Pakora Recipe (Vegetable Pakora) – How To Make Pakora At Home?

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Now you can learn how to make pakora at home with this easy-to-follow pakora recipe.  If you have never made vegetable pakora before, you’re in for a treat with these golden crispy Indian snacks.

This Indian spicy snack is not only full of amazing flavors but it’s straight forward to make at home and only take around 10 minutes to cook, making it the perfect snack.

Pakora are made using gram flour mixed with some popular Indian herbs and spices such as garam masala, turmeric, cumin seeds etc.

Today we will be making vegetable pakora (aloo pakora) using onions & potatoes.  This is the most popular type of pakora.  It’s easy and quick to make for this reason it is one of the most popular street foods in India.

Why You Should Try This Recipe?

This recipe shows you how to make vegetable pakora quickly and easily at home, oh and they taste amazing!

  • It only takes 10 to cook and 10 minutes for prep.
  • You can use this recipe to make other varieties of pakora such as Eggplant, Cauliflower & Potato, mushroom etc.
  • Pakora can easily be frozen and reheated.
  • Doesn’t cost much to make these crispy snacks.
  • Your guests will love them!

Top Tips For Making Pakora!

  • Slice the onions and potatoes thin.  The thinner you cut them, the quicker they will cook when you fry your pakora.
  • Add in the water bit by bit.  Keep in mind that the onions and potatoes will release their own water.  The longer you keep your batter the more water they will release.  So fry your pakora once the batter is made.
  • Taste test.  Before you start frying all your batter, fry one pakora and taste and see if anything needs adjusting such as salt.
  • Keep ingredients cold.  When I slice the fresh ingredients, I like to store them in the refrigerator until it’s time to use them.  I find keeping them cold as long as possible helps them release less water in the batter, which means your pakora will be more crispy. 
  • Use cold water for the batter.   If the batter is cold, it will not absorb much oil when your fry your pakora which will also help them to be crispier. 
  • Add oil to the batter:  Adding a little oil (1 tablespoon) helps the pakora to become more crispy.

What Sauce Do You Eat Pakora With?

Traditionally pakora sauce is served with pakora.  If you have never tried pakora sauce before, I recommend you give it a try, it makes them taste even more yummy.

However, if you don’t have the time to make any pakora sauce, you can try eating your pakora with your favorite sauce.  I like to eat mine with tomato ketchup, when I don’t have any homemade pakora sauce at hand.

How To Store Pakora?

If you plan to eat them within 3 days, then you can store them in the refrigerator otherwise you can freeze them.

To store them in the refrigerator, place them in an airtight storage container, put a few sheets of paper towel on the bottom.  The paper towel helps absorbs any moisture from the pakora.  Place the lid and refrigerate.

How Long Does Pakora Last?

Once cooked, you can store your pakora in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and if you still have any left you can freeze the remaining.

Can You Freeze Pakora Batter?

No, unfortunately you cannot freeze pakora batter.  However, you can freeze pakora once they have been cooked and can last up to a month in the freezer.

How To Freeze Pakora?

Method 1 This method is good when you only want to take out a few pakora at a time from the freezer, instead of thawing the whole lot.

  • Let your pakora cool down completely at room temperature.
  • Line your baking tray with parchment paper and place the pakora on it individually.
  • Put the baking tray in the freezer for an hour or so until the pakora have frozen.
  • Transfer the frozen pakora into a zip bag.

Method 2 This method is good when you want to thaw your pakora by portion size.

  • Make sure your pakora have completely cool down.
  • Transfer them into a large airtight container or large zip bag and freeze.

How To Reheat Pakora?

There are a few ways you can reheat your leftover pakora but depending on the method you use with determine if they will become crispy again.

To make your pakora crispy again when reheated use the following options.

  • Oven
    • Put your pakora on a baking tray.
    • Place the baking try on the middle shelf.
    • Pre-heat the oven at 375°F / 190°C / Gas Mark 5.
    • Cook them for about 10 minutes or until crispy.
  • Air Fryer
    • Pre-heat your air-fryer at 375°F / 190°C
    • Place the pakora on the tray.
    • Cook for 10 minutes or until they are crispy.
  • Deep Fry
    • Thaw your pakora in the microwave or at room temperature.
    • Once thawed deep fry for around 3 minutes on a medium heat and enjoy!
  • Microwave (non-crispy option)
    • Heat them up for 30 seconds at a time until they are hot.

