Palak Pakoras

Num num num! ‘Tis the season to grow s*** and we grew spinach for saag and palak pakoras.

Rain or shine pakoras are one of the most delicious snacks that there are! They’re savory, crisp, and bursting with flavor. My favorite thing other than the flavor is that you can make anything into a pakora! Bread, any veggie, meat, or even a zucchini blossom. Which is incredibly convenient because it’s hard to pick a favorite pakora. I feel like now that I’ve said that some jack a%$ is going to say, “No, no…only ___ pakoras are worth eating”, and to tell I say f#$^ off, sir. I’m honestly not clear why we’re so hostile today, but so be it.

Every time I think about pakoras I can’t help but think about being at a road side stand eating them hot out of the kadai. Blazing hot sun or pouring rain, pakoras are the delicious answer. That said, in Jalandhar Cantt there’s this guy that sells what he calls Gwalior pakore, I was not a fan but my grandmother was, so every damn Sunday we went all the way out to Cantt and ate these dense little over salted bricks. It was overrated and not the right answer at all. But I was clearly more “low brow” for not appreciating “foreign cuisine” as my grandmother put it.

But back to old school Punjabi pakore, they’re incredibly easy to make and quite fast as things go. They’re amazing piping hot with a cup of adrak chai. In Punjab it’s incredibly common to have pakore as an appetizer or snack, regardless of time of day. They really don’t last that well in the fridge, so it’s best to make them fresh. If I know I’m going to make them over a couple days I make the batter and refrigerate it. Then just mix in the veggies and fry them. Now, off you pop to a delicious spinach pakora or 15.

Love pakoras? Try these:

Palak Pakoras

Course: Appetizers, SnacksCuisine: PunjabiDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

35

minutes

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cup besan (gram flour)

• 1 tbsp chili flakes

• 2 tbsp cumin, ground

• 1 tbsp coriander seeds, ground

• 3 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 2 1/2 cups water

• 1/2 medium-sized onion, minced

• 1/2 bunch cilantro, minced

• 1 serrano pepper, minced

• 3 tbsp ginger, finely minced

• Oil for frying

• 1 lbs Fresh spinach, washed and dried

Equipment/Specialty Items

• BesanBesan
• Cumin SeedsCumin Seeds
• Coriander SeedsCoriander Seeds
• Frying SpiderSpider

Directions

• Mix besan, chili flakes, ground cumin, ground coriander seeds, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in medium mixing bowl.
• Add in water and whisk till smooth.
• Mix in diced onions, cilantro, serrano pepper, and ginger.
• Heat oil in a nonstick pot over medium heat. You want about 3 inches of oil in the pot.
• To see if your oil is ready drop in 3 or 4 drops of the batter and see if they rise to the top. If they pop up too fast and turn dark brown your oil is too hot. If the drops of batter stay at the bottom of the pot, the oil is too cold.
• Batter spinach and fry in batches until golden brown. Approximately 1-2 minutes.
• Serve hot. Accompanies well with sweet chili sauce, aioli, chutney, or ketchup.

Notes

• You can absolutely use frozen spinach, just thaw it out.

Nutrition Facts

• Serving Size: 4g
• Calories: 335kcal
• Carbohydrates: 45.2g
• Protein: 14.2g
• Fat: 11.2g
• Saturated Fat: 1.4g
• Polyunsaturated Fat: 0g
• Monounsaturated Fat: 0g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Cholesterol: 0mg
• Sodium: 1301mg
• Potassium: 14.2mg
• Fiber: 8.5g
• Sugar: 8g
• Calcium: 8mg
• Iron: 32mg

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