Don’t even think twice about giving these a try – super easy and more flavour in every bite than you can imagine.

Look at the bits of craggy onion strips, potato shreds, broccoli bits and moist zucchini – how can you not love this?

I’ve been wanting to try making pakoras for some time now, they are one of my top five Indian dishes to order in a restaurant.  These hit it out of the park on my first try!!  So delicious, full of intense flavour, you can use as much or little of the spice as you like.  Crispy, craggy and loaded with fresh vegetables, you can make it just the way you like.

Ingredients

• 1 cup chickpea flour or besan
• 1/2 tsp baking powder

• potatoes, cut into thin, small fingers/chips/cubes and washed
• cauliflower, or broccoli, broken into small florets or chopped (or other vegetables)
• onion, peeled and chopped
• spinach leaves, washed and chopped
• 2 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped (optional)
• 2 tbsp mint leaves, chopped (optional)
• 2 tbsp fresh fenugreek or methi leaves, chopped (or use 1/2 tbsp. dry methi leaves)
• 1-2 green chillies, chopped finely. Omit if you like the pakoras to be mild

Use your imagination for the vegetables, these are only suggestions.  For this amount of spice, and the chickpea flour you will need a total of 4 cups vegetables.

• 1 1/2 tsp salt, adjust to taste
• 1 tsp  chili powder, adjust to taste
• 1/4 tsp coarsely crushed coriander seeds
• 1 tsp coriander powder or the spice blend, Chat Masala
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• Oil for deep frying

Todays mixture included broccoli, zucchini, potato and onion – use whatever is fresh (or you need to use up). :o)

Instructions

1. Place all vegetables in a bowl and sprinkle salt, as well as all the spices over the vegetables, and toss to combine.  Allow to sit for about 30 min so the water drains out of the vegetables.
2. Add sifted (sift to remove lumps) chickpea flour/besan & baking powder slowly and make a slightly stiff mix of vegetables and besan, just enough to hold the vegetables together.  Usually, no additional water is required, as there is enough water released from vegetables. If the mix is too stiff, sprinkle a little water, so that all vegetables are bound lightly by besan.
3. Heat oil in a wok. The oil is correct temperature, when a test pakora dropped in it sizzles and rises to the top of the oil quickly. The oil should not be smoking hot. Pakoras are crisper when cooked in medium hot oil.
4. Drop small blobs of this mix into the hot oil gently, about 1- 1 1/2 tbsp. at a time. Wait until they sizzle to the surface and then turn them over. Continue turning intermittently, until all Pakoras are evenly golden brown and crisp on all sides.
5. Rest to drain on an absorbent kitchen paper.
6. Continue this way until all pakora mix is used up.
7. If you need to keep them warm, put them in your oven at 200, perfect temp to keep them crispy and not overcook them.
8. Serve immediately with chutney.

Served tonight with chicken korma over rice, homemade naan bread (surprisingly easy) and these intensely flavoured pakoras.