Aloo pakoras (Potato fritters)

Aloo pakora
(Potato fritters)

Aloo pakoras (potato pakora) are one of the most popular Indian snacks, and all most liked by everybody. They have crispy and spicy fried besan batter (gram flour) layer outside and soft potato slice inside. To prepare this delicious Aloo pakora first potatoes are chopped into thin round slices then besan batter is prepared with gram flour and spices and carom seeds are added to it according to personal preference than potato slices dipped in the spicy besan batter and deep fried. These pakora are served with Hari chutney or tomato sauce.

Pakoras are perfect for a rainy day or a cocktail party. Pakoras are one snack associated with rainy day. After long hot summer season when monsoon season arrives and cool the air, you like to eat something hot and spicy snack at tea time, which is prepared according to one’s preference. In India visitors often drop by unexpectedly and they are always welcomed and tea is always offered to the guest. With the tea, Potato pakora is the most popular snack one can make quickly, since no Indian kitchen is without plentiful supply of potatoes.

Ingredients:

2    Medium potatoes
2    Cups gram flour (Besan)
½   Teaspoon Ajwaiin (carom seeds)
1    Teaspoon red chili powder
1     Pinch of asafetida (Hing) or to your taste
1     Teaspoon salt or to your taste
1½ Cup of water or as needed
2     to 3 cups of vegetable oil for frying

Cooking measurement conversion
Measurement converter

Besan (gram flour)

Potatoes (aloo)

Directions:

1. Wash and peel the potato and slice them thin.

Slice the potatoes

Sliced potatoes

2. Keep the sliced potatoes in the water so that they do not change their color.

3. In a bowl mix gram flour, carom seeds, red chili powder, asafetida and salt.

Keep the sliced potatoes in water

Add spices in Besan

4. Now add little water at a time in the flour and with the hand mixer or a whisk
beat it for a minute or until it become a smooth batter.

Add little water at a time and mix

Besan batter for pakora

5.  Heat 2 to 3 cups of oil in frying pan or a kadhi, for 5 to 6 minutes keep the heat
     to high then turn it to medium high, so that oil heats up quickly, in 7 to 8
     minutes oil will heat. The correct temperature is important.

6. To test the oil to see if it is ready, drop a little batter if it rises immediately to the surface and sizzles, the temperature is correct, if it get brown quickly it means it is too hot then turn the heat down, if it is sink to bottom and do not simmer it means it is not hot enough, and the pakoras will absorb too much oil and remain greasy, Adjust the heat accordingly.

Heat the oil

Drop a little batter in the hot oil

7. Now take few sliced pieces of potatoes and dip in the gram flour batter one
after another making sure the slices are well coated with the batter then gently
drop them into hot oil.

Dip the potato slice in the batter

Coat the potato slice in batter

8. Let the pakora's fry for 1 minute then with the spatula turn the pakoras around and let them fry for 1 minute, turn them back again. Keep the heat medium. If the oil is too hot then the potatoes will remain raw from inside.

9. With the spatula keep flipping the pakoras upside down for 4 to 5 minutes or until the pakors become golden brown

Drop batter coated potato slice in hot oil

Let the pakora’s fry

10. Once pakoras become golden brown with the spatula take them out from the oil and place them on the plate over paper towel so that excess oil is absorbed.

Turn the pakora’s around to other side

Pakora's become golden brown

Place the fried pakora's on the paper towel

Potato pakora's

11. Once you take all the pakoras out of the oil, turn the heat down to low, because oil is hot and when you drop another batch of pakoras in the oil they will fried quickly from outside and inside the potatoes will stay raw.

12.  Drop another batch of pakora in the oil, and then raise the heat up to medium.
      Repeat the process until all the pakoras are made.

13   Serve pakoras hot with coriander chutney or tomato ketchup.

Please take the time to let me know what you think about my recipe. Your comments would be helpful to me to improve the recipe.

Thank you

Geeta Seth

Other recipes:

Paneer pakoras (Fritters)                    Potato & vegetables pakoras (Fritters)

Pyaz ka pakora (Friters)                   Green moong dal with potato pakoras
                                                                                       (Moong dal fritters)
Chicken ka pakora (Friters)            Potato, onion & spinach mix pakoras

Aloo pakora (Potato fritters)

Aloo pakora
(Potato fritters)