Indian snacks
vegetarian snacks
pakoras
Beginner
For 4 people

Crispy Veggie Delight, a Favourite Tea-Time Snack


Crispy Fried Vegetables, also known as Pakoras or Bhajias, are a hugely popular Indian tea-time snack. Bite-sized pieces of assorted vegetables like bell peppers, cabbage and baby corn are coated in a spiced maida batter and deep-fried until golden-brown and crispy. Serve them hot with tangy chutneys or cooling raita for a lip-smacking treat.

Ingredients

  • Green Bell Pepper

    1
  • Yellow Bell Pepper

    1
  • Red Bell Pepper

    1
  • Baby Corn

    4
  • Red Cabbage (shredded)

    1 cup
  • Green Cabbage (shredded)

    1 cup
  • Flour (maida)

    3 tsp
  • Corn Flour

    1 tsp
  • Ginger-Garlic Paste

    1 tsp
  • Black Pepper Powder

    1 tsp
  • Sunrise Chow Mix Masala

    1 tsp
  • Salt

    to taste
  • Lemon Juice

    from 1/2 lemon
  • Refined Oil

    for deep frying

Sunrise tip: For extra-crispy Pakoras, add a couple of ice cubes to the batter to keep it chilled. This prevents the batter from absorbing excess oil while frying.

 

Steps

Step 1: Prepare the Vegetable Batter

Time: 15 minutes

In a large bowl, mix together the maida, corn flour, ginger-garlic paste, black pepper powder, Sunrise Chow Mix Masala, salt, lemon juice and mix properly.

Now, add refined oil to the mixture and some water. Keep whisking continuously to form a smooth, lump-free batter of coating consistency.

 

Step 2: Prepare the Vegetables

Time: 5 minutes

Slice the bell peppers into long strips. Cut the cauliflower into small bite-sized florets.

Roughly chop the red & green cabbage.

Add all the prepared vegetables to the batter and mix well until evenly coated.

 

Step 3: Heat the Oil

Time: 5 minutes

Pour the refined oil into a deep kadai or wok and place it on medium heat.

Let the oil heat up until a drop of batter placed in the oil sizzles and rises to the surface immediately.

 

Step 4: Fry the Vegetable Pakoras

Time: 15 minutes

Once the oil is hot, carefully drop spoonfuls of the batter-coated vegetables into the oil, making sure not to overcrowd the kadai.

Fry the pakoras in batches on medium heat, turning occasionally, until they are crisp and golden-brown all over.

 

Step 5: Drain Excess Oil

Time: 5 minutes

Use a slotted spoon to remove the fried pakoras from the oil and place them on a plate lined with absorbent paper to soak up any excess oil.

Continue frying the rest of the battered vegetables in the same way.

 

Step 6: Serve Hot

Time: 2 minutes

Garnish the pakoras with onion rings and serve them immediately with ketchup, coriander chutney or mint-coriander chutney.

For a cooling contrast, serve with a bowl of chilled yoghurt-based raita.

 

Goes Best With

  • Accompaniment: Tamarind chutney, Mint-coriander chutney, Raita