Pakorae Recipes

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.

ONION PAKODA | ONION PAKORA

Steps:

• Slice onions moderately thin and add them to a mixing bowl.
• Add chilies, ginger, curry leaves, pudina and salt to the same mixing bowl.
• Nicely squeeze the onions with your fingers few times without mushing them up.
• Leave it aside for 5 minutes. This helps the onions to release some moisture.
• Then sprinkle besan, ajwain, cashews and more salt if needed.
• Mix everything well to coat the onions with the flour. The mixture will be fairly dry at this moment.
• Add water 2 tbsps each time and mix the flour to make a moist mass of dough.
• The dough must be tight yet very moist and not soggy like batter else they absorb lot of oil while frying.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a kadai until very hot.
• Be careful as it is too hot. Pour this to the dough.
• Immediately the oil will sizzle. Mix the dough with a spoon and not hand as the oil is too hot.
• Heat oil in the same kadai or fry pan for deep frying the pakoda.
• Check if the oil is hot enough in the kadai by sliding a tiny piece of dough first.
• It has to rise and not sink in the oil. Next it should not brown too quickly. This is the right temperature.
• When the oil is hot enough, regulate the flame to medium high.
• Take a small amount of dough and make small pakoda with your fingers and slide them gently in the hot oil.
• Do not add too many pakodas in the pan. They should have some space in the pan to swim around & fry well.
• While frying stir & if needed flip the onion pakodas occasionally for even frying.
• Fry them till they turn crisp & golden. Then transfer them with a ladle to an absorbent tissue placed in a plate or to a colander.
• Continue to make more onion pakoda in batches with the rest of the dough.
• Serve onion pakoda hot with a cup of tea or coffee. You can also serve them with Coriander Chutney, Mint Chutney or Green chutney.
• Or sprinkle some chaat masala or any ground seasoning of your choice.

CHICKEN PAKORA RECIPE

Steps:

• Firstly, take a bowl, into it add boneless chicken pieces.
• Add salt into it as per taste, add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste.
• Add black pepper corn powder, garam masala powder,
• Add finely chopped green chillies.
• Add finely chopped coriander leaves.
• Add finely chopped curry leaves.
• Add lemon extract.
• Add maida/all purpose flour, corn flour.
• Add egg into it.
• Mix everything well, cover and marinate in refrigerator for at least 30 min to 1 hour.
• Heat oil for frying.
• Add the chicken pieces into the oil and deep fry them until they turn golden red on medium flame for 12-15 minutes.
• Stir the chicken pieces up and down while frying.
• Remove the fried chicken pieces from oil.
• Place a tissue paper on a plate and serve the chicken pieces on them.
• Serve them with a hot cup of tea!!!

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.

PAKORAE

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, mix together the besan, water, salt, chili powder, turmeric, cumin, coriander seeds, onion, and jalapeno pepper until it forms a smooth mixture with no flour lumps.
• Heat the oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is sizzling hot, drop dough by tablespoonfuls, and fry until golden brown on each side. Drain on paper towels, and serve hot with ketchup or chili sauce for dipping.

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.

PUNJABI KADHI PAKORA RECIPE

Steps:

• Make yogurt mixture - In a large mixing bowl, add yogurt and besan and sugar. Add 1 cup water and whisk the batter to smooth paste like consistency.
• Start IP SAUTE mode. add ghee / oil. When it heats up add fenugreek seeds. Let them crackle. Add cumin and mustard seeds, minced ginger and curry leaves. Let the curry leaves sizzle.
• Add the yogurt mixture, ground turmeric and cayenne pepper. Stir for a minute. Cancel SAUTE . Add remaining water and mix everything well.
• Select SOUP mode. Choose Less ( + - buttons) choose - and til it goes to less . ( you have to do it quickly) Choose 15 mins. Keep the float valve on VENTING side ( so no pressure builds during cooking)
• When Instant Pot goes to KEEP WARM mode after it's done cooking, wait 5 minutes. Open then lid.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients listed for pakoda except oil. Mix everything well. Add water and make a pancake consistency batter.
• Heat ebelskiever/paniyaram or appe pan on medium heat. Add couple drops of oil or use oil spray to coat each cavity.
• Add about a tablespoon of batter in each cavity. Cover the lid and cook for 3-5 minutes low heat. Add a few more drops of oil or couple oil mists on the pakoras and flip them. Cook for another 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat and remove them from the pan. Set aside.
• Pakoras are done when golden brown on all sides. Make sure to cook it on low heat so they cook evenly without staying limpy inside.
• Heat up the ghee / oil in small fry pan. Add chopped garlic and let it fry till golden brown. Turn off the heat. Add whole coriander seeds and whole red chilies and give it a good stir.
• Add pakora in the Kadhi mixture. Add salt, chopped cilantro. Select SAUTE mode back. Let it simmer for another 5 mins for 1 quick boil. Stir frequently. Cancel SAUTE.
• Pour the sizzling tadka over the kadhi . Crush some kasuri methi on your palm and sprinkle it over the curry. Gently stir so everything mixes well. Serve hot with rice and devour !
• Prepare the yogurt and besan mixture as above. In a heavy bottom pan, heat oil or ghee on medium heat. Add Fenugreek seeds, black mustard seeds and cumin seeds and curry leaves. Let them crackle and sizzle.
• Add Yogurt mixture and all other spices. Mix well. Let it bring to boil. Add remaining water. Stir well. Lower the heat and let the mixture simmer for 30-50 minutes stirring frequently.
• Once it gets to desired thickness, turn the heat off. Follow the same steps to make fritters, garnishing tadka and serving.