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Pakora
Published July 25, 2024
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- Total Time
- 50 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 40 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- Vegetable oil, for frying (about 7 cups)
- 1cup chickpea flour or gram flour (besam)
- 2tablespoons cornstarch
- ½cup chopped cilantro, plus more for garnishing
- 1 to 2fresh chiles of choice, chopped, or ½ to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- 1teaspoon ground cumin
- 1teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves or ½ teaspoon fenugreek powder (optional)
- 1teaspoon grated fresh ginger (optional)
- ½teaspoon turmeric
- 1large onion (yellow or red), thinly sliced
- 1large potato (russet or Yukon Gold), peeled and cut into matchsticks (about 2 inches long)
- 1large carrot, scrubbed or peeled and cut into matchsticks (about 2 inches long)
- Mint chutney, for dipping
Preparation
- Step 1
To a deep pot, add enough oil to fill to about a depth of 2 inches; heat over medium-high to 350 degrees. Place a wire rack on a sheet pan and, if desired, line with parchment for easier cleanup, or line a large plate with paper towels.
- Step 2
In a medium bowl, using a whisk or spatula, combine the chickpea flour, cornstarch, cilantro, chiles, salt, cumin, fenugreek (if using), ginger (if using) and turmeric. Add the onion, potatoes and carrots. With your hands, toss everything together until thoroughly combined. Slowly drizzle in up to ½ cup cold water and mix with your hands (or use a spatula) until you have a thick, sticky batter that adheres to the vegetables. If needed, add a little more water a couple of drops at a time. If the batter gets too thin, add a little more flour.
- Step 3
Test one pakora for seasoning: Using two soup spoons, scoop up some batter and gently slip the pakora into the oil. Fry, undisturbed, for about 1 minute so it takes shape, and then, using a slotted spoon or a spider strainer, turn a few times until golden-brown all over, about 2 minutes. Transfer to the wire rack and when cool enough, taste for seasoning. Adjust seasoning if needed, and repeat with the rest of the batter. Work in batches so as not to overcrowd the pot, about 3 pakoras at a time, and stir the batter between batches to keep it evenly combined. Maintain the oil temperature as needed.
- Step 4
Garnish with cilantro and serve pakoras hot (see Tip), with mint chutney for dipping.
- To keep the pakora warm while frying the whole batch, heat the oven to 200 degrees at the beginning of Step 1. Place the wire rack with the pakora in the oven until ready to serve.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
It's a very common preparation in India. Actually it doesn't take 50 minutes to make it. I made it a couple of times at home. Usually my wife prepares it and she did it on a number of occasions. This is also a very popular street food in India since it's within the reach of common man and very tasty too.
Yes! It might take a few tries to get the consistency right. I add a tbsp of oil in the batter and I like to keep the batter thin when air frying :) Good luck :)
Can you make it in an air fryer?
Yes. I made chickpea flour using dried chickpeas in my food processor. However, it was unbelievably LOUD.
Chickpea flour (and really any flour made from legumes) is super versatile and healthy! You can easily make it at home in a grinder with dry chickpeas. I think these days grocery stores have flours made with legumes, you can use anything for a pakora. You can also skip the frying and use an air fryer/shallow/pan fry them as well.
Hey there. I LOVE Pakora and would like to try making them but I don’t want to fry in oil in my kitchen. Do you think a good spray of neutral oil and some time in the air fryer would work?
Is it possible and reasonably easy to make a small amount of chickpea flour out of dried chickpeas? I don't have rice flour either as the suggested substitute. I don't have any place nearby to get a small amount by weight so I'd like to see if I like the recipe enough before I buy anything.
Yes. I made chickpea flour using dried chickpeas in my food processor. However, it was unbelievably LOUD.
These ingredients are available online. Would that work for you?
Can you make it in an air fryer?
Yes! It might take a few tries to get the consistency right. I add a tbsp of oil in the batter and I like to keep the batter thin when air frying :) Good luck :)
It's a very common preparation in India. Actually it doesn't take 50 minutes to make it. I made it a couple of times at home. Usually my wife prepares it and she did it on a number of occasions. This is also a very popular street food in India since it's within the reach of common man and very tasty too.
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