Aloo Pakora: Crispy And Spicy Potato Pakora
This Aloo Pakora is sliced potato discs coated in a spiced gram flour batter. It’s crispy on the outside but soft and fluffy on the inside.
Aloo Pakora
Aloo pakora is another type of fried snack from Southern Asia such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, etc. They are like crispy potato fritters. But they are in the shape of thin discs before they are dipped in spicy batter.
These golden potato pakoras are so easy to make for afternoon snacks. They’re crispy, spicy and tasty. Just perfect companion for your cup of tea or coffee.
Potato pakoras – as you may want to call them in English – are the favourite snacks in my household. They are like golden nuggets. Crispy, a bit spicy and simply moreish for our afternoon tea snacks.
The best thing about these sliced potato fritters is it’s so easy to make that I can cut the spud and whisk the batter in no time. And they don’t take ages to fry up.
What are potato pakoras made of?
They are made of potatoes, gram flour/ chickpea flour, and spices.
Technically, you can use any type of potato. However, I find red skin Desiree, Maris Piper or King Edward are good choices. Not only do they have texture and taste that create tasty pakora, but they are also easy to get at a reasonable price.
When it comes to flour, unfortunately, you have to use gram flour which is also called besan flour or chickpea flour. This is the main flour for the recipe. And you can not substitute with any other type of flour, because your potato fritters won’t be the same as pakoras. It is this flour that makes pakoras IMO.
And you also need a little bit of plain flour/ all-purpose flour or rice flour for the batter.
As for the spices, you only need those you usually put in your Indian/ Pakistani cooking. You will need ground cumin, ground coriander, red chilli powder/ red chilli flakes/ cayenne pepper, and salt.
You can put extra spiciness by adding chopped fresh chillies if you like.
How to make potato pakora
When it comes to cooking potatoes, I don’t peel them anymore now. So, I just wash and rinse them. Then I slice them at the same thickness as possible. I find that 2-3 mm/0.12-inch thick potato slices can make nicely crispy pakoras with a bit of bite.
Once you cut the spuds, wash and rinse them again, and then soak them in fresh water while you get on making the batter. This will help the potatoes to look golden without going grey due to oxidation.
In a mixing bowl, put the gram flour, chapati flour (rice flour), all spices and salt. Then finely chop the coriander leaves and fresh chillies if using. Put them in the flour mix and stir well.
Then add the water little by little into the flour mix as you whisk and mix it. Aim to make a smooth batter without any lump with a consistency of heavy cream/ double cream. You may need less or more water accordingly.
Next, you want to heat the oil in the frying pan or a wok. Make sure it’s not too hot or not hot enough.
Drain the potato slices and put them in the batter. You can do so several pieces at a time to ensure all pieces are coated well with the batter.
Fry the potatoes until golden crispy.
The simple secret to making them crispy and tasty
Although it can be challenging to make all the pieces equal, try your best to get them similar, at the very least.
Now, I’m sure you know how to fry stuff so I don’t think I should bore you with how to fry these potato pakoras. But, allow me to share a little reminder to ensure the oil temperature is hot but not too hot.
A little trick to find out if the temperature is right or not is the old-fashioned style of frying a drop of batter. If the batter fries quickly and comes to the surface rapidly, the oil is too hot. You may want to turn it down. Later, you may have to turn it up again to keep the temperature consistent.
After making the pakoras so many times over the years, I notice that the thickness of potato slices, the consistency of the batter and the oil temperature are the key to making crispy potato pakoras.
Best dipping friends for the pakoras
You don’t really need anything to enjoy these savoury treats. But if you want to add more flavour and enjoy them in a more fancy way, you can eat them with a dipping sauce on the side.
Traditionally, pakoras are eaten with tomato chilli chutney or mint yoghurt sauce. But I often serve them with tomato ketchup and shop-bought chilli sauce.
Is also pakora good for weight loss?
Definitely no. As you can see that even though the ingredients you need to make this aloo pakora are healthy stuff, the deep-frying kills the purpose.
So, I’d say make this tasty snack once in a while as a special treat, but don’t do it too often.
More ideas for easy Pakistani snack recipes
Thank you for reading this aloo pakora recipe. I hope you’ll be trying it soon. When you do, please share what you think about it in the comments below (leave a reply box). I really appreciate it.
And please follow me on Facebook, Instagram and/or Pinterest. To sneak a peek at what’s cooking in my kitchen.
Before you go, check out my other easy Pakistani snack recipes that you may love.
- Halwa Puri – semolina pudding with fried flatbreads.
- Vegetable Pakoras.
- Aloo Paratha- flatbread filled with spicy potato.
- Aloo Tikki – potato cutlets.
- Chana chaat – sweet, spicy and tangy potato and chickpea snack.
Thank you, and all the best.
Aloo Pakora Recipe
Aloo Pakora: Crispy and Spicy Potato Pakora
Equipment
- Chopping board
- Kitchen knife
- Mixing bowls.
- Frying pan
- Slotted spoon
Ingredients
- 2 large potatoes.
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin.
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander.
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder or dried chilli flakes.
- 2 bird’s eye chillies optional.
- ¾ teaspoon salt.
- ¾ cup chickpea flour/ gram flour.
- 2 tablespoons chapati flour or rice flour.
- ¾ cup of water.
- A handful of cilantro/ coriander leaves optional.
- Oil for frying.
Instructions
- Wash and rinse the potatoes. Slice them in approximately 2 mm/0.08-inch thickness.
- Rinse the sliced potatoes and soak them in a mixing bowl with fresh water. This will help the potatoes stay fresh and do not go brown due to the oxidation process. Set aside.
- In another mixing bowl, put the gram flour, chapati flour (or rice flour), and all the spices and salt.
- Finely chop the bird’s eye chillies if using and add them in the flour.
- Chop the coriander leaves finely and put them in the flour mixture.
- Stir the flour mixture and pour the water in little by little as you stir. You may not need to use all it. Mix the flour until you get a smooth batter. You want to achieve the consistency of heavy cream/ double cream. Use your judgement if it’s thicker and need more drops of water.
- Heat the oil in a deep frying pan or a wok at moderately high heat. Test the oil temperature by dropping a little bit of batter in the oil. If the batter fries up steadily, your oil is ready. If it fries very fast, the oil is too hot so you may want to turn the heat down for a bit.
- Take some of the potatoes slices, drain the water and put them in the batter. Ensure they are covered with the batter. Then carefully slide the potatoes in the hot oil. Fry them until they go light golden and turn them once.
Notes
- Baking potatoes, Maris Piper, Desiree, and King Edwards are the best choices for aloo pakora.
- You can use fresh chillies only or chilli powder only or both. Use them according to your taste.
- A little bit of chapatti flour or rice flour can give a little longer span of the crunchiness.
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Nutritional info in this recipe is only estimate using online calculator. You should refer to it as a guide only. Please verify with your own data if you seek an accurate info.
