I have a bit of a love affair going on with a good pakora. The thing I try (and fail) to avoid. I pretend like I don’t need them on my Iftar plate. I tell myself I’m going to be healthier and not fry these goodies. I repress my craving for these tasty fritters because they’re oily and no good for me. I act like I don’t even like them. I love to hate these little fellas, don’t I?
🤩 Ingredients for the most PERFECT, crispy batter
I originally created this recipe in 2015 but I am updating it in 2023 with many years of (non)scientific research and trials to reflect the things I’ve learnt on my pakora-frying journey. Here are my top tips for getting that perfect crispy vegetable pakora batter that tastes like a day out in Karachi.
I recommend preparing the batter without water and leaving it to sit for at least an hour before frying. What happens in that hour is some sort of culinary magic - the vegetables release their own moisture which moistens the pakora batter. This’ll mean you won’t have to add much, if any, water to the better. ‘Why does that even matter?’ you ask? Adding water waters down the flavour - when the veggies release their own water you are maximising the potent flavour already within the mixture. Bicarbonate of soda is an essential ingredient to ensure a crisp, light and fluffy batter. It’s a very noticeable difference and I highly recommend you don’t skip this. Corn flour also helps ensure the batter is crispy - I talked at length about the magic combining gram flour and corn flour does for pakora batter in my Chicken Pakora recipe here. Egg and yogurt are two potentially non-mainstream additions in my recipe. Egg helps with getting a crispy texture and the yogurt helps keep things fluffy. Whenever I make my pakoras without these two, I can TELL the difference! My recipe calls for pomegranate seeds, known as anardaana in Urdu/Hindi. These are optional but they add little tangy bites of flavour into the batter and I really enjoy them. They are a bit hard though and may not be suitable for those with dental problems ongoing (I am only mentioning this highly specific issue because I have been through anaardana related teeth woes).
💡 Other pakoras you can make with this recipe
A pakora batter is timeless, versatile and can pretty much be used for ANYTHING. With this particular recipe, the truth is, there isn’t a set recipe. The spices remain the same, but I mix up the vegetables depending on what I have to hand. For the recipe I’m sharing, I have used a classic mix of onion, potato, aubergine, spinach and coriander.
🍽️ How do you serve vegetable pakoras?
Pakoras are the star of the show on my iftar table. You can pair them with a coriander and mint raita, plum chutney and even humble ol’ ketchup. They also go well sprinkled with some chaat masala.
leeks cabbage spring onions carrots peppers any leafy green of your choice
You can also use the batter for other ingredients too, including:
bite-sized chicken pieces bite-sized fish pieces prawns hard boiled eggs, halved or quartered paneer, feta or halloumi cheese discs of potato, onion or aubergine fat green chillis whole spinach leaves pretty much anything edible. I’ve pakora-fried a sandwich before. True story.
Pakoras are also a popular treat when the weather is cold - there seems to some sort of a cultural association between rainy days and fried goods. Pakoras, samosas, kachoris, spring rolls - they’re all-well loved on a particularly grey and damp day alongside a hot cup of chai. My husband once told me his dad used to enjoy Pakoras with chutney with roti as a complete meal, and since then that has been my emergency go-to dinner on days when I haven’t had the time to cook something. It’s absolutely delicious! This year in Ramadan, as always, I’m adamant Pakoras won’t be a regular show, but an occasional iftar treat. I’m going to try my utmost best to not give into the temptation and pile my plate sky-high with those mouth-wateringly divine treats. I’m going to dodge the plate of Pakoras with unwavering determination and reach for the healthier, lighter option. To store, keep them in an airtight container, or wrapped tightly in foil till needed. They will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days, however they will dry out. The best way to reheat them is to warm them in an air fryer for 5 minutes at 200c. You can also bake them in the oven for 10-15 minutes. In the microwave, I find these turn soggy so this isn’t my favourite method, but should you only have this option, a minute or two on high will do the trick. I do not recommend frying them again to heat them up - double frying will make them stiff and overly oily. And as always, I’m very sure I won’t succeed.
📋 Recipe
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