Before You Start
It is more accurate to call pakora a method than a recipe. Nearly any vegetable that can be sliced thinly will take a coat of spiced gram flour batter, and when it goes into hot oil the coating firms into a crisp shell while the vegetable underneath softens. The mix below is a traditional one: onion gives sweetness and holds the cluster together, potato adds substance, and spinach or another leaf supplies a lighter note with a hint of bitterness. The identical batter and approach suit cauliflower, aubergine, bell pepper and whatever else is lying around. Rainy-season evenings are when pakoras are most often eaten in India, lifted hot from the oil and set beside a cup of tea, but people fry them in every season, either as a snack with tea or as a starter.
Where It Comes From
Throughout India you will find gram flour fritters under a range of names. In the north and west they are called pakora or pakoda, in Gujarat and Maharashtra bhajiya, and in parts of the south bajji, where the vegetable is frequently cut into thicker rounds and the batter loosened slightly. With a method this simple and ingredients so easy to come by, pinning down one place of origin is close to impossible, and most food historians view besan fritters as a technique that evolved separately in many parts of the subcontinent and did not travel outward from a single centre. What genuinely differs between regions is the vegetable chosen, how thick the batter is, and what sits beside the fritters: the coconut chutney that accompanies bajji in the south is a different thing from the tamarind or mint chutney served with northern pakora.
How to Make It
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Prep
Salt the vegetables and wait
Sprinkle about half a teaspoon of salt over the sliced onion and potato, toss, and leave for ten minutes. The salt pulls water out of the onion, flavouring it and giving the batter a damp surface to hold on to, and it softens the potato just enough that it will finish cooking in the short time it spends frying.
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Prep
Combine the dry ingredients
Using a whisk, blend the gram flour with the rice flour, chilli powder, turmeric, ajwain, asafoetida and salt in a roomy bowl. Rice flour is not essential, but it is worth including, because it gives the coating extra crunch and helps it stay crisp as the pakoras cool.
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Prep
Add the vegetables and bring in the water
Tip the salted vegetables into the bowl together with their juices, then add the green chilli and coriander. Pour in water gradually, only enough to form a thick batter that clings heavily to the vegetables and does not drain to the bottom. Since the vegetables continue to give off liquid while they sit, add the water in small amounts and stop the moment the mixture binds; it is very easy to make this batter too runny.
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Cook
Fry in small lots
Bring the oil to between 170 and 180°C (340 to 350°F). Drop in spoonfuls of the mixture, roughly a tablespoon each and shaped casually, a handful at a time and leaving space between them. Overfilling the pot cools the oil and produces pakoras that are greasy and cooked unevenly. Allow three to four minutes, turning them over once or twice, until they are firm and a deep golden brown.
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Cook
Drain on a rack
Remove the pakoras with a slotted spoon and lay them on a wire rack, as paper towels trap steam and make the bottoms soft. Wait for the oil to climb back to its working temperature before you add the following batch.
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Serve
Bring them to the table at once
The first few minutes after frying are when pakoras are best, with the shell still crackling. Offer tamarind chutney, a mint and coriander chutney, or just lime wedges and a dusting of chaat masala.
Swaps That Work
Other firm vegetables that can be cut into thin pieces work well alongside or instead of the onion, potato and spinach; cauliflower florets, slices of aubergine, bell pepper strips and sweet potato are all familiar choices. As written, the recipe contains no gluten, since gram flour and rice flour are both naturally free of it, though it is worth checking the label on any baking powder or other additive you decide to use.
Turning the Heat Up or Down
Green chilli is the quickest lever for heat: skip it for a gentle batch, or add more for a sharper edge. Chilli powder mostly gives colour and a softer, more spread-out warmth, and adding a bit more will not make the pakoras taste as pungent as fresh chilli would, so treat the two as separate controls according to whether you are after a background glow or a definite bite.
Where Cooks Go Wrong
Runny batter is the usual culprit when pakoras turn out flat and oily rather than thick, rough-edged and crunchy; the mixture should be clearly stiffer than anything you would use for dosa or pancakes. Packing too many into the pot is the next problem, because the oil temperature plunges, the pakoras absorb extra fat and they cook inconsistently. Cutting the vegetables, especially the potato, in heavy slices is the third, since the potato may still be firm after only a few minutes in the oil; keep slices thin and similar in size.
Keeping and Warming Up Leftovers
To keep: Pakoras taste best straight from the pan, and they hold poorly because the shell softens inside a few hours. When you need to keep some, put them in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to two days and revive them in the oven. Freezing is not advised, as thawed pakoras lose much of their texture.
To warm up: Place them in an oven or air fryer at 180°C (350°F) for six to eight minutes to regain some crunch. The microwave should be avoided, because it makes the shell soft and a little rubbery.
Safe Handling
Thin slices fried quickly mean no particular raw-food worry other than the ordinary rinsing of produce ahead of cutting. Following the usual rules for frying, hold the oil at a moderate, even temperature, do not walk away from hot oil, and stop reusing it when it has turned very dark or begins smoking at a temperature below the one it handled when new.