This is remarkably simple and with relatively few spices, but it is incredibly tasty. You can use up almost any combination of vegetable but it is best to stick to those that cook at similar times: carrot, beans, onion, cabbage, spinach, courgette, capsicum pepper, beetroot etc. You can be quite vague with quantities too, the recipe is very forgiving. As long as there is enough batter to just coat the vegetables and bind them, you will be fine. Too much batter makes them stodgy, too little and they’ll fall apart. Just do what looks right!
In a bowl, assemble:
- 1 carrot, grated
- Handful of spinach leaves, sliced
- 5 or 6 cabbage leaves, sliced and timmed to 5cm lengths
- Half of a red pepper, thinly sliced
- Half a mild chilli pepper, chopped
- 2cm squeeze of minced garlic
- 1tbs grated ginger
- 2 tbs choped fresh coriander (or 1 tbs chopped mint leaves)
Mix tegether and allow to rest for ten minutes
- 125ml gram flour
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 0.5tsp salt
- 2 tbs cornflour
Mix together, then mix into your vegetables. Add splashes of water until it gets sticky. You may not need much liquid if your vegetables were already juicy. Now heat a pan of oil for deep-frying, to a temperature of 160C.
Take spoonfuls of the mix and drop into the oil. The easiest way is to scoop with a dessert spoon and scrape off with another spoon. Don’t over crowd the pan, you can do this in batches. After a minute or so flip the pakoras over, and when they are light brown and cripsy all over scoop them out and drain on kitchen paper. Keep warm while you make the next batches.
These are lovely served with a yoghurt dip (mint or coriander flavoured is nice) or chutney. Use as a side or a starter, or nibbles with drinks.