Pakoras are an all-time favorite snack in India- perfect for a rainy day or a cocktail party! Pakoras are delicious paired with a cup of hot spicy Indian Chai.

Pakoras are made with different vegetables, which are dipped in a spicy besan (gram flour) batter and deep-fried.

This recipe uses potatoes, cauliflower and zucchini.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup besan (gram flour)
• 3 tablespoons rice flour (optional)
• 1 tablespoon of coarsely ground coriander powder (dhania)
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
• 2 chopped green chilies
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (hara dhania)
• 1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
• 3/4 cup of water (Use water as needed)
• Oil to fry
• 1 small potato, sliced thin
• 8 thin slices of cauliflower
• 1/2 small zucchini, sliced thin

Method:

1. Mix all the dry ingredients together: besan, rice flour, coriander powder, and salt. Tip: rice flour adds to the crispness.
2. Add the water slowly to make a smooth batter (batter should be consistency of pancake batter or dosa batter)
3. Next, add the green chilies and cilantro. Mix well.
4. Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium high heat.
5. The frying pan should have at least 11/2 inch of oil. (To check if the oil is ready, put one drop of batter in oil. The batter should come up but not change color right away).
6. Dip the vegetable slices in the batter one at a time and slowly drop in frying pan.
7. Fry the pakoras in small batches. The pakoras will take about 4 to 5 minutes to cook.
8. Turn them occasionally. Fry the pakoras until both sides are golden-brown.
9. Repeat this process. The crispy, delicious pakoras are ready to serve.

Tips:

If oil is too hot pakoras will not be crispy and or if oil is not hot enough pakoras will be greasy.

Variations:

You can use almost any vegetable when making these pakoras, such as eggplant, onion, cabbage, bell pepper, and different kinds of chilies! Feel free to experiment!

Serving Suggestions:

1. The pakoras are even tastier when dipped in fresh cilantro chutney, tamarind chutney, ranch dressing.
2. Pakoras taste best when served hot.
3. You can make the pakoras in advance and when ready to eat, spread on a cookie sheet and heat in the oven on 300-degree heat. You can also make sandwiches with the left over pakoras.