Cookbook:Deep Fried Chickpea Dough Curry Snacks (Pakoda)

Cookbook | Ingredients | Recipes | Indian Cuisine

Pakoda is a savoury South Indian fried snack made from gram flour, spices and onions. This simple recipe is for Pakoda, as made in Tamil Nadu, India. A different version called "Pakora" is famous in the other parts of India. The difference is that for making "Pakora", the batter/mix can be a bit more liquidy like for making pancakes and different vegetables like spinach, potatoes may be used for the same, but not in this recipe, which makes crunchier snacks.

Variation I

Ingredients

For 2 servings:

• 1 cup (240g) of Besan or gram flour
• 0.5 cup water
• 2 tspns rice flour (for crunchiness)
• 2 tspns green gram flour(optional - for added crunch)
• salt to taste
• ¼ tspn of asafoetida
• ¼ tspn of turmeric
• ¼ tspn of cayenne pepper
• 8-10 curry leaves
• 1 tspn of cumin powder
• 1 tspn of crushed black peppercorns
• 1 medium-sized onion, chopped finely
• 0.5 cup peanuts, preferably roasted
• 1 tspn oil for the flour mix
• oil to fry

Procedure

Preparation Time: 20 Minutes

1. Add all the dry ingredients except the salt, peanuts and onions and mix well.
2. Now add the onions, peanuts and oil (1 tspn) along with the salt and mix well.
3. Keep aside for about 10 mins. The moisture from the onions will ooze out into the batter.
4. Making sure to add a little bit of water at a time, make a batter which will form chunks but break into pieces with a little bit of pressure. The consistency should be of the same as when making scones. Too much water and the pakoda will not be crunchy.
5. Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed vessel.
6. Shape the batter into chunks and deep-fry medium hot oil until it is golden brown and crispy. Too much turmeric might give it a darker color.
7. Serve hot or room temperature. Store at room temperature for about 3-4 days. Should not be refrigerated to maintain the crunch. The pakoda may be served with ketchup or any style of chutney.

Variation II: Maharashtrian Method

Ingredients

• 5-6 onions, peeled and sliced thin
• 2-3 green chiles, washed and finely diced
• salt
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• ½ tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• Gram flour
• Oil

Procedure

1. Combine onions and chiles. Mix in salt, and let sit 10-15 minutes.
2. Mix in turmeric, chili powder, cumin, and coriander.
3. By this time the onion mix should be moist due to added salt and spices. If a moister mix is required, allow to stand another 5 minutes.
4. Start adding gram flour to the onion mix a little at a time. The mixture should not be dry. Add the flour just to absorb the moistness. You should end up with a somewhat sticky mixture.
5. Heat sufficient oil in a wok or frying pan. Once heated sufficiently carefully take around 2-3 tbsp of hot oil and add to the onion and gram flour mix. Mix well.
6. Drop in a few small to medium chunks of batter at a time in the medium hot oil. Fry until it gets a golden brown colour. If you have used 4-5 large onions and a medium wok you are likely to need 3-4 batches of frying to finish the batter.
7. Serve hot with green chutney or tomato ketchup.

Notes

• A tradition during the monsoon season is to serve piping hot tea after pakodas.