowd the pot. Fry smaller, thinner vegetables like the onions and kale for 1 to 2 minutes. Fry the cauliflower for 3 to 4 minutes.
• Remove the pakoras from the hot oil using a spider. Set on the cooling rack, then quickly sprinkle with salt and the ground black lime. Eat hot!

PAKORA FOR PUNJABI KADHI

Steps:

• Heat a generous amount of vegetable oil in a heavy saucepan or a deep fryer.
• Combine water, flour, onion, salt, chili powder, and baking soda in a bowl to make a thick batter.
• Place 1 teaspoon batter in the hot oil and deep-fry until browned all around, about 3 minutes. Line a plate with paper towels and drain pakoras there.
• Place the pakoras in the Punjabi Kadi.

PAKORA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 120C/100C fan/ gas 1/2. Make a paste by blitzing the chilli, ginger and tomato together, then set aside.
• Mix the gram flour with the spices. Add all the prepared vegetables and toss in the mix. Slowly add 150ml water until the batter coats the vegetables - they should be well coated, but not swimming in it.
• Add the tomato mixture and get your hands in there, mixing well until everything is incorporated. Add a little lemon juice and seasoning.
• Heat the oil to 180C. Take a handful of the mix and squeeze it into a loose little ball, to ensure the vegetables stick to each other when lowered in the oil. Use a spoon to carefully drop the ball into the oil.
• Fry for about 4 mins until golden and crispy, then taste to test for seasoning and consistency. You may also need to add a little water or gram our to the mixture at this point if your tester ball didn't hold together. Repeat, frying the remaining mixture in batches.
• Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm in the oven as you go. Serve immediately with chutney.

VEGETABLE PAKORA

Steps:

• Boil the potato or yam slices until *just* tender, being careful not to overcook.
• 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.
• Add the vegetables and mix in evenly.
• 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.
• Serve with cilantro or mint chutney or cucumber raita.