Pakora Batter Food

PAKORA (INDIAN VEGETABLE FRITTERS)

Steps:

• Make batter: Place chickpea flour in a bowl with the spices (turmeric, cumin, coriander, fenugreek, chilli). Slow whisk in the water.
• 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.
• Preheat oven to 80°C/175°F - to keep cooked pakoras warm. Set a rack over a tray.
• Heat oil: Heat 4cm / 1.5" oil in a large heavy based pot to 180°C/350°F (Note 6).
• 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.
• 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.
• Serve: Serve pakoras with Coriander Mint Sauce or Minted Yogurt Sauce!

BASIC BATTER FOR PAKORA FRITTERS

Steps:

• Sift the chick pea flor in to a medium bowl, add salt & baking soda & mix well.
• Add 1/3 cup water to make a smooth batter of medium consistency. If too thin, add more flour; f too thin, mix in some more water.
• Heat deep frying oil to 175 - 185°C.

CRISPY VEGETABLE PAKORAS

Steps:

• Sift the chickpea flour into a medium bowl. Mix in the coriander, salt, turmeric, chili powder, garam masala and garlic.
• Make a well in the center of the flower. Gradually pour the water into the well and mix to form a thick, smooth batter.
• Over medium high heat in a large, heavy saucepan, heat the oil to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Coat the cauliflower and onions in the batter and fry them in small batches until golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels before serving.

MIXED VEGETABLE PAKORAS

Steps:

• For the green chutney: Combine the chilies, cilantro, garlic, ginger, mint, lime juice, sugar, cumin, 2 tablespoons water and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Season to taste with additional salt if needed. Transfer to a serving bowl and set aside. Makes: 3/4 cup.
• For the batter: Combine the chickpea flour, cilantro, ajwain, asafoetida, chili flakes, baking soda, if using, and a heaping tablespoon of salt. Gradually add enough water, while mixing, to form a smooth batter that has the consistency of thin pancake batter, about 2 cups water; it should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
• For the vegetables and frying: Fill a large Dutch oven halfway with oil, attach a deep-fry thermometer and heat over medium-high heat to 340 degrees F. (It is important that the oil be medium hot, if too hot then the pakoras will brown on the outside but the vegetables will be raw on the inside.)
• Toss together the kale and yellow onion in a bowl. Then put the cauliflower/broccoli, red onion and potato into separate bowls. Once the oil is at temperature, add enough of the batter to the bowl of onions to coat. Then drop spoonfuls of the mixture into the hot oil (being careful not to overcrowd) and fry, turning occasionally, until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove to a cooling rack set over a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining batter and vegetables: 5 to 7 minutes for the cauliflower/broccoli florets, 6 to 10 minutes for the potatoes and 5 to 7 minutes for the kale.
• Sprinkle the pakoras with sea salt and serve hot with the green chutney for dipping.

PAKORAS

Steps:

• Combine flour and baking soda.
• Add cold water slowly.
• Stir until moistened.
• Add rest of ingredients but don't over-mix.
• Drop by tablespoonfuls into hot oil.
• Fry until both sides are golden brown.
• Caution: Don't put too much dough in at once, or it will turn out gooey in the middle.

PANEER PAKORA

Steps:

• 1. First marinate the paneer- in a mixing bowl add yogurt, corn starch, salt, ginger, green chili and cilantro and mix it well. This should be consistency of soft paste. Add paneer pieces and mix gently. All the pieces should be coated with yogurt mix. Set aside for an hour or more.
• 2. For batter mix besan, cumin seeds, salt and baking soda add water slowly to make a thick batter consistency of a paste.
• 3. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Frying pan should have about 1 inch of oil. To check if the oil is ready, put one drop of batter in the oil. The batter should come up but not change color.
• 4. Dip the marinated paneer slices in the batter one at a time and slowly drop into the frying pan.
• 5. Fry the Pakoras in small batches. The pakoras will take about 4 to 5 minutes to cook.
• 6. Turn them occasionally. Fry the Pakoras until both sides are golden-brown.
• 7. Repeat this process. The crispy, delicious Paneer Pakoras are ready to serve.
• 8. Serve with chutney.

CHICKEN PAKORA

Steps:

• Place the garlic, ginger, green chillies, lemon juice, garam masala, cumin seeds, chilli powder, dried fenugreek leaves into a pestle and mortar and blend to a rough paste.
• Place chicken in a bowl and add the paste, mix to marinade and leave for at least 20 minutes - the longer the better.
• Heat up the oil in a karahi or wok to a medium heat
• Into the marinated chicken sprinkle in the freshly chopped coriander and then sieve in the gram flour. Mix together using your hand.
• Add a small amount of water if required to ensure the chicken is coated in a thick batter.
• Test your oil is hot enough by dropping in a little batter into the oil. If it browns and rises immediately then it is ready. Very carefully place the pieces of chicken into the oil one at a time and fry until crisp and golden brown.
• Using a slotted spoon move the pakora around, be careful not to overcrowd the karahi.
• Once golden brown and crisp remove from the oil and set on some kitchen paper

PAKORA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 120C/100C fan/ gas 1/2. Make a paste by blitzing the chilli, ginger and tomato together, then set aside.
• Mix the gram flour with the spices. Add all the prepared vegetables and toss in the mix. Slowly add 150ml water until the batter coats the vegetables - they should be well coated, but not swimming in it.
• Add the tomato mixture and get your hands in there, mixing well until everything is incorporated. Add a little lemon juice and seasoning.
• Heat the oil to 180C. Take a handful of the mix and squeeze it into a loose little ball, to ensure the vegetables stick to each other when lowered in the oil. Use a spoon to carefully drop the ball into the oil.
• Fry for about 4 mins until golden and crispy, then taste to test for seasoning and consistency. You may also need to add a little water or gram our to the mixture at this point if your tester ball didn't hold together. Repeat, frying the remaining mixture in batches.
• Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm in the oven as you go. Serve immediately with chutney.

TANDOORI MURGH PAKORA (BATTER-FRIED CHICKEN)

Steps:

• Mix all the ingredients for the marinade.
• Add the chicken cubes.
• Mix well.
• Set aside for 2 hours.
• Mix all the ingredients for the batter in a bowl.
• Beat well.
• The batter should have a thick, but flowing consistency.
• Add the marinated chicken cubes to the batter.
• Keep aside for 30 minutes.
• Deep-fry the chicken in hot oil till crisp.
• Place the pakoras on a platter.
• Sprinkle with chaat masala and serve.