Pakora (Indian Vegetable Fritters)

• servings: Servings 40
• active time: 20 min
• total time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups chickpea flour (Note 1)

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp fenugreek powder (Note 2)

1/2 tsp chilli powder (pure chilli powder, Note 3)

2 tsp salt (cooking/kosher salt)

3/4 cups + 2 1/2 tbsp water

1 1/2 cups onions , grated using standard box grater (~1 1/2 onions)

2 cups potato (~1 large), peeled and grated using standard box grater (Note 4)

2 1/2 cups cauliflower (~1/4 large head), finely chopped into rice size pieces (or grate)

2 large red chillies (cayenne peppers), finely chopped (adjust spiciness to taste, or leave them out)

1 tbsp fresh ginger , finely grated

2 tbsp coriander/cilantro leaves , finely chopped

FOR COOKING:

3 – 4 cups vegetable or canola oil (4cm / 1.5″ depth in pot)

CORIANDER MINT SAUCE FOR PAKORAS (OPTION 1):

2 cups mint leaves

1 cup coriander/cilantro leaves

1/4 cup eschalot , sliced

3 tbsp lime juice

1 tsp caster sugar

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp cooking/kosher salt

2 ice cubes (loosens + keeps sauce green)

MINTED YOGURT SAUCE (OPTION 2):

1 cup plain yoghurt

1/2 cup mint leaves , packed

1/4 tsp salt

Directions

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!

CORIANDER MINT SAUCE OR MINT YOGURT SAUCE:

Place ingredients in a small food processor or Nutribullet, or use a stick blender. Blitz until smooth.

6. Oil hotness test if you don’t have a thermometer – drop bit of batter in, should start sizzling straight away.

7. No deep fry option – shallow fried: Just dollop batter into a skillet with about 1cm/ 0.2″ of preheated oil and cook on medium high until golden on each side (about 4 minutes). Won’t be the same as traditional pakoras because you don’t get the crunchy scraggly bits, but all the flavour is there! Don’t try to just pan fry in a little oil – we tried it and it doesn’t work (inside doesn’t cook through).

8. Storage – Keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze for 3 months in an airtight container. Reheat in a 180°C/350°F oven on a rack set over a tray for 12 to 15 minutes until hot and crispy.

Notes

Batch size – This makes quite a large batch. Around 40 pakoras! Figure we may as well make it worth our while. Leftovers resurrect well – see Storage note below.

1. Chickpea flour – Also known as gram flour, and besan, made from dried chickpeas. Staple in Indian cooking. Nowadays sold at large grocery stores in Australia. Using this instead of flour makes this a naturally gluten free recipe.