Aloo (Potato) Pakora

alice Dave's Note:

I got this recipe from my friend Rupali. It's good for a fast and easy side dish to an indian meal. Also, if it is made with less chilli powder, it is excellent as a snack for kids. They'll eat them right up.

• Total Time: 10 mins
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 5 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 4 large potatoes
• 2 cups corn oil (for frying)

For the Batter

• 1 cup besan (chickpea flour)
• ½ cup water
• 1 teaspoon red chili powder
• 2 teaspoons cumin powder
• 4 cloves of crushed garlic
• 3 inches of crushed ginger
• salt
• 2 tablespoons chopped coriander (optional)

Directions:

1. Add water to the Besan.
2. Besan has a tendency to be very clumpy, so you should add just a few tablespoons at a time to keep the batter smooth.
3. Add the Chilli powder, cumin powder, garlic, ginger, salt and chopped coriander and stir the batter.
4. The potatoes should be sliced very thinly.
5. No thicker than 1/4 of an inch.
6. At this point test one slice of potato in the batter.
7. There should just be a thin coat of batter.
8. Heat the oil in a pan.
9. Use a larger frying pan so that you have more surface area.
10. The oil doesn't need to be too deep since the potato slices are very thin.
11. Dip the potato slices in the batter and fry them till they are golden brown.
12. Remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon and set them on a paper towel for a minute to soak up the excess oil.

Reviews

[Sangeetha]

The addition of 1/2 cup of rice flour along with the besan is of prime importance to making pakodas of any kind, as the rice flour brings in the crispiness. If we use besan alone, once fried it will be soggy. The addition of garlic and ginger is optional, and can be added by those who prefer it. This can also be made with other vegetables like cauliflower, raw bananas, capsicum or banana peppers, and onion rings.

[Chef #299245]

I found the recipe very good and the extra advice useful also. I have two suggestions- 1. To the batter- I added 1/2 tsp baking powder to soften the batter, it also helped the fried end product to 'puff' up. I also added 2 tsp dry fried ajwain seeds. 2. I soaked the potatoes or vegetables in water and baking powder for up to thirty minutes before frying to soften. Dry the vegetables. Jennifer