Pakora Recipe

We love making Pakoras.  They are a stuffed vegetable sandwich that is coated and fried.  It’s not usually made in Indian homes but rather on the street in eateries, restaurants, and cafes. We love to dip them in a sweet and sour tamarind sauce. They are best eaten hot. It’s a great use for leftover mashed or baked potatoes. 

Ingredients

6 slices bread

3 medium potatoes

1/4 cup peas

1 tablespoon oil

1 sprig curry leaves

2 green Chilies- chopped (optional)

1 tsp ginger paste

3 tablespoon cilantro

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp garam masala

1/8 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp salt

1 tablespoon lemon juice

3/4 cup white flour or besan

2 tablespoons cornstarch 

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/8 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp salt

Water 

Cooked potatoes for 2-3 whistles or 5-7 minutes on a trivet in an instant pot. Allow to cool, peel and mash. Should be roughly 1 1/2 cups of potatoes if using pre-made mashed potatoes. Add the peas and set aside. 

In a pan, add oil, curry, chilies, ginger. When the ginger and chilies are aromatic, add the chili powder, masala, turmeric, and salt. When all the spices are well mixed add to the potatoes. Then add lemon juice combining well.

 

Scoop the potato mixture onto the bread and spread until covered. If you like spicy, the bread can first be coated with a hot or chili sauce. 

  

Cover this mixture with another piece of bread, pressing down firmly to hold them together.  Cut each sandwich in half diagonally.  

In a separate bowl, mix the remaining ingredients. Add water until the mixture is not too thick or thin. If it’s too thick it will be hard to coat the bread. If too thin, the bread will be soggy. 

Dip each sandwich in the batter, coating each side of the bread including the ends.

Fry in a shallow pan of oil until the bread starts to brown. (I tried cooking without cutting in half but the cut ones fry better).

 

Flip and cook the other side until brown.

Remove and allow oil to drain from the sandwich. Eat hot. We love dipping ours in a tamarind chutney sauce. Be daring and try it with your favorite sauce. 

 

Thanks to #swasthisrecipes for this recipe.