Pakora (Indian Vegetable Fritters)

Vegetable fritters can be so bland and uninspiring … but not in the hands of Indian cooks! Pakoras are a traditional Indian street food made with all sorts of vegetables. I've used onion, potato and caulifloiwer, but see Note 5 for other options.

Serve as starter for an Indian menu, light meal or pass around as canapes. They're gluten free and vegan so everybody can enjoy them!

Spiciness: Mild. Large chillies are not that spicy, and we are using 2 across lots of pakoras! Feel free to omit/reduce the fresh chilli and chilli powder.

No deep fry method – See Note 7 for shallow pan-fried version.

PREP: 20 mins. - COOK: 20 mins

300 g chickpea flour (Note 1)

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp fenugreek powder (Note 2)

½ tsp chilli powder (pure chilli powder, Note 3)

2 tsp salt (cooking/kosher salt)

225 ml water

200 g onions , grated using standard box grater (~1 ½ onions)

250 g potato (~1 large), peeled and grated using standard box grater (Note 4)

250 g cauliflower (~¼ large head), finely chopped into rice size pieces (or grate)

2 large red chillies (cayenne peppers), finely chopped (adjust spiciness to taste, or leave them out)

1 tbsp fresh ginger , finely grated

2 tbsp coriander/cilantro leaves , finely chopped

subheading: FOR COOKING:

750 ml - 1 L vegetable or canola oil (4cm / 1.5″ depth in pot)

subheading: CORIANDER MINT SAUCE FOR PAKORAS (OPTION 1):

40 g mint leaves

25 g coriander/cilantro leaves

20 g eschalot , sliced

45 ml lime juice

1 tsp caster sugar

½ tsp cumin seeds

½ tsp cooking/kosher salt

2 ice cubes (loosens + keeps sauce green)

subheading: MINTED YOGURT SAUCE (OPTION 2):

200 g plain yoghurt

10 g mint leaves , packed

¼ tsp salt

Directions at recipetineats.com

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