Monsoon season is code for hot and steaming pakoras. Not that we Indians need an excuse to indulge in these crispy, deep-fried treats, but it's nice how things work out. It's almost as if God couldn't create enough pakoras for all of us, so he devised an entire season solely dedicated to these delicious fritters. I mean, that's the only logical explanation, right?
Let's not go into the details and jump straight to the point. We all love garma-garam pakoras on a chilly rainy day. Well, we're here to make that experience even better. Now enjoy not one... but 10 different types of pakoras with me.
1. Paneer Pakoras
Cheese is fine and all, but paneer hits differently. Now imagine what a hot and steamy plate of paneer fritters will do to you.
Image Courtesy: Cook, Click N Devour!!!
Instructions:
- In a mixing bowl, add besan, rice flour, red chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, chaat masala, cumin powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well to combine all the dry ingredients.
- Gradually add water to the dry ingredients and whisk to form a smooth batter. The batter should be thick enough to coat the paneer cubes. Make sure there are no lumps in the batter.
- Heat oil in a deep frying pan or kadai over medium heat.
- Dip each paneer cube into the prepared batter, making sure it is coated well from all sides.
- Carefully drop the coated paneer cubes into the hot oil. Fry them in small batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.
- Fry the paneer pakoras until they turn golden brown and crispy. Flip them occasionally to ensure even frying. This should take about 3-4 minutes per batch.
- Once the pakoras are cooked, remove them from the oil using a slotted spoon and place them on a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil.
- Repeat the frying process with the remaining paneer cubes and batter.
- Garnish the paneer pakoras with freshly chopped coriander leaves.
- Serve the hot and crispy paneer pakoras with mint chutney or tomato ketchup.
2. Fish Pakoras
With the goodness of omega-3 (courtesy of fish) and the deliciousness of pakoras, here's a monsoon snack recommendation you'll never move on from.
Image Courtesy: NISH Kitchen
Instructions:
- In a large bowl, combine gram flour, rice flour, red chili powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala, and salt. Mix well.
- Add ginger-garlic paste, chopped green chili (if using), and chopped coriander leaves to the dry mixture. Mix again.
- Gradually add water to the mixture, whisking well, until you get a smooth and thick batter consistency. The batter should coat the back of a spoon without dripping too quickly.
- Heat oil in a deep frying pan or wok over medium-high heat.
- Dip each fish piece into the batter, ensuring it is coated evenly. Gently shake off any excess batter.
- Carefully place the coated fish pieces into the hot oil, a few at a time, and fry until they turn golden brown and crispy. Flip them once or twice during frying for even cooking.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the fried fish pakoras from the oil and place them on a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil.
- Repeat the process with the remaining fish pieces until they are all fried.
- Serve the fish pakoras hot as a snack or appetizer. You can garnish them with some fresh coriander leaves and serve them with mint chutney, tamarind chutney, or ketchup.
3. Moong Dal Pakoras
Moong dal pakoras with pudina (mint) chutney is a love affair you can benefit from this monsoon.
Image Courtesy: Cubes N Juliennes
Instructions:
- Wash the moong dal thoroughly and soak it in enough water for 2-3 hours. After soaking, drain the water.
- In a blender or food processor, grind the soaked moong dal into a coarse paste without adding any water. The texture should be slightly grainy.
- Transfer the moong dal paste to a mixing bowl. Add chopped onions, green chilies, coriander leaves, ginger paste, garlic paste, cumin seeds, red chili powder, turmeric powder, and salt. Mix everything well to combine.
- Heat oil in a deep pan or kadai over medium heat for frying.
- Take a small portion of the moong dal mixture in your hand and shape it into a small round pakora. Similarly, make pakoras with the remaining mixture.
- Once the oil is hot, carefully drop a few pakoras into the oil and fry them until they turn golden brown and crispy. Fry them in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.
- Remove the pakoras from the oil using a slotted spoon and place them on a paper towel-lined plate to drain any excess oil.
- Repeat the frying process with the remaining pakoras until all are cooked.
- Serve the Moong Dal Pakoras hot with green chutney or tomato ketchup.
4. Bread Pakoras
You bread our mind. How can a piece on different types of pakoras miss out on bread pakoras, right?
Image Courtesy: Cubes N Juliennes
Instructions:
- In a mixing bowl, combine the mashed potatoes, chopped onion, green chilies, ginger paste, garlic paste, red chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, and salt. Mix well until all the ingredients are evenly combined.
- Take two slices of bread and spread a generous amount of the potato mixture on one slice. Place the other slice on top to make a sandwich. Press gently to seal the edges. Repeat this process for the remaining bread slices.
- Cut each sandwich into halves or quarters, depending on your preference.
- In a deep frying pan or kadai, heat vegetable oil over medium heat for frying.
- Meanwhile, prepare the batter by combining besan, rice flour (if using), red chili powder, turmeric powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate mixing bowl. Gradually add water and whisk until you achieve a smooth and thick consistency.
- Dip each bread sandwich piece into the batter, ensuring it is coated on all sides.
- Carefully drop the coated bread pakoras into the hot oil, a few at a time. Fry them until they turn golden brown and crispy on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel to remove excess oil.
- Repeat the frying process for the remaining bread pakoras until all are cooked.
- Serve the bread pakoras hot with mint chutney, tamarind chutney, or ketchup.
5. Onion Pakoras
Also known as kandha bhajiya, onion/pyaaz pakoras are one of the most famous Indian snacks of all time. If you have a real hankering for it, this is your chance to enjoy a plateful.
Image Courtesy: Cook with Manali
Instructions:
- In a large bowl, combine besan (gram flour), rice flour, red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well to combine all the dry ingredients.
- Add thinly sliced onions to the dry ingredients and mix well, ensuring that the onion slices are coated evenly with the flour mixture.
- Gradually add water to the onion mixture, a little at a time, and mix well to form a thick batter. The batter should be thick enough to coat the onions, but not too runny.
- Heat oil in a deep frying pan or kadai over medium heat. Make sure there is enough oil to deep fry the pakoras.
- Once the oil is hot, take small portions of the onion batter using your fingers or a spoon and drop them gently into the hot oil. Fry the pakoras in batches, making sure not to overcrowd the pan.
- Fry the pakoras until they turn golden brown and crispy. Flip them occasionally to ensure even cooking. This should take about 4-5 minutes.
- Once the pakoras are cooked, remove them from the oil using a slotted spoon and drain them on a kitchen paper towel to remove any excess oil.
- Repeat the frying process with the remaining batter until all the pakoras are cooked.
- Garnish the pakoras with freshly chopped coriander leaves.
- Serve the onion pakoras hot with mint chutney, tamarind chutney, or tomato ketchup as a delicious snack or appetizer.
6. Mirchi Pakoras
A fan of sweet and spicy? Here's a zesty pakora variation to satiate your rainy-day cravings.
Image Courtesy: Photo Dune
Instructions:
- Slit the green chilies lengthwise, leaving them intact at the stem end. Remove the seeds if you prefer less heat. Rinse them under water and pat them dry with a kitchen towel.
- In a bowl, combine the mashed potatoes, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, turmeric powder, red chili powder, amchur powder, salt, and chopped coriander leaves. Mix well to form a smooth stuffing.
- Stuff each chili with the potato mixture. Make sure to fill it well without breaking the chili.
- In a separate bowl, prepare the batter by combining gram flour, rice flour, red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, chaat masala, and salt. Gradually add water to make a smooth and thick batter. The consistency should be thick enough to coat the chilies.
- Heat oil in a deep pan or kadai over medium heat.
- Dip each stuffed chili into the batter, making sure it is evenly coated. Gently drop it into the hot oil.
- Fry the chilies until they turn golden brown and crispy. Flip them occasionally to ensure even cooking. Fry them in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.
- Once fried, remove the pakoras from the oil using a slotted spoon and drain excess oil on a kitchen towel.
- Serve the Mirchi Pakoras hot with mint chutney, tamarind chutney, or tomato ketchup.
7. Lauki Pakoras
You may not know that but bottle gourd is one of the most underappreciated vegetables you can turn into flavourful pakoras on a rainy day. It's a tried and tested recipe from yours truly, that is one hundred percent healthy and tasty.
Image Courtesy: Tickling Paletes
Instructions:
- Peel the bottle gourd and grate it using a grater. Place the grated bottle gourd in a colander or sieve and sprinkle some salt over it. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes. This helps to remove excess moisture from the bottle gourd.
- Squeeze out the water from the grated bottle gourd using your hands and transfer it to a mixing bowl.
- To the grated bottle gourd, add gram flour, rice flour, ginger-garlic paste, red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, and salt. Mix well to combine all the ingredients. The mixture should be thick and sticky. If it's too dry, you can sprinkle some water to bring it to the right consistency.
- Heat oil in a deep frying pan or kadai over medium heat.
- Take small portions of the mixture and drop them gently into the hot oil. You can use your hands or a spoon to shape them into small round pakoras.
- Fry the pakoras until they turn golden brown and crispy. Make sure to flip them occasionally for even frying. Remove them from the oil using a slotted spoon and place them on a kitchen paper towel to absorb any excess oil.
- Repeat the process with the remaining mixture until all the pakoras are fried.
- Garnish the Lauki Pakoras with fresh coriander leaves.
- Lauki Pakoras are ready to be served. They can be enjoyed as a tea-time snack or as a side dish with chutney or ketchup.
8. Chicken Pakoras
Craving chicken and pakoras? Take this opportunity to enjoy these delish fritters.
Image Courtesy: A Spicy Perspective
Instructions:
- In a mixing bowl, combine the chickpea flour, rice flour, ginger-garlic paste, red chili powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala, and salt. Mix well to combine the dry ingredients.
- Gradually add water to the dry mixture, whisking continuously, until you achieve a smooth and thick batter consistency. The batter should coat the chicken pieces well. Set the batter aside for 10-15 minutes to rest.
- Heat oil in a deep frying pan or kadai over medium-high heat.
- Dip each chicken piece into the batter, making sure it is well coated. Gently drop the chicken pieces into the hot oil, one by one, without overcrowding the pan.
- Fry the chicken pakoras until they turn golden brown and crispy. Flip them occasionally to ensure even cooking. It will take about 5-6 minutes per batch. Adjust the heat as needed to maintain the temperature of the oil.
- Once the pakoras are cooked, remove them from the oil using a slotted spoon and transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb any excess oil.
- Repeat the process with the remaining chicken pieces until all the pakoras are fried.
- Serve the chicken pakoras hot, garnished with fresh coriander leaves, and with lemon wedges on the side. They can be enjoyed as a snack or served with mint chutney or tomato ketchup.
9. Aloo Pakoras
Usually a part of mix-veg pakoras in restaurants, aloo pakora is comfort food in the form of a popular Indian snack.
Image Courtesy: Whisk Affair
Instructions:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine chickpea flour, rice flour, red chili powder, turmeric powder, cumin seeds, coriander powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.
- Gradually add water to the flour mixture, stirring continuously, until you achieve a thick batter consistency. The batter should coat the back of a spoon easily.
- Heat oil in a deep pan or kadai over medium heat for deep frying.
- Add the sliced potatoes to the batter, ensuring that each slice is well coated.
- Carefully drop the coated potato slices into the hot oil, a few at a time. Fry them in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.
- Fry the pakoras until they turn golden brown and crispy. Flip them occasionally to ensure even frying. It usually takes about 4-5 minutes per batch.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove the pakoras from the oil and place them on a plate lined with kitchen paper towels to absorb excess oil.
- Repeat the process until all the potato slices are used up and you have fried all the pakoras.
- Garnish the Aloo Pakoras with freshly chopped coriander leaves.
- Serve the Aloo Pakoras hot with your favorite chutney or sauce. They make a great snack with tea or coffee.
10. Prawn Pakoras
If seafood is your usual go-to dish, prawn pakoras will give you an evening monsoon snack unlike any other.
Image Courtesy: My Spicy Kitchen
Instructions:
- In a mixing bowl, combine chickpea flour, rice flour, red chili powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.
- Add ginger-garlic paste, chopped green chilies (if using), and chopped coriander leaves to the dry ingredients. Mix everything together.
- Gradually add water, a little at a time, and whisk the batter until you get a smooth, thick consistency. The batter should be thick enough to coat the prawns.
- Heat oil in a deep frying pan or kadai over medium heat.
- Dip each prawn into the batter, making sure it is well coated. Gently drop the coated prawns into the hot oil. Fry a few pakoras at a time, depending on the size of your pan, without overcrowding.
- Fry the prawn pakoras until they turn golden brown and crispy. This should take about 3-4 minutes. Flip them once or twice during frying to ensure even cooking.
- Once the pakoras are cooked, remove them from the oil using a slotted spoon and place them on a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil.
- Repeat the process with the remaining prawns and batter until all the pakoras are fried.
- Serve the hot prawn pakoras with your favorite chutney or sauce. They are best enjoyed immediately while still crispy.
This monsoon, say yes to these different types of pakoras.
