In this recipe I am sharing the traditional deep fried as well as air fried version which also comes out amazing! These pakoras are fancy to serve for entertaining or for evening chai time at home if you are craving something different and delicious.
What is Pakora?
Pakoras or Pakodas are a hugely popular indian snack and they are made a ton of ways using all sorts of vegetables, paneer, chicken or seafood. A spiced besan (gram flour) is prepared and whatever you are making the pakoras with is dunked in the batter and then deep fried. Pakoras are addictive - deep fried, spicy, crunchy outside, soft inside, tasty all in one. They are usually served with an assortment of chutneys and paired with chai. Rice flour is not commonly used in the pakora batter and my grandmother didn’t either. However I love the crispiness it adds and I do add it always. You can skip it if you dont have at hand. Here’s a few more pakora recipes to try
Fried Fish PakoraShishito Pepper Pakora
When we used to go to Haridwar- Rishikesh road trip, we used to stop midway at this quaint little town called Cheetal in Uttar Pradesh. I remember the rest area filled with a myriad of shops and eateries. The food at one of the restaurant there was really delicious and we always ate there. Usually our time of arrival was towards the evening and dad used to order paneer & aloo pakoras along with chai. Years later, I still remember the taste. The batter was crispy and spongy at the same time and it tasted of ajwain (carrot seeds) and the paneer was the softest. Could be something about the batter or the oil they fried it in or the quality of paneer or just that we were starving, but those pakoras were heavenly!!
Pakora Batter
The pakora batter for paneer pakoras is made with super fine besan (gram flour) and it is the soul of pakoras. If your batter is of the right consistency and properly spiced, the pakoras will be delicious. There are many ways people spice the pakora batter and the recipe differs from home to home and region to region. Truly any kind of spice powders will do. I stick to the traditional seasonings and like to add cumin, ajwain and kasuri methi to it. Instead of adding amchoor (dry mango powder) which can sometimes make the batter too dark in appearance, I add chaat masala for the tang. You can add some minced ginger or garlic as well. For the heat, I keep switching between adding minced green chilies or red chili powder depending on my mood 🙂 Some people like adding coarsely pounded coriander and black peppercorns as well, they do give a nice crunch. Chutney Stuffed Paneer Pakora is simply made by sandwiching teaspoon of chutney in between paneer. Take a block of paneer and start by cutting it into long batons. Then you slice the batons halfway lengthwise to make space for the chutney but do not slice all the way through. Cut into into largish cubes. Then add a teaspoon of thick chutney in between.You will get a chutney stuffed paneer sandwich. Dunk it into the besan batter and deep fry. You can see the video below to get an idea of how these pakoras are made.
Green Chutney & Tomato Chutney
You can find my tomato chutney recipe here. It is sweet spicy tangy and has lovely south indian inspired flavors of curry leaves. The green chutney recipe is below in the recipe card.
Some Notes While Air Frying
Tips
