Aloo Pakora: Crispy And Spicy Potato Pakora
Aloo pakora are thin potato slices dipped in a spiced chickpea batter and fried until golden. Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside—a simple snack ready in under 30 minutes.
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Aloo Pakora
Aloo pakora is another type of fried snack from South Asia, including India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. It is like crispy potato fritters, but made into thin discs before being dipped in a spicy batter.
These golden potato pakoras are so easy to make for afternoon snacks. They’re crispy, spicy, and tasty—just the perfect companion for your cup of tea or coffee.
Potato pakoras – as you may want to call them in English – are the favorite 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 that they’re 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.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Uses just a handful of pantry staples, so there’s no special shopping trip before you can make it.
- The batter comes together in one bowl, which keeps cleanup down to almost nothing.
- Works just as well as a rainy-day snack as it does for a proper gathering, so it’s not tied to one occasion