Palak Pakore (Spinach Fritters)

Continuing our mutual enjoyment of this wonderful winter 😉 , I am now presenting my next set of Pakoras – Palak Pakora (Spinach Fritters). Palak Pakora is also a very easy, quick recipe which can be prepared in just 15-20 minutes – just perfect as the tea time snack in this weather.

So let’s get cracking…

The ingredients for making Palak Pakore are :
1. Spinach (Palak) : 1 cup (fully packed)
2. Chickpea flour (Gram flour/Besan) : 1 cup
3. Curry leaves : 1 Tbsp
4. Green Chilli : 1-2 (finely chopped)
5. Ginger : 1/4 tsp
6. Red Chilli Powder : 1/2 tsp
7. Garam masala : 1/4 tsp
8. Dried Mango Powder (Amchur) : 1/4 tsp
9. Roasted Cumin Powder (Jeera Powder) : 1/4 tsp
10. Salt : to taste
11. Baking soda : a pinch (optional)
12. Oil : for deep frying

Method :

Wash and chop the spinach and, keep it aside.

Take a big bowl. Now put gram flour, chopped spinach, curry leaves, green chilli, salt, red chilli powder, garam masala, dried mango powder, roasted cumin powder and little bit of water into the bowl; mix well.

Gradually add water to this mix to make a thick batter. Mix the batter vigorously for 2-3 minutes.

Now heat oil in a wok on the medium flame; add spoonful of the batter into the oil once the oil gets hot. Don’t cluster the wok with too many spoonful’s – fry 5-6 pakoras at a time, with flipping them in between.

Deep fry the pakoras until they are crispy and become golden brown in colour from all sides. Take out the pakoras on an absorbent paper, to soak off the excess oil.

Your delicious Palak Pakoras are ready to be enjoyed. Serve these Palak Pakoras with any chutney of your choice (tamarind chutney, coriander chutney, ketchup) and/or with a hot cuppa tea/coffee.

Insider Tips / Finer Points :

• You may adjust spices according to your taste buds.

•  Add water gradually to make a good batter (neither too thick nor too thin).

• Always deep fry the pakoras on a medium flame otherwise they will not be evenly cooked (inside and outside). The desired crunchiness also comes from cooking on a medium flame.

• You may add rice flour (2 Tbsp) in batter to make the pakoras more crunchy.

• You may also add onion and garlic to the batter, if you prefer.