Vegetable Pakora are one of my favourite snacks to make. Loaded with veggies and covered in a deliciously crispy batter, they are irresistible. Whenever I make a batch of Vegetable Pakora for friends or family they don’t last very long. Every last crispy crumb of batter gets eaten.
Growing up, if we had guests coming over we’d always buy about a kilo of Pakora from our local Indian restaurant. I always felt like it was more of a treat for me than for our visitors. I’d beg my parents to buy them over other finger foods like samosas. Sadly however, shop bought pakoras are lacking on the vegetable front as they often use more flour versus the good stuff.
It is way healthier and more importantly tastier when you make your own. What’s great is you can really play around with what you add to this recipe; taking advantage of seasonal produce and herbs. I always serve up Pakoras with a dip such as my light and refreshing Fresh Coriander Chutney which only takes a few minutes to make.
Ingredients
- 500g or 3 medium potatoes
- 250g or 1 large aubergine
- 250g or 1 large onion
- 100g or 2 banana peppers, thinly sliced
- 100g fresh spinach, chopped
- 30g coriander leaves chopped
- 4 green chillies, finely chopped
- 8 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2-3 tsp Salt
- 2 tsp of red chilli flakes (optional)
- 2 tsp black ground pepper
- 2 tsp fennel seeds
- 500g chickpea flour (gram flour)
- 4 tablespoons cold water
- Sunflower or vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- For the aubergine, potatoes and onions: cut in half and then thinly slice in to semi circles. Add to a large bowl.
- Add the banana peppers, spinach, coriander, green chillies, chilli flakes, garlic, salt and pepper.
- Pour in half of the chickpea flour. At this point it's best to just get stuck in and use your hands to mix thoroughly with a bit of force. This way the vegetables release their moisture/water; forming a thick batter.
- Once well combined add the rest of the chickpea flour and water and repeat, ensuring all the flour has been incorporated in to the batter. The batter should be thick and sticky; covering all the vegetables.(You can add more water if needed a tablespoon at a time)
- Heat oil in a heavy based deep pan. In batches, add tablespoons of batter to the oil (be sure to add as many will fit comfortably so that they fry well). Fry until crispy and golden, turning if needed and leave to set until cooled.
Caution: Be careful with hot oil and do not leave unattended.
