Palak Pakoda Recipe (North Indian Style)
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4.5
30 reviews
Excellent
Palak Pakoda Recipe (North Indian Style)
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Easy Palak Pakoda recipe are a quick savory snack made with finely chopped spinach leaves mixed in seasoned gram flour batter and deep fried.
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Ingredients
- 1 cup besan (gram flour) - 100 grams
- 2 cups finely chopped spinach
- ⅓ cup chopped onion or 1 medium sized onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon chopped ginger
- ½ teaspoon chopped green chili or 1 green chili
- 1 teaspoon fennel seed powder (ground fennel seeds)
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder (ground coriander)
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder (ground cumin)
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
- 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds - optional
- ½ cup water or as required - read notes below
- salt as required
- oil for deep frying, as required
Instructions
Making batter
- Rinse the palak or spinach leaves very well. Drain the excess water in a colander or strainer. Finely chop the spinach leaves.
- In a bowl add the finely chopped palak leaves, chopped onions, ginger and green chili.
- Add the ground spice powders - fennel seed powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, asafoetida (hing). Add the sesame seeds as well.
- Next add besan and salt as per taste. You could also add a pinch of baking soda at this step.
- Mix all the ingredients very well and set aside for 5 minutes.
- First add ½ cup of water in parts. Remember the spinach and onions will leave water once they are mixed with salt and the spice powders. So be careful while adding water.
- If the batter is still thick, then add some more water.
- Mix very well. Add water as required to make a medium consistency batter.
Frying
- Heat oil in a kadai or pan. When the oil is medium hot, drop spoonfuls of the pakora batter in the oil.
- Fry the pakora until they become pale golden. Then turn over and fry the other side.
- Turn over a couple of times and fry all the pakora until they are crisp and golden.
- Remove them with a slotted spoon. Drain them on kitchen paper towels to remove extra oil.
- Fry the spinach pakora in batches this way and use up the entire batter.
Serving suggestions
- Chutney: A coriander chutney or mint chutney or tamarind chutney and even coconut chutney pairs well with palak pakoda.
- Dipping sauces: Tasty dipping sauces like schezwan sauce, red chilli sauce and tomato ketchup also taste equally good.
- Raita: A simple plain raita made with minimal seasonings – roasted cumin powder, red chilli powder, salt and cilantro or mint will also pair nicely.
- Bread: Indian breads like roti or leavened whole grain loaf or dinner rolls taste good. Serve with masala or ginger chai.
Notes
- Spices & herbs: Spinach has metallic flavors. To balance these flavors, the batter need to have a perfect seasoning from the spices and herbs. My recipe won't give you a spicy pakoda, but as you prefer you can increase the amount of green chillies and red chilli powder.
- Batter: The spinach pakora batter consistency is medium. Do not make a thin or runny or a thick batter. A thin batter will absorb too much oil and thick batter will make the fritters doughy. If the batter becomes thin, add a few tablespoons of gram flour. If the batter is very thick, add a bit of water.
- Water proportion: Begin with adding ½ cup water and add more only if needed. Some spinach leaves or onions may have a high water content and the quality of the gram flour is also not the same everywhere. So water has to be added keeping these factors in mind. I have here used gram flour which was ground at home. The packaged flour is fine or super fine. The homemade flour was little coarse. So obviously I add a bit more water to the batter than what I would have added otherwise.
- No onion variation: For folks who do not eat onions, just skip onions in the pakora. It will still taste delicious.
- Spinach: Both fresh and frozen spinach can be included. Baby spinach also tastes nice.
- Frozen spinach: Frozen spinach can become watery when it thaws. To avoid this, after thawing the spinach, either squeeze it in a tea towel or press it through a strainer to remove extra water. Then proceed with the pakoda recipe.
- Oil: For deep frying use any neutral oil that has a high smoke point.
- Baking & air frying: For health reasons, you can bake these palak fritters. Preheat your oven or air-fryer for 10 minutes. Then bake or air fry at 180 degrees celsius (356 degrees Fahrenheit). Either you can add 1 to 2 tablespoons oil in the batter or when the pakora is half-baked, brush them lightly with oil.
- Leavening ingredient: For a fluffy palak pakoda, you can add 1 pinch of baking soda or ¼ teaspoon of baking powder.
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Calories
177kcal
(9%)
Carbohydrates
16g
(5%)
Protein
6g
(12%)
Fat
10g
(15%)
Saturated Fat
1g
(5%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
1g
Monounsaturated Fat
1g
Cholesterol
1mg
(0%)
Sodium
327mg
(14%)
Potassium
316mg
(9%)
Fiber
3g
(12%)
Sugar
3g
(6%)
Vitamin A
1444IU
(29%)
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)
1mg
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
1mg
Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
1mg
Vitamin B6
1mg
Vitamin C
5mg
(6%)
Vitamin E
3mg
Vitamin K
73µg
Calcium
49mg
(5%)
Vitamin B9 (Folate)
34µg
Iron
7mg
(39%)
Magnesium
24mg
Phosphorus
24mg
Zinc
1mg
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 4Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 177 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 177kcal | 9% |
| Carbohydrates | 16g | 5% |
| Protein | 6g | 12% |
| Fat | 10g | 15% |
| Saturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Cholesterol | 1mg | 0% |
| Sodium | 327mg | 14% |
| Potassium | 316mg | 7% |
| Fiber | 3g | 12% |
| Sugar | 3g | 6% |
| Vitamin A | 1444IU | 29% |
| Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) | 1mg | |
| Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) | 1mg | |
| Vitamin B3 (Niacin) | 1mg | |
| Vitamin B6 | 1mg | |
| Vitamin C | 5mg | 6% |
| Vitamin E | 3mg | |
| Vitamin K | 73µg | |
| Calcium | 49mg | 5% |
| Vitamin B9 (Folate) | 34µg | |
| Iron | 7mg | 39% |
| Magnesium | 24mg | 6% |
| Phosphorus | 24mg | |
| Zinc | 1mg |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.5
30 reviews
Excellent
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