Garam Garam Pakoras (Onion, Cabbage, Bread, Potato, Spinach)

Pakoras or Pakodas are a easy to make yet amazingly delicious fried snack, savored with a hot and tangy sauce, usually accompanied by a cup of hot tea.. Eating hot pakoras watching the pitter patter of the rain outside is a childhood memory for many of us.
Pakoras are a great party snack because they can be made quickly if you have all the ingredients readily available at home. The only time consuming thing is the actual process of frying them. They don't really taste that great eaten cold, so you will have to make them just before you are ready to serve them, for maximum enjoyment.
There is a huge assortment of pakoras made in Indian homes, starting from the onion pakora to the paneer, from bread pakora to palak. In Mangalore, we used to enjoy pakoras made of this plant called "taikulo" which used to grow wild every rainy season. I have wonderful memories of climbing up our neighboring hill to pick up "taikulo". Mummy used to thoroughly clean it before it was cut into small bits to make pakoras :)
There are minor differences in the way the batter is made for the different type of pakoras, although the base ingredients are pretty much the same. In this recipe I describe to you the method of preparing onion, cabbage, palak, potato and bread pakoras. All the others can be made pretty much in a similar fashion. I list the ingredients just once, while I change the method slightly. Leave me a comment if you have trouble understanding the recipe.

Ingredients
Onion/Palak/Bread squares: 1 cup
Gram Flour/Besan : 1 cup or less
Rice Flour : 2 tbsp (optional but suggested, see notes below)
Cumin Seeds/Ajwain : 1 tsp
Red Pepper/Chilli powder: 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder: 1/2 tsp
Baking powder: 1/4 tsp (optional)
Finely chopped ginger: a little
Salt to taste
Water as required
Oil for deep frying

Kitchen Items Required
Bowl to mix the batter
Fryer/ Pan for deep frying with a slotted spatula

Method for Onion Pakoras

1)Cut the onions into thin long strips, sprinkle a lil bit of salt and keep aside
2)In a bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together ( besan, rice flour, salt, baking powder, ajwain or jeera, chilli powder, turmeric powder and ginger)
3)Now add in the onions to the mixture and nicely mix them with the besan batter. Add just enough water to be able to make a nice ball of the onion besan mix.
Note:
a)Take care to see that you do not add too much water while making the batter. Onion and cabbage pakoras are made with relatively drier batter when compared to the other pakoras. Adding the salt to the onions brings out their natural juices thus reducing the amount of water to be added to the batter.
b)The rule of the thumb while making Onion pakoras is that the amount of besan should not exceed the amount of onions. For eg: if you use 1 cup of onions, you should use a maximum of 1 cup of besan. This way the pakoras become crispy with the distinct flavor of onions and do not get soggy.
4)Heat oil in a pan/fryer. When it is hot, drop in small quantities of the batter by hand into the hot oil
5)Fry the pakoras till they turn into a deep golden color.
6)Remove and strain into a kitchen towel
7)Serve hot with spicy sauce and masala chai :)

Cabbage pakoras are made in a similar fashion. Replace 1 cup of onions with 3/4 cup of finely chopped cabbage and 1/4 cup of finely chopped onions. You can also add in 1 finely chopped green chilli for the additional zing.

Method for bread pakoras

1) The ingredients for the batter remain the same.The difference is in the consistency of the batter. Mix all the dry ingredients together. Now add water to make a batter consistent to a thick dosa batter.
2)Cut the sides (crusts) off the bread. Make 4 squares of one slice of bread.
3)Heat oil and dip the bread pieces one by one into the batter before adding them to the oil. Remove from oil when the pakoras turn golden.
Note: Do not add ginger while making bread pakoras.

Aloo (Potato)Pakoras are made in a similar fashion. Cut the potatoes into thin round slices and sprinkle a bit of salt. Now dip them into the batter and deep fry them as in the case of bread pakodas. Remove when crisp. Unlike bread pakodas you can dip all the potato slices into the batter at one time and then fry them. You can increase the amount of spice for the aloo pakoras by adding a little more chilli powder.

Paneer (Cottage Cheese) Pakoras are also made in the same way. However once the paneer is cut into chunky cubes, just sprinkle a little chilli powder and amchur (mango) powder on it and let it rest a while and then dip these cubes into the batter and deep fry for a tasty pakora.

Method for Palak Pakoras

1)Mix all the dry ingredients.
2)Do not add cumin/ajwain to the mixture
3) Finely chop some palak (spinach). You can optionally mix baby dill leaves as well for a very nice flavor. Add 2 finely chopped green chillies, ginger and a little cilantro (coriander leaves) as well.
4)Now add in the chopped greens into the dry mixture and add enough water to make a thick batter easy to handle. Again the amt of the greenies should be more than the amount of besan in this case.
5)Now make bite sized balls and fry.
Note: Could be a delicious way of making your kids eat their greens :)

Some Tips:
a)Keep trying on getting the consistency right. Start with very little water and then add more if required. Do not add too much water and then you might need to add more besan to adjust the consistency and then add more of the veggies to balance. Avoid that.
b)When making the batter, particularly for the bread, aloo and paneer pakodas, ensure you mix the batter well so it has no lumps in it.
c)Salt is one of the most important ingredients in pakoras which can make or mar their final flavor. Try to taste the batter before dipping the veggies so the salt is adequate. For onion pakodas, since onions are initially salted, be careful while adding the salt to the mixture. Also, after the first round of pakodas are made, taste them to see if any spice is missing. If more salt is needed, add it then. If more spice is needed add some red chilli powder.
d)You can add either Jeera or Ajwain to the batter. Avoid using both since they have a strong distinct flavor and using both might be too overpowering.
e)I highly recommend adding the rice flour because it adds crispiness to the pakoras. However be sure not to overheat the oil, since rice flour tends to brown faster than the besan.
e)The sky is the limit when it comes to the assortment of veggies/greens that can be used to make pakoras. You could make long chilli and capsicum pakoras or jack fruit(raw) or diviso guzo (My mangy friends will know what I'm talking abt) or brinjal or even mixed veggie pakoras. Experiment and come out with your own pakora variations.

I've tried to squeeze in as many varieties of pakoras in this post. It's not as complicated as it looks :) If there is any confusion , do leave a comment or send me an email and I'll be able to help you.

For more pakora recipes, please look at the foodista link below: