Mixed Vegetable Pakoda/ mixed vegetable fritters/ vegetable pakora recipe

Who doesn’t enjoy pakoras? They are the perfect accompaniment to a warm cup of tea or coffee, especially on chilly winter evenings or rainy monsoon days. They also make a great addition to a festive lunch menu. There are so many varieties of pakoras to choose from, such as onion pakoda (neerulli baje – a Mangalore specialty), vegetable pakora, cabbage pakora, or even bamboo shoot pakora. Today, I’m sharing the recipe for crispy and delicious mixed vegetable pakora (or fritters).

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

Mixed Vegetables (carrot, cabbage, Onions) – finely chopped (1 to 1.5 cups)

Greens such as moringa (drumstick) leaves, curry leaves – cleaned & finely chopped (a few sprigs)

Chickpea Flour (Besan) – about 1 cup

Rice Flour/ corn flour – 2 tablespoons (for extra crispiness & binding)

Carom Seeds (Ajwain) – 1/2 teaspoon

Red Chili Powder – 1/2 teaspoon (adjust to your spice preference)

Coriander Leaves – 1 tablespoon (finely chopped)

Green chillis – 1-2, finely chopped (optional)

Asafoetida – ¼ tsp

Salt – to taste

Water – as needed to make a batter

Oil – for deep frying (I use coconut oil)

Method:

• Wash and finely chop the vegetables. The finer the chop, the crispier the pakodas will be.
• In a large mixing bowl, add about ¾ cup chickpea flour (besan), rice flour, carom seeds (ajwain), red chili powder, and salt. Mix these well.
• To the flour mixture, add the chopped vegetables, greens, chilli and chopped coriander leaves. Combine everything together so the vegetables are evenly coated with the flour mixture.
• Gradually add water, a little at a time, to bind the flour and vegetable mixture into a thick batter. The batter should be thick enough to hold its shape when dropped into oil, but not too stiff. You may need anywhere between 2 to 4 tablespoons of water.
• Add remaining flour if needed.
• Heat oil in a frying pan or wok over medium heat. Test the oil by dropping a small portion of batter into it. If it sizzles and rises to the surface, the oil is ready.

Fry the Pakodas:

• Drop spoonful of the vegetable batter into the hot oil, you can use fingers if confirtable. Fry them in batches, ensuring that they don’t overcrowd the pan. Fry for about 3-4 minutes or until golden brown and crispy on all sides. Turn them occasionally for even cooking.
• Once the pakodas are crispy and golden, remove them from the oil and drain on a paper towel / tissue paper to remove excess oil.
• Serve the Mixed Vegetable Pakodas hot with a side of chutney or tomato sauce or a simple yogurt dip.

 Notes:

• Same recipe can be used to make onion pakoras, where the miced vegetables to be replaced with only onions & some greens. Water needed will be less to make the batter.
• Check for my recipe of bambooshoot pakora here