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Pakora (Indian Vegetable Fritters)

Recipe video above. Vegetable fritters can be so bland and uninspiring ... but not in the hands of Indian cooks! Pakoras are a traditional Indian street food made with all sorts of vegetables. I've used onion, potato and caulifloiwer, but see Note 5 for other options. Serve as starter for an Indian menu, light meal or pass around as canapes. They're gluten free and vegan so everybody can enjoy them!Spiciness: Mild. Large chillies are not that spicy, and we are using 2 across lots of pakoras! Feel free to omit/reduce the fresh chilli and chilli powder.No deep fry method - See Note 7 for shallow pan-fried version.

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Servings: 40
Calories: 64 kcal
Course: Appetizer , Lunch
Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 cups chickpea flour (Note 1)
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp fenugreek powder (Note 2)
  • 1/2 tsp chilli powder (pure chilli powder, Note 3)
  • 2 tsp salt (cooking/kosher salt)
  • 3/4 cups + 2 1/2 tbsp water
  • 1 1/2 cups onions , grated using standard box grater (~1 1/2 onions)
  • 2 cups potato (~1 large), peeled and grated using standard box grater (Note 4)
  • 2 1/2 cups cauliflower (~1/4 large head), finely chopped into rice size pieces (or grate)
  • 2 large red chillies (cayenne peppers), finely chopped (adjust spiciness to taste, or leave them out)
  • 1 tbsp fresh ginger , finely grated
  • 2 tbsp coriander/cilantro leaves , finely chopped
For cooking:
  • 3 - 4 cups vegetable or canola oil (4cm / 1.5" depth in pot)
Coriander Mint Sauce for Pakoras (Option 1):
  • 2 cups mint leaves
  • 1 cup coriander/cilantro leaves
  • 1/4 cup eschalot , sliced
  • 3 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 tsp caster sugar
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/2 tsp cooking/kosher salt
  • 2 Ice cubes (loosens + keeps sauce green)
Minted Yogurt Sauce (Option 2):
  • 1 cup plain yoghurt
  • 1/2 cup mint leaves , packed
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Make batter: Place chickpea flour in a bowl with the spices (turmeric, cumin, coriander, fenugreek, chilli). Slow whisk in the water.
  2. Mix in Vegetables: Add potato, cauliflower, onion, ginger, chilli and coriander. Mix well with a wooden spoon. It should be a thick batter, almost paste-like.
  3. Preheat oven to 80°C/175°F - to keep cooked pakoras warm. Set a rack over a tray.
  4. Heat oil: Heat 4cm / 1.5" oil in a large heavy based pot to 180°C/350°F (Note 6).
  5. Form patties: Drop 2 tbsp of batter roughly formed into a patty shape into the oil. I use my hands (as is typical in India!) but you can also use 2 tablespoons (be careful of splash-age). Don't crowd the pot, it will lower the temperature too much.
  6. Fry pakoras: Fry 2 - 3 minutes until golden. Drain on paper towels. Keep cooked pakoras hot in the oven on a rack set over a tray.
  7. Serve: Serve pakoras with Coriander Mint Sauce or Minted Yogurt Sauce!
Coriander Mint Sauce OR Mint Yogurt Sauce:
    Cup of Yum
  1. Place ingredients in a small food processor or Nutribullet, or use a stick blender. Blitz until smooth.

Notes

  • Batch size - This makes quite a large batch. Around 40 pakoras! Figure we may as well make it worth our while. Leftovers resurrect well - see Storage note below.
  • Chickpea flour - Also known as gram flour, and besan, made from dried chickpeas. Staple in Indian cooking. Nowadays sold at large grocery stores in Australia. Using this instead of flour makes this a naturally gluten free recipe.
  • Fenugreek powder - Staple Indian spice, kind of smells like maple syrup. Available at stores that carry a decent range of spices. I found it at Harris Farms (Australia). Also, of course, at Indian grocery stores!
  • Best sub: Garam Masala or a generic curry powder. (No it's not the same but the extra flavour will compensate).
  • Chilli Powder - This is pure ground chillies, not to be confused with US Chili Powder which is a spice mix. Sub cayenne pepper. Fee free to reduce chilli powder if you're concerned about spiciness. You can cook a test one, taste, then add more chilli into the batter.
  • Potatoes - Any all rounder or starchy potatoes work best. Aus: Sebago, US: russet, UK: King Edward/Maris Piper. Waxy potatoes will work ok too.
  • Other Veg: Use 6 cups in total.
  • Oil hotness test if you don't have a thermometer - drop bit of batter in, should start sizzling straight away.
  • No deep fry option - shallow fried: Just dollop batter into a skillet with about 1cm/ 0.2" of preheated oil and cook on medium high until golden on each side (about 4 minutes). Won't be the same as traditional pakoras because you don't get the crunchy scraggly bits, but all the flavour is there! Don't try to just pan fry in a little oil - we tried it and it doesn't work (inside doesn't cook through).
  • Storage - Keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze for 3 months in an airtight container. Reheat in a 180°C/350°F oven on a rack set over a tray for 12 to 15 minutes until hot and crispy.
  • Nutrition per Pakora, assuming 1/2 tsp oil is absorbed per Pakora. (Deep frying absorbs less oil than you think, as long as you properly drain on paper towels as it wicks excess oil away).
  • Carrots - finely julienned or grated
  • Broccoli, broccolini - chop finely into rice size
  • Green beans, asparagus - finely spice or julienne
  • Zucchini - grate and squeeze out excess liquid)
  • Spinach, cabbage and similar - julienne then grab handfuls and squeeze out excess liquid
  • Capsicum/bell peppers (finely slice into 2.5cm/1" pieces)
  • Parsnip, celeriac and other root veg - grate like potato
  • Peas and corn - use whole
  • Not recommended (or requires extra prep steps) - eggplant, pumpkin, celery, fennel, cucumber, tomatoes

Nutrition Information

Calories 64cal (3%) Carbohydrates 8g (3%) Protein 2g (4%) Fat 3g (5%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Trans Fat 1g Sodium 155mg (6%) Potassium 157mg (4%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 1g (2%) Vitamin A 136IU (3%) Vitamin C 7mg (8%) Calcium 15mg (2%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 40Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 64

% Daily Value*

Calories 64cal 3%
Carbohydrates 8g 3%
Protein 2g 4%
Fat 3g 5%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Sodium 155mg 6%
Potassium 157mg 3%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 1g 2%
Vitamin A 136IU 3%
Vitamin C 7mg 8%
Calcium 15mg 2%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.