Vegetable Pakora
Crispy and layered with spices, pakroas are delicious as a snack with chutney or a warm cup of homemade chai. Adapted from The Flavor Equation by Nik Sharma.
INGREDIENTS
For the vegetables:
- 1 medium russet potato (71/2 oz [215 g])
- 10 oz [285 g] broccoli florets
- 1 medium red onion (91/4 oz [260 g]), halved and cut into thin slices
- 1 green chilli, minced
- 2 Tbsp cilantro leaves (optional)
For the batter:
- ¾ cup [90 g] chickpea flour
- ¼ cup [40 g] tempura batter flour
- 1 tsp Spicemode Garam Masala, homemade or store-bought
- 1 tsp Spicemode Golden Turmeric
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 3 cups [720 ml] grapeseed or other neutral oil
DIRECTIONS
prepare the vegetables
- To prepare the vegetables, peel the potato and grate it on the coarse blades of a grater into a large mixing bowl. Add the broccoli, onions, chilli, and cilantro to the mixing bowl.
prepare the batter
- To prepare the batter, whisk together the chickpea flour, tempura batter flour, garam masala, turmeric, black pepper, and salt in a medium bowl. Sift the flour mixture through a fine-mesh sieve over the vegetables in the mixing bowl and dump any bits of the black pepper left behind over the vegetables. Massage the ingredients together until the vegetables are completely coated with the batter, 3 to 4 minutes. If it needs a bit of water to help bind the ingredients, sprinkle on 1 or 2 Tbsp.
fry the pakora
- Heat the oil in a small, heavy cast-iron pot or saucepan over medium-high heat until the oil reaches 350°F [180°C]. Set a wire rack on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Once the oil is hot, test a small batch by dropping in 1 Tbsp of batter; the batter should float to the surface. To shape and fry the pakoras, use two dinner spoons—one to scoop the batter and the second to help shape and transfer the batter to the hot oil. Fry the pakoras in batches. The pakoras are cooked when they turn golden brown all over, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the pakoras with a slotted spoon and transfer them to the prepared baking sheet to drain any excess oil. Sprinkle the hot pakoras with the amchur and serve them immediately with chutney on the side, if desired.
