Vegetable Pakora Recipe (Crispy & Easy)

Making batter

1. Rinse, peel and then finely chop all the veggies and measure them. Take all of the finely chopped vegetables in a mixing bowl. You can opt to grate or shred the vegetables.
2. Add the chopped onions, green chilies and ginger.
3. Add all the ground spice powders including salt. Mix everything very well.
4. Now add cup besan (gram flour).
5. Combine and mix thoroughly. Set aside this mixture for 5 minutes.
6. Add water in small portions to make a thick flowing batter. I added ¼ cup water.
7. Note that with the kind of vegetables you use, the amount of water will vary. For leafy greens and watery vegetables, add very little water or you may not need to add any water at all.

Deep frying

1. Heat oil for deep frying in a kadai or frying pan. When the oil becomes hot, then drop spoonfuls of the batter in the oil. Fry the pakora on medium to medium-high heat.
2. Use any neutral flavored oil with a high smoking point to deep-fry.
3.  When one side of the pakora firms up, looks cooked and is light golden, turn over gently and fry the other side.
4. Turn over a couple of times and fry the vegetable pakora until they are crisp and golden.
5. Once done, then remove them with a slotted spoon draining as much oil as possible in the pan. Place on kitchen paper towels to remove extra oil. Fry the pakoras in batches this way.
6. Serve vegetable pakora with any chutney or sauce of your choice. I usually prepare mint chutney or coriander chutney to serve with them. You can also have them with roti or bread or sandwich them between bread slices.
7. They make for an excellent evening tea time snack. Best to have them hot with a cup of tea and an accompanying green chutney of your choice.

Serving Suggestions

1. Serve mix vegetable pakora with any chutney or sauce of your choice like Mint Chutney, Green Chutney, Coconut Chutney, Cilantro chutney or Tomato Ketchup.
2. These crisp veggie fritters also make for a nice evening snack with a side of Masala Chai or Ginger Chai or even Filter Coffee.
3. They can also be had with Roti or with Bread. You can also sandwich them between bread slices and have as an evening tea time snack.

Storage and Leftovers

1. Pakoras are best served hot. I suggest to fry a portion from the batter as much as you need. Refrigerate the leftover batter in a covered bowl or container for a few hours or up-to a day.
2. Stored, leftover pakora looses their crispiness and do not taste the same like piping hot pakoras.