Pakistani Vegetable Pakora Recipe | Crispy Fritters
This Pakora recipe will teach you how to make super crispy, juicy, flavorful, and spicy pakora in no time. Yes! This recipe is easy, requires minimal ingredients, and is superior to any South Asian street food in terms of taste.
Regarding Pakistani and Indian street food, the Aloo Samosa and Pakoras (fritters) are always the top choice for everyone.
I can’t live without them during Ramadan Iftar dinner. Hah! During Ramadan, pakoras grace the tables of every household. The crispy, spicy, and flavorsome taste feels too gentle on the tongue.
Pakistani pakora (fitters) are also the best companions on special occasions, parties, and invitations. I feel so pleased while making this recipe as my crispy pakoras receive much praise from everyone in my home.
Why You Will Love This Pakora Recipe
- Crispy & Juicy: Being a lover of this side dish, I did a lot of experiments with it, and finally, I’ve found that adding a bit of corn flour can help you make fritters crisper.
- Tangy Flavors: The ingredients I’m using for this recipe will elevate the tangy and spicy nodes and satisfy your palate. You can further make it mouthwatering by serving mint chutney.
- Versatile: You can make a lot of items with the gram flour batter. You can even use this batter to fry chicken pieces, fish, green chilies, vegetables, etc. The only real deal is to make a perfect batter that makes every item succulent.
More About Pakistani Vegetable Pakoras
By the way, Pakistani pakoras have so many variations, but the vegetable fritters (pakora) have always stood out. This recipe requires gram flour, which is a main ingredient, and to make it spicier, we use a few traditional spices like dry coriander, paprika spice, red chili, etc.
After making a chickpea flour batter, we fry it in the cooking oil to get that spicy fritters.
And a handful of vegetables truly elevate the dish. I’ve opted for cabbage, onions, and potatoes. Small chicken pieces can also be a delectable choice if you lean more towards the carnivorous side.
What matters a lot in this recipe is the freshness of gram flour. Further, this is not a substantial meal; I always serve something with pakoras to make this delight more cherished. This time, I made chai (Tea) with this recipe.
Ingredients
- Gram Flour (Besan): The first and foremost ingredient is the gram flour (besan/chickpea). Ensure the chickpea flour is fresh and has a slightly nutty aroma. Avoid flour with a musty or rotten smell. Nonetheless, for your ease, I will later tell you how to check the authenticity of this flour.
- Vegetables: This is a vegetable pakora recipe. That’s why I’m using a medley of cabbage, onions, tomatoes, potatoes, green chilies, and cilantro.
- Ground Spices: To make our pakora more zesty and savory, add a few spices. Sorry, but I’ve used all the spices from my kitchen wardrobe. The spices include turmeric powder, red chili powder, paprika powder, dry coriander, carom seeds, coriander powder, and salt.
- Oil: You are free to use any type of cooking oil for frying fritters.
- Corn Flour: I’m using one tablespoon of corn flour to make our fritters crispy and juicy. But this one is optional. You can also ignore this ingredient if it’s unavailable in the kitchen.
Instructions:
- Cut All The Vegetables: First chop all the vegetables for pakora. I chopped all the vegetables using knife. But in the case of potatoes, you must cut them into round, thin slices.
- Mix Everything: First, add all the spices in the gram flour, then add the vegetables except potatoes. Mix everything well without adding water. Once everything sinks in the basin, add 3/4 cup of water to the bowl and mix it thoroughly until the batter becomes thick. Add a few more drops of water to avoid lumps in the batter if needed.
- Frying: Heat the oil in a wok or pan, then add the batter with a tablespoon. I use my hands to add the gram flour batter in oil because, in this way, you can adjust the quantity and size of the pakora. Fry for 3 minutes; turn it upside down and fry the next side for three more minutes. Ensure the pakoras are golden brown and crisp before removing them from the pan.
- Potatoes Pakora: Dip the thin slices of potatoes in the remaining batter and transfer to heated oil for frying. Our oil is heated, so fry takes a little less time. Keep the flame to medium for now.
- Dish Out: Using a frying spoon to drain all the oil and transfer the pakora to the plate. Enjoy the spicy and warm pakoras!
Nabeela Pro Tip
- I’ve encountered that using pomegranate seeds and cumin seeds in the recipe can make it more tangy and tart. But both these ingredients are not available at the moment, so I’ve skipped them. If it’s available in your kitchen, then you must add it.
- Sprinkling mix picked over the pakoras can make them delicious and indulgent. My hometown has a pakora shop renowned for serving pakoras with pickles, making them exceptionally famous. I drew inspiration for this idea from that shop.
- Water quantity matters a lot to make pakora crispy and juicy. I opted for 3/4 cup of water in one bowl of basan. However, the quantity of water is adjustable and depends on the quality of gram flour. The key is to avoid making lumps in the batter and make it thick.
- The authentic pakoras should be golden and crunchy with a juicy flavor. Don’t over-fry them; they might turn dark brown and become charred.
How Do You Check That Garam Flour Is Fresh?
- Check the smell. The nutty smell indicates the freshness of the flour. But if the aroma is misty or rancid, the flour is stale.
- Check the expired data.
- Make sure that the flour has a soft texture. Avoid purchasing gram flour that has a lumpy or gritty texture.
What To Serve With Pakoras?
Winter has arrived, and Pakoras are the delight of this season. I serve chai or doodh patti and mint chutney with these spicy fritters. Ketchup is also the best companion, or any sauce that has a zesty taste blends perfectly with pakora.
Vegetable Pakora Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Bowl Gram flour
- 1 Onion
- 1 Tomato
- 1 Potato
- 1 Green Chilies
- Cilantro
- 2 Cup Cooking oil
- 1 tsp Corn flour
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Paprika powder
- 1 tsp Turmeric powder
- 1 tsp Red chili powder
- 1 tsp Red chili flakes
- 1 tsp Dry Coriander
- 1 tsp Coriander powder
- 1 tsp Carom seeds
- Cabbage
Instructions
- Chopping Vegetables: Mince all veggies using a knife, and cut potatoes into round shape, thin slices.
- Mixing Ingredients: Combine spices with gram flour, adding veggies (excluding potatoes). Mix thoroughly, then add 3/4 cup water gradually until a thick batter forms. Adjust consistency with a few drops of water if needed.
- Frying Process: Heat oil in a wok or pan, spooning in batter with a tablespoon (or using hands for better control). Fry each side for 3 minutes until golden brown and crisp.
- Potato Pakoras: Dip thin potato slices in remaining batter and fry until golden. Maintain medium flame for optimal frying time.
- Dishing Out: Use a frying spoon to drain excess oil and transfer pakoras to a plate. Enjoy the spicy, warm delight!