Whichever method you use, crispy or not, they will still taste delicious. head

How Can I Make My Pakoras Crispy For A Long Time?

There are a few things you can do to make your pakora stay crispier longer.

  • frying them twice. 
    • 1st time: Cook them on a medium heat for 2 minutes.
    • Take them out, place them on a plate with paper towel on the bottom.
    • 2nd time fry: Heat the oil on high heat, put the pakora back in and fry until golden brown.
  • Use cold water:  Make sure the water you use for the batter is cold and not warm.  If the batter is cold it will absorb less oil when it comes to frying your pakora, which means they will be crispier.

Which Oil Is Best For Pakora?

There are 3 types of oil normally used to fry Indian food.

  1. Vegetable oil. 
  2. Sunflower oil.
  3. Mustard oil.

The oil you use comes down to your personal preference.  Personally, I like to use sunflower oil but the choice is yours.

What Is The Difference Between Pakora And Samosa?

Two of the most popular Indian snacks but what are the difference between them both.

Vegetable Pakora: A Pakora is made of gram flour that is mixed with spices/sliced vegetables and made into a thick paste and deep fried. 

Vegetable Samosa: A Samosa is a triangular shaped pastry that has a savory filling such as spicy potato, lentil and even ground meat etc.

Can We Use Baking Powder In Pakora?

Someone asked me this question the other week.  Personally, I don’t add baking soda to my pakora recipe.  However, if you want your pakora to be light and fluffy then adding some baking soda will do the trick.

But again, in the traditional Indian recipe you don’t add baking soda.  I just thought I would cover this question in case any of you were thinking of this.  If you plan to add some baking soda to your pakora, let us know in the comments how they turned out.head

Is Pakora Healthy?

I’m no medical expert in anyway, but I would say, pakora are not healthy. Simply because they are deep fried, and we are told anything deep fried is not good for you.

What Type Of Pakora Are There?

There are many different varieties of pakoras, here are some of the most popular ones.

  • Vegetable pakora
    • Onion & Potato (this recipe)
    • Eggplant
    • Cauliflower & Potato
  • Chicken pakora
  • Fish pakora
  • The list goes on.

Is A Pakora The Same As A Bhajia?

Yes! both pakora and bhajia are the same.  Both names are used to describe anything that is deep fried in a spicy batter.  A vegetable pakora and vegetable bhajia described the same item.

Why Are My Pakora Hard?

This is one of the most common problems people have when they make pakora.  There are many reasons why your pakora might turn out to be hard.

  • Not enough water.  This is the most common reason why pakora become hard.  If you don’t use enough water in the batter, your pakora will become hard instead of crispy.  Pakora batter needs to be thick in consistency.
  • Oil too hot:  If the oil is too hot your pakora will become overcooked on the outside and leaving the inside still uncooked.  Pakora should be cooked on a medium heat so they are crispy on the outside and not hard.

Why Are My Pakora Soggy?

This is another common problem people come across when making pakora.  There are many reasons why your pakora might become soggy.

  • Oil not hot.  If the oil is not hot enough then your pakora will absorb the oil during the frying stage, preventing your pakora becoming crispy.
  • Vegetables not properly dry.  If you don’t dry your vegetables before you mix the gram flour then the internal moisture will make your pakora soggy when it comes to frying them.
Pakora on a bowl served with tomato ketchup

Vegetable Pakora Recipe

Pakora is one of the most popular streets foods in India. Learn how to make these crispy golden Indian snacks that will wow your taste buds.
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Course Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine Indian
Servings 14 pieces
Calories 75 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 medium onions finely sliced
  • 2 medium potatoes finely diced
  • 2 green chili finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 cup gram flour
  • 2 tablespoons dried fenugreek
  • 3 tablespoons water add more if needed

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl add onions / potatoes and green chilies.
  • Add the turmeric, red chili powder, garam masala, salt and cumin seeds.
    turmeric, red chili powder, garam masala, salt and cumin seeds added.
  • Add the gram flour (sieve).
    gram flour being sieved
  • Mix everything together, use the water that is released from the potatoes and onions.
  • Add water tablespoon at a time until you get a thick consistency in the form of a paste.
  • Add dried fenugreek and mix well.
    all ingredients being mixed
  • Heat oil in a pan to a medium heat.
  • Using a tablespoons spoon the pakora batter into the oil.
    pakora being fried in hot oil
  • Cook until golden brown on all sides.

Nutrition

Calories: 75kcal
Keyword Indian Snack, Pakora, Vegetable Pakora,
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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