Mixed Veggie Pakora
4
- Prep Time30 min
- Total Time40 min
- Makes18 to 20 pakoras
Recipe by Jennifer Pallian, Produced by Sun Ngo, Photography by Christie Vuong, Food Styling by Ashley Denton, Prop Styling by Christine Hanlon.
These savoury Indian fritters are delicious dunked in tamarind chutney and served with hot chai. Find chickpea flour in the natural-foods section of most grocery stores or in Indian grocers (or, if you have a high-powered blender, you can make your own from dry chickpeas!). —Jennifer Pallian
Ingredients
1 cup thinly sliced onion
1 cup thinly sliced cauliflower florets
1 cup loosely packed baby spinach, coarsely chopped
1 serrano pepper or 2 Thai red chilies, minced
2 tbsp coarsely chopped cilantro leaves
1 tsp kosher salt
Canola oil or peanut oil, for frying
Batter
2/3 cup chickpea flour
3 tbsp cornstarch or rice flour
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp turmeric
Instructions
Combine onion, cauliflower, spinach, pepper and cilantro in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt. Toss until combined. Set aside. (This gives the salt time to draw moisture from the vegetables.) Line a wire rack with paper towels.
Pour oil into a large dutch oven until it reaches 2 to 3 in. up the sides. (The sides of the pot should be twice the depth of the oil.) Clip a deep-fry thermometer to the side. Heat over medium until temperature reaches 375F.
Meanwhile, whisk chickpea flour with cornstarch, cayenne and turmeric in a medium bowl. Sprinkle flour mixture over vegetables, then drizzle in 1 tbsp water. Toss and press mixture together with hands until all flour is moistened. (It will seem dry, but will hydrate after a rest.) Let stand for 5 min.
Using slightly damp hands, roll pakora mixture into 1 1⁄2 tbsp balls, then flatten. Use tongs to slide pakoras into hot oil, one at a time, until you have about 5 in the pot. (Cook in batches to avoid overcrowding.) Fry pakoras, flipping halfway though, until deeply golden-brown, 3 to 4 min. Transfer pakoras to prepared rack. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve hot.
Kitchen tip Haven't deep-fried before? Let food scientist Jennifer Pallian walk you through the process.
Get more of our favourite pub-style snack recipes.
Jennifer Pallian is a food scientist, recipe developer and blogger at Foodess. She lives in Vancouver.
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