Vegetable Pakoras
February 19th, 2007 filed under Appetizers, Vegan
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:
- Mix all the dry ingredients together: besan, rice flour, coriander powder, and salt. Tip: rice flour adds to the crispness.
- Add the water slowly to make a smooth batter (batter should be consistency of pancake batter or dosa batter)
- Next, add the green chilies and cilantro. Mix well.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium high heat.
- 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).
- Dip the vegetable slices in the batter one at a time and slowly drop in frying pan.
- Fry the pakoras in small batches. The pakoras will take about 4 to 5 minutes to cook.
- Turn them occasionally. Fry the pakoras until both sides are golden-brown.
- 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:
- The pakoras are even tastier when dipped in fresh cilantro chutney, tamarind chutney, ranch dressing.
- Pakoras taste best when served hot.
- 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.
Wow aunty you are amazing!! can’t stop watching your videos. You are doing us all a great favor!
[...] just love indian snack food, right? Here you have my version of vegetable pakoras based loosely on Manjula’s recipe. I used 1 cup chickpea flour, 1 teaspoon of garam masala, cumin, and chili powder, then [...]
Aunty,
Thank you for taking the time to demonstrate all of these wonderful recipes! Now that I live away from home, I feel like I can still enjoy all of the delicious tastes of home!
Hi Manjula Aunty.
I love your website and eagerly visit your website every now and then to check what new recipe you have posted from last time i visited.
You are doing a wonderful job..Thank you..
This is yet another recipe i tried from your site and it came out very well.
Thanks
Kundhavai
We love your website, and can’t wait to try your recipes. We found your site after enjoying the buffet at our favorite Indian vegetarian restaurant. (I guess we just can’t get enough Indian food!) . . . These pakoras look amazing. Your perfect slices made me wonder if you sliced them by hand or if you use a mandolin. If you use a mandolin, what brand do you use? It is so difficult to find a good one. Thank you!
ummmmmmmm!! Yummy pakoras
Pakoras looking yummy
Thank u mam
Yummmm..I made this only with paneer…it was sooo good! I loved the taste of the freshly grounded coarse coriander seeds…makes a huge difference. Having it now with tea..Thanks!
Hello Manjula-ji,
We loved these pakoras..adding coarse dhaniya definitely made a lot of difference to the taste. My husband is getting to eat all yummy stuff…Thanks to you !
[...] pommes de terre, chou fleur … détaillés en tranches très fines- huile pour frituresource : Vegetable pakoras, Manjula’s Kitchen* 1 cup = 240 [...]
Those vegetable pakoras are divine
I cooked them with zucchini and it was absolutely perfect ! You can see them here : http://ilenfautpeupour.canalblog.com/archives/2008/09/05/10453611.html
thank you very much for that excellent recipe !