Palak pakora

Palak = spinach. Pakora = a type of Indian snack prepared with various vegetables and spices. And, like many Indian snacks, the name is often preceded by a regional term that’s specific to that place. For example, the north Indian version of the pakora is paneer pakora.

Palak pakora is a very famous dish of North India. I always thought it was weird that it had no name in English, but if you look at an Indian diet list, it is among thethings that you should have. It is a kind of rice and chickpea pancake. After having palak pakora in a restaurant, I was wondering how to make it at home. I searched in the internet, but I cant find a resource about making it at home. So, I made it in this video. Join me while I make palak pakora.

Pakoras are an Indian snack made of vegetables wrapped in a dough made from chickpea flour (also known as besan), which is then fried in ghee or oil. Paneer or Indian cottage cheese works great as a filling for pakoras. You can also use potatoes or paneer as the filling. Palak pakora has a very interesting taste and is very easy to make.

Palak pakora or pakoda / Spinach Fritters is a deep-fried Indian delicacy that goes well with a cup of tea in the evening. During the rainy season, it becomes even more pleasant. This time, I made a North Indian-style Palak Pakora or Pakoda / Palak Bhajia. These spinach fritters, also known as palak pakora or pakoda, are crisp on the exterior and soft on the inside. It’s best served hot, with hari chutney on the side (green chutney).

Time to prepare: 10 minutes

Time to cook: 25 minutes

North Indian cuisine

Medium spiciness

3–4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup besan (gram flour)
• 1 cup (40 gms) of palak (spinach)
• 1 medium onion or 85 gms
• 1 (thin and tiny) green chilli or 1 tsp (chopped)
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• a pinch of salt (to taste)
• 1/3 cup chopped coriander leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon ajwain (carom seeds)
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1/2 cup water

Method

• To make the pakoras, I used baby spinach. Wash, drain, and dry it, or absorb the water with a kitchen towel. Prepare the spinach leaves by chopping them up and keeping them on hand.
• Chop the onion, ginger, green chilies, and coriander leaves into small pieces. Set things aside for now.
• In a pestle and mortar, gently smash the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, ajwain, and fennel seeds to a coarse texture. To create a powder, don’t grind too much. The components should be clearly visible.
• Take a large mixing basin. To begin, combine all of the dry ingredients, including the besan, soda, salt, chili powder, turmeric powder, and crushed spices. Mix thoroughly.
• Combine all of the remaining ingredients, including the onion, green chilies, coriander leaves, and spinach. Mix thoroughly.
• Mix in a little amount of water at a time to get a thick (not watery) batter. Allow 15 to 20 minutes for the soda to work its magic and make the fritters expand even more (optional).
• In a kadai, heat the oil. When the oil is heated, lower the temperature to medium and drop a little amount of the batter/mixture into it using a spoon or your fingers.
• To achieve a golden brown color on your palak pakora, turn them periodically.
• Make sure your kadai isn’t overflowing with pakoras.
• Deep fried them in small batches with plenty of room to flip them.
• Serve palak pakora heated or immediately with hari chutney (green chutney) or ketchup for children.

Notes

• Cooking the pakoras on high heat will result in their being raw on the inside, while cooking them on low heat will result in them absorbing too much oil.
• When preparing the batter, start with less water since the spinach and onion release water. After that, you may add water as needed.
• Adjust the amount of chilies to your preference.

The palak pakora is a dish that can be prepared using a batter made of rice, chickpea flour, spices and the protein from cooked spinach.. Read more about spinach pakora pakistani and let us know what you think.