Pakora

Name: Pakora
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: Makes about 8
Cuisine: Indian recipes
Ingredients: 1 green chilli, finely chopped; 2 garlic cloves, finely grated; 3cm piece ginger, finely grated; 1 medium carrot, cut into matchsticks; 1 red pepper, cut into matchsticks; 1 small onion, finely sliced; Handful spinach, shredded; Small bunch coriander, finely chopped; 1 tsp chaat masala or garam masala; ½ tsp ground turmeric; 120g gram flour; 2 tbsp cornflour; Vegetable or sunflower oil to deep-fry

By: Tom Shingler
Head of food, delicious.

Published: 3 Mar 23
Updated: 18 Mar 24

Super quick and endlessly versatile, you can put pretty much any vegetable into a pakora – just finely slice anything firm so it can cook quickly. They should be crisp, light and delicately spiced, and so much better than any shop-bought version!

Discover all of our Indian side dish recipes.

Medium
February 2023

Test kitchen approved

Makes about 8
Hands-on time 20 min

Discover all of our Indian side dish recipes.

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 176kcals
Fat: 10.7g (1g saturated)
Protein: 4.2g
Carbohydrates: 14.3g (2.5g sugars)
Fibre: 2.8g
Salt: 0.1g

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Ingredients

1 green chilli, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
3cm piece ginger, finely grated
1 medium carrot, cut into matchsticks
1 red pepper, cut into matchsticks
1 small onion, finely sliced
Handful spinach, shredded
Small bunch coriander, finely chopped
1 tsp chaat masala or garam masala
½ tsp ground turmeric
120g gram flour
2 tbsp cornflour
Vegetable or sunflower oil to deep-fry

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Method

Put all the ingredients except the chaat or garam masala, gram flour, cornflour and oil in a bowl with a big pinch of salt. Scrunch the vegetables with your hands for a few minutes (don’t worry if some of them break up) then set aside for 5 minutes – the salt should draw out a little water.
Stir in the chaat or garam masala, turmeric, gram flour and cornflour then start adding water 1 tbsp at a time until the vegetables are sticking together in a thick coating. It shouldn’t be runny or like a batter; it’s more like a glue that holds them all together.
Heat a deep pan of oil to 160°C, or until a small bit of batter sizzles as soon as it hits the oil. Working in batches, use a tablespoon to scoop up heaped portions of the mixture and pack them tightly with your hand. Carefully slide them into the hot oil and leave to cook for 3 minutes, before flipping and cooking for another 3-5 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.