Tastenexa
All recipes
Pakistani
Mixed Vegetable Pakora Side
35 min total15 prep20 cook4 servings240 cal
VegetarianVeganClassic
Crispy fritters of onion, potato, and spinach bound in a spiced chickpea-flour batter and fried until golden. A rainy-day favorite and popular tea-time side, especially during Ramadan.
Ingredients
pantry
- 1.5 cupchickpea flour (besan)
- 1 tspcumin seeds
- 1 tspred chili powder
- 0.25 tspbaking soda
- 3 cupvegetable oil
- 1 tspsalt
produce
- 2onion
- 1potato
- 1 cupspinach
- 2green chili
Steps
- Thinly slice the onions and potato, chop the spinach, and finely chop the green chili.
- In a bowl, combine the chickpea flour, cumin seeds, red chili powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the sliced vegetables and mix so they release some moisture.
- Gradually add a little water, mixing into a thick batter that coats the vegetables.
- Heat the frying oil in a deep pan to about 175°C/350°F.
- Scoop small clusters of the battered vegetables and gently drop them into the oil.
- Fry in batches without overcrowding, turning occasionally.
- Cook until deep golden and crisp, about 4–5 minutes per batch.
- Remove and drain the pakoras on paper towels.
- Repeat with the remaining batter, letting the oil reheat between batches.
- Serve hot with mint chutney or ketchup.
Tips
- Keep the batter thick enough to cling to the vegetables but not gloopy.
- Slice the vegetables thin so they cook through by the time the coating crisps.
- Fry at a steady medium-high heat and do not crowd the pan.
- Add a pinch of baking soda for extra-light, crunchy pakoras.
