Palak Pakora
A home-style recipe for Palak Pakora. Serves 4, ready in about 25 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (120 g) gram flour (besan)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- ½ tsp ajwain (carom seeds)
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- A pinch of baking soda
- About ½ cup water
- 1 bunch spinach (palak, about 250 g leaves), washed, dried well and roughly chopped / 20 whole leaves
- 2 green chillies, finely chopped
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced (optional)
- Oil, for deep frying
Missing something?
- No gram flour (besan)? Use finely ground chana daal or rice flour (less flavour).
- No spinach? Use frozen spinach, methi or any leafy greens.
- No green chilli? Use red chilli flakes or extra red chilli powder.
Method
- Mix the besan, salt, chilli, ajwain, cumin and baking soda. Add the water a little at a time to make a thick batter that coats a spoon.
- Fold in the palak, green chillies and onion. For whole leaves, keep the batter a little thinner and dip each leaf in it.
- Heat the oil on medium-high heat; a drop of batter should rise straight away.
- Drop spoonfuls of batter, or the coated leaves, into the oil and fry for 3–4 minutes, turning, until golden and crisp. Drain on paper.
Tip: The palak must be completely dry, or the oil spits and the pakoras go soft.
Not for the air fryer. The batter is runny, so it drips through the basket. Fry this one.