Description
Vegetable pakoras are crispy Indian-style fritters made with spiced chickpea flour batter and assorted vegetables, fried until golden brown. Served with a refreshing cilantro mint lime yogurt dip, they’re flavorful, crunchy, and perfect for appetizers, teatime, or parties.
Ingredients
- ½ cup fresh mint leaves
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
- Zest and juice of 1 lime
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 3–4 ice cubes
- ½ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
- 1 cup chickpea flour (besan)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground fenugreek (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (adjust to taste)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup water (adjust as needed)
- 1 medium yellow onion, grated
- 1 medium potato, peeled and grated
- ½ head cauliflower or broccoli, finely chopped or grated
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely minced
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
- Vegetable oil, for shallow frying (canola or sunflower oil)
Instructions
- Blend mint, cilantro, lime zest, lime juice, yogurt, ice cubes, and salt until smooth. Refrigerate dip until serving.
- In a bowl, sift chickpea flour. Add turmeric, cumin, coriander, fenugreek, cayenne, and salt.
- Gradually whisk in water to form a thick batter. Set aside.
- Grate onion and potato, and finely chop cauliflower or broccoli. Add ginger and cilantro, season lightly with salt.
- Fold vegetables into the batter. Let rest for 30 minutes.
- Heat 1 inch of oil in a deep skillet over medium heat.
- Drop spoonfuls of batter into hot oil. Fry 3–5 minutes, turning until golden and crispy.
- Remove pakoras with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
- Serve hot with chilled cilantro mint lime yogurt dip.
Notes
- Swap or add vegetables like carrots, spinach, or zucchini.
- Add chopped green chili for more heat.
- Use only chickpea flour for a gluten-free version.
- Replace yogurt with coconut or soy yogurt for vegan dip.
- Air-fry or bake for a lighter option, though texture will differ.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10–15 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Deep Frying
- Cuisine: Indian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4–5 pakoras with dip
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 380mg
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 22g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 7g
- Cholesterol: 5mg
