Quick Vegetable Pakoras
I recently had a lovely young girl come to see me who wants to be vegan, but doesn’t like vegetables!
Needless to say, I had to do some quick thinking….
these are VERY tasty vegetables!
I believe anyone will eat veggies if they taste good
And who doesn’t like fried food!
So I came up with this idea – a healthier version of an Indian Pakora
And I got the ‘thumbs up’ approval – she LOVED them!
These gorgeous pakoras have a lovely blend of spices including fresh curry leaves…
this tree is one of my favourites in our garden….You can find fresh curry leaves in most Asian supermarkets and many fruit and veggie shops too
And are held together with just besan flour and the moisture from the veggies
I also added a little baking powder to give them a bit of ‘lightness’
So if you have anyone you struggle to get veggies into, give these a go
Actually, just give them a go anyway as they are very easy to make and absolutely deeelicious!
these won’t last long….
- 2 cups chopped vegetables, including shredded cabbage, chopped red capsicum, finely chopped red or spring onions, grated carrot and zucchini
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup fresh coriander, roughly chopped
- 1 sprig curry leaves - approx 16 leaves
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
- 2 cloves garlic, finely grated or chopped
- ½ green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup besan (chickpea) flour, plus a little extra as needed
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- Extra virgin olive oil for frying
- Place chopped vegetables in a large bowl and sprinkle with salt
- Using your (freshly washed, very clean) hand, mix veggies together, then start to squeeze them to help release any moisture out of them
- Add coriander, curry leaves. ginger, garlic, chilli, turmeric and pepper to bowl, then sift in besan flour and baking powder
- Again with your hand, mix everything together until well combined
- You shouldn't need to add any water, and if your mix is quite wet, you may want to add a little extra besan flour, like 1-2 tablespoons
- Heat a fry pan over medium heat. When hot add some oil to coat the bottom of the pan
- Pick up bits of mixture, shape into a little disc and add to the pan
- Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until golden, then flip over and repeat on the other side
- Transfer cooked pakoras onto a plate or bowl covered with paper towel
- Eat while still warm
- YUM!
How to make these pakoras:
throw veggies is a bowl
mix chickpea flour etc through
using your clean hand, squish everything together…
pan fry small discs of mix…
once cooked, drain on paper towel….then EAT!
