Mixed Vegetable Pakora

Mixed Vegetable Pakora is a variation of the basic pakora recipe made from fresh onions, breaded, and deep fried. Mixed vegetable pakora, as the name suggests, has more than just onions.

I had first tried pakoras in the house of a friend. We were being served potato and onion pakoras – this I would later come to know – in intervals of about 5 minutes each time. They were rings of onions with potato slices, mixed and held together by breading and fried. Sounds like onion rings with chips, right? Not at all! I could not stop looking at that pakora in between my fingers before I put it in my mouth, and a few times, I let its aroma please my olfactory nerves before I nibbled it. I could still remember the way it smelled and tasted. Aromatic and delicious, it was not easy to forget.

What is pakora?

Pakora is an Indian dish. It is usually onion by itself – or a mix of potatoes and onion – with breading made from chickpea flour (or “gram flour” as it is more commonly called) plus spices, and then deep-fried. It belongs to the areas covering India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh and is widely prepared and served at home mostly as appetizers or snacks. Pakoras are also available as Indian street foods. Having gained wide popularity, pakoras (also called fekkora, pekora) have invaded homes, eateries, and restaurants outside Southeast Asia.

In this post, we will give a version with the addition of carrots, eggplant, and zucchini. I can assure you that this is going to be a hit. I have cooked this version for years and it has always been loved by my family, relatives, and friends. They requested for the recipe and for the cooked pakora itself when we were to meet for a potluck get-together or even during regular lunch breaks.

Ingredients for Mixed Vegetable Pakora

• Yellow onion. Onions in pakoras are basic as they give off that aroma and taste distinctive to the dish.
• Potatoes. Thinly sliced or in strips, potatoes are the second-best in the lineup of ingredients for pakoras.
• Zucchini, carrots and eggplant. Cut them similar to that of the potatoes.
• Fresh greens, such as parsley or coriander and mint

Substitute Vegetable Ingredients

You can include sweet potatoes in the lineup of vegetables for pakoras. You can replace any of the three vegetables in this post (carrots, eggplant, zucchini) with sweet potatoes, and you would be fine. Sweet potatoes turn out a sweeter and crunchier version of the pakora. It is worth trying.

Spices for Mixed Vegetable Pakora

Spices enhance (or destroy) the taste of this dish, or of any dish for that matter. Here is a range of spices that I mix with the batter.

• garam masala or any spice mix
• cumin powder
• chili powder (optional, not everyone prefers their pakoras hot)
• green chillies (a good addition, but use with caution especially if you do not prefer your hot pakoras)
• fresh cilantro (coriander) leaves or coriander powder
• fresh mint leaves or dried mint leaves (powder)

Pakora Batter

Pakora batter (or chickpea flour batter) plays a big role in the look, feel, and taste of pakora. The ingredients for the pakora batter are here.

• Chickpea flour (gram flour).”  I found it interesting that garbanzo beans have their own flour. I admit that I have not used this garbanzo bean flour in any other recipe, but I keep two kilos, at least, at home for pakora-cooking purposes.
• Spices, such as garam masala and cumin
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• egg

How to Prepare and Cook Mixed Vegetable Pakora

• Julienne the vegetables (carrots, zucchini, eggplant, potato) and sprinkle them with salt. Leave for about 20 minutes to drain their juices.
• Wash them with room temperature water and squeeze their juices out using your hands. No need to overdo this, but it is still necessary to ensure crisp pakoras.
• Add the minced fresh green leaves and diced onions.
• Add the pakora batter and continue to mix with your hands.
• Cook one batch of pakora at a time over medium-high heat. The batch size is determined by the size of the slotted spoon you use in dispatching them into the hot oil in a pan. I use two spoons – the first spoon takes from the full batch, and the second spoon pushes that size from the first spoon.
• Cook until golden or golden brown, about 1-2 minutes on each side. Refrain from turning them over before they are golden on one side.
• Drain on paper towels, which you should replace as they become drenched with oil drippings. Don’t be discouraged; there is a secret against accumulating oil on the kitchen paper towel; these are:

• • do not fry pakoras in oil that is not hot enough. if you do, you run into having anything deep fried take more oil than necessary.
  • let your pakoras dry standing on one side rather than the heavier weight (lie flat) onto the paper towels,

How to Serve Pakoras

It is best to serve these delicious pakoras warm. Pakoras can be eaten as they are, straight from the pan. They are also good with dips, which vary – from yogurt to avocado dip to chutneys. My kids are easy to please: pakoras as they are, or dip them in either catsup or a combination of catsup and mayonnaise. I like them with lemon and soy sauce, which I call my pakora sauce, although it is nothing but a Filipino condiment. LOL!

Now one of our favorites at home, I had also taken this to potluck get-togethers and when visiting with my sisters-in-law. Usually served as a snack, pakora is also good at lunch and dinner, either as an appetizer or as a main meal.

How to Store Leftover Pakoras

Leftover pakoras can be kept as is for a few hours if they were to be consumed on the same day. Otherwise, keep them in the fridge covered with plastic wrap for a good couple of days. If you want to reheat leftovers, line them on a baking sheet and bake them in the oven for no more than 10 minutes, or in the air fryer for no more than 5 minutes. Do not refry them as they will take in more oil.

Cooking tips:

• Crispy pakora is usually dependent on a few things which include drier vegetables by draining them of their juices, and generosity in the use of onions.
• Thinly sliced onions produce crispier pakoras.
• Chickpea flour cannot be replaced by all-purpose flour. I had tried it.
• Chilli flakes, sliced fresh chili, or chilli powder are optional. I prepare pakoras without the chilis, but I put sliced red chilis in my lemon-soy sauce dip.
• I had tried adding a couple of tablespoons of cornstarch to the batter. The pakoras turned out a bit hard!
• Do not forget the baking powder!
• Add a tablespoon of water (one at a time) to the batter, as necessary. Tablespoons of water used sparingly are your savior in achieving a smooth batter.
• Adding peanut oil to your cooking oil or vegetable oil gives a wonderful nutty taste to your fekkora.
• The crunchy pakora batch is determined by the number of pekoras on the pan, so give them breathing space as you cook them, rather than over-crowding them.
• Set your cooking flame to medium heat after the first batch to refrain from getting burned pakoras on the outside and uncooked on the inside.
• Bite-size pieces are best. It only entails more batches, but hey, enjoy it. You will not regret it.
• Slotted spoons are your best friend; your hands will not have the batter sediments.

Mixed Vegetable Pakora

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• Author: Magida
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 6-8 1x
• Category: appetizer
• Method: cooking
• Cuisine: Indian

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Description

Mixed, spiced, breaded and deep-fried vegetables

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Ingredients

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• 1 medium onion (thinly sliced or chopped roughly)
• 1 carrot (julienned)
• 1 eggplant (julienned)
• 1 zucchini (julienned)
• 1 potato (julienned)
• 3 tbsp chopped parsley or coriander
• 3 tbsp chopped mint leaves

For the breading

• 1 cup garbanzo (gram flour)
• ½ cup water
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• ½ tsp garam masala

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Instructions

• Put julienned vegetables in a colander. Sprinkle with salt and leave for 20 minutes. Wash off with water, drain, and dry using kitchen towels. Add onions and mix.
• In a separate bowl, add all breading ingredients and mix until without lumps.
• Add julienned vegetables, chopped greens, and onions, and mix gently.
• Heat cooking oil in a deep pan.
• Scoop the mixture using a spoon and push onto cooking oil using another spoon.
• Fry until golden.
• Drain and serve hot.

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HOW TO MAKE VEGETABLE PAKORAS