Recipe- Perfect For Monsoon Vegetable Pakora

To make vegetable fritters irresistible… make Pakora!! These are Indian vegetable patties, spiced and fried until golden and crispy. They can be made with virtually any vegetable, so use this pakora recipe as a springboard to do your own variations.

Serve pakora as a starter for an Indian meal, a light meal, or pass them around as canapés at your next gathering. They’re gluten free and vegan so everybody can enjoy them!

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups chickpea flour
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
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
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
1 tsp fenugreek powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder (pure chilli powder)
2 tsp salt (cooking/kosher salt)
3/4 cups + 2 1/2 tbsp water

For cooking:

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

Coriander Mint Sauce for Pakoras:

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:

1 cup plain yoghurt
1/2 cup mint leaves , packed
1/4 tsp salt

Method

- Place chickpea flour in a bowl with the spices (turmeric, cumin, coriander, fenugreek, chilli). Slow whisk in the water.

- 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 4cm / 1.5" oil in a large heavy based pot to 180°C/350°F.

- 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 2 – 3 minutes until golden. Drain on paper towels. Keep cooked pakoras hot in the oven on a rack set over a tray.

- Serve pakoras with Coriander Mint Sauce or Minted Yogurt Sauce!