Pakora Recipe

I’ve been told once or twice by friends that my pakoras are better than their moms pakoras. That’s a pretty much the biggest food compliment a person can give another. 

Pakora’s are one of those dishes that vary greatly because everyone has their own versions, and this is mine. Whenever I’ve made it for guests, they’ve not only raved about them, but made me make them some more :) 

And since I’m not one to keep something delicious a secret, I’m sharing my recipe with you, so enjoy!

Chop veggies. 

Combine besan and water, mix with whisk until all the lumps are gone. Consistency should be like thick pancake batter. 

*tip* it’s always better to start off with less water. Use enough to mix the two together and get lumps out. If you aren’t using the entire batter the same day, just know the batter will tend to get thinner and watery when sitting in the fridge. That’s why I like to use up my entire batch the same day. If you need to store away the rest for later, you can always add more besan into the mix if it gets too watery. 

Add rest of the ingredients, don’t skip out on the anar dana, seriously! And try to use coarse coriander rather than the ground powder, it gives it more flavor and texture. 

Mix well. I like the batter to not be too thick. It shouldn't be runny, just slightly thin. Thicken batter means fatter, softer pakora's, thinner batter means thin and crispy pakora's. I prefer them slightly crispy. 

Fri until you get this pretty golden color! 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups besan (gram/chickpea flour)
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 2 tbsp anar dana (dried pomegranate seeds)
• 2 tbsp crushed coriander
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp red chil powder
• 1 medium potato, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup of fresh chopped cilantro
• 1 chopped green chili pepper (skip this if you don't want it extra spicy)
• 1/2 zeera powder
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• Oil for frying

Method:

1. Heat oil in a fryer to deep fry the pakora's.
2. Mix besan and 1 cup of water. Whisk until there are no more lumps. 
3. Mix in the rest of the ingredients
4. Mix well. Make sure batter is not too runny and not too thick. 
   
   
5. If you’re like me, and like your pakora’s a little thinner and slightly crispy, add the quarter cup of water at this point. However, if you like them soft and fluffy, then skip the extra water. Thicker batter will yield fatter, softer pakora’s. Thinner batter yields thinner, crispier pakora’s. 
6. Once oil has heated, turn heat to medium and drop in large spoonfuls of pakora mixture.
7. Fry on each side for a couple of minutes. Make sure not to fry on high heat because the outside will burn and inside will remain uncooked. Cook until a nice light brown and crispy.
8. Use a slotted spoon to take them out and put them on a plate with a napkin. The napkin soaks up the extra oil.
9. Serve hot and fresh with chutney!