India / Snacks
Deep Fried Chickpea Dough Curry Snacks (Pakoda)
Pakoda is a savoury South Indian fried snack made from gram flour, spices and onions. This simple recipe is for Pakoda as made in Tamil Nadu, India. A different version called "pakora" is famous in the other parts of India. The difference is that for making pakora, the batter/mix can be a bit more liquidy like for making pancakes, and different vegetables like spinach or potatoes may be used.
Ingredients
- chickpea flour, besan or gram flour; 240 g1 cup
- water1/2 cup
- rice flour, for crunch2 tsp
- green gram flour, optional; for added crunch2 tsp
- salt, to taste
- asafoetida1/4 tsp
- turmeric1/4 tsp
- cayenne pepper1/4 tsp
- curry leaves8–10
- ground cumin1 tsp
- black peppercorns, crushed1 tsp
- onion, medium-sized; chopped finely1
- peanuts, preferably roasted1/2 cup
- oil1 tsp
- oil, to fry
Quantities are auto-calculated from the original recipe as a guide. Items without numbers (e.g. “to taste”) are not changed.
Method 6 steps
Combine all the dry ingredients except the salt, peanuts, and onions. Mix well.
Add the onions, peanuts, 1 tsp oil, and salt. Mix well, then keep aside for about 10 minutes. The moisture from the onions will ooze out into the batter.
Adding a little bit of water at a time, make a dough that will form chunks but break into pieces with a little bit of pressure. The consistency should be the same as when making scones. Too much water and the pakoda will not be crunchy.
Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed cooking vessel.
Shape the dough into chunks, and deep-fry them in medium-hot oil until golden-brown and crispy. Too much turmeric might give it a darker color.
Serve hot or room temperature.
