There are shops that are dedicated to making ONLY Pakodas in India. Ever wonder why? Well, it is a dish that has a following and once you get hooked…
Ingredients:
Chickpea Flour – 1/2 cup
Baking Soda – 1/4 tsp
Salt – to taste
Red Chili Powder – to taste
Roasted Cumin Powder – 1/4 tsp
Turmeric Powder – 1/8 tsp
Chaat Masala – 1/2 tsp
Water – 1/4 cup
Oil – for deep frying
Vegetables – Assorted (Potatoes, Zuchinni, Spinach, Green Chili)
Method:
1. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl – Chickpea Flour, Baking Soda, Salt, Red Chili Powder, Roasted Cumin Powder, Turmeric and Chaat Masala.
2. Mix well and make sure there are no lumps.
3. Slowly add in the Water and keep mixing.
4. Heat Oil for deep frying on medium heat.
5. Prep Vegetables for frying.
6. Check the Oil temperature – drop a couple of drops of batter in the Oil and they should float up right away.
6. Dip the vegatables in the batter and drop them in the Oil.
7. Cook on both sides (the coating should be a golden red)
8. Once done, strain the Oil and put the pakodas on a kitchen towel to drain out any excess Oil.
9. Serve with Tamarind or Mint/Cilantro chutney.
Tips:
Preping Vegetables-
Potatoes – Peel and slice thin or sticks
Cauliflower – bite size florets
Zuchinni – Slice or cut into spears
Chilis – slit or fry whole.
Mushrooms – whole or cut (depending on the size)
Paneer – cubes or fingers
Bell Pepper – Cubed or lengthwise
Eggplant – Slice thin
Onions – Sliced rings
Hi,
I am making pakodas for around 100 people, how to go on about it. Can you help me with deciding how much oil and other ingredients I may need. I am new to this and this is my first time cooking for such a huge crowd.
Thanks in advance,
Regards,
Shweta
Hi Hetal,
I’m planning to prepare this pakoda for 60 people this week.
The party is in the evening, and i’m planning to make in the afternoon. Is there anyway i can keep the pakoda crispy for long time. Can i keep in the oven in the warm setting.
Need help ASAP..
Rob
Any tips please?
Hello Anuja and Hetal,
do you have any ideas/recipes for what can i use leftover Pakoras?
Thank´s for your answer
Hi Reni,
You can use them in Punjabi kadhi. Here is a video…https://34.233.61.50/curries/punjabi-kadhi.html
do you reuse the oil used fo frying.. coz its so much of oil..
Hi Amy,
We try and plan all our frying at one time 🙂
Try and fry the things that have lesser spices and milder flavors first and then go on from there. Once we feel that the Oil will start affecting the flavor of the dish, we stop using it.
We do get rid of a lot sometimes and feel bad – but it’s better to send that stuff drown the drain sometimes than to consume it.
PLEASE don’t put the oil down the drain. Cooking oil poured down drains can build up in pipes causing backups at home, into streets and the storm drain system. We have an aging sewer system in this nation, and this is of great concern. If you can’t bring it to the Hazardous Waste site, then at least put it in a glass container before putting it in the trash. Also, there are companies that covert cooking oil to bio-fuel which people can use in their vehicles.
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
My pakodas were sticking on bottom of the pan whilr frying, it didn’t turn out well. What could have went wrong? The oil was sufficiently hot and I mixed the batter with spoon, however the consistency was like as you shown only.
Please reply.
Thanks.
Hi Shail,
It is possible that you did not have enough oil in the pan for the pakodas to plunge in and pop back up. If the oil level is too low, the pakodas will hit the bottom and stick.
The oil qty. was fairly enough, half-filled pan. I’ll try again. Does the type of oil matter like oil with high or low smoking point? Mine is saffola.
Hi Shail,
Yes, for deep frying you need oil with a high smoking point. We use canola. Corn oil is also good for frying. We have not tried saffola.
SAffalo works great…
Hey Hetal and Anuja
I tried to make kaju pakora the way you mentioned instead of veg i used fried kaju unfortunately it dint turn crispy inspite of adding rice flour can you please suggest me what went wrong.
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
I have been trying to find a curry leaf plant, but no luck…any idea where I could find a plant.
Thanks
Hi Chandni,
The best way to get a plant is to take a “baby” from someone who already has a plant. If you don’t know anyone, some people have found the plants online.
I FEEL MUCH ENLIGHTENED TO READ THE MAKING OF,, , , PAKORAS OF BANGAN, , PALAK, , KINDLY GIVE MORE INFO ON THESE VEGETABLES AND OBLIGE, , , THANKS,, khurshid a
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
hey Beautiful ladies,
thanks for the recipe. I made Spinach pakoras with chopped spinach. coated them with lil besan batter in order to keep them crispy but it turned out that the pakora remained undone from inside. They were crunchy on the crust though.
Any suggestions?
Hi Riya,
You have to use the whole leaf to make it crispy. If you use chopped spinach, it will release water while it’s cooking and the inside remains undone. Your other option would be to fry them at a very low temperature.
thanks, Hetal. Shall give it a try again.
what is the difference between oinio bhaji and pakodas.
Hi,
Whats the reason for pakodas becoming soft after frying?Whats the trick to make them cripy?
Hi Angela,
No, unfortunately, you can’t use frozen spinach for pakodas:-(
Can we make palak pakoda with frozen spinach?
hi i tried these pakoras and they were fantastic my hubby loved them and told me to keep the recipe. thank you very much Hetal an Anuja
Hetal,
Could you please show us how to make khaman dhokla?
Thanks,
Shivu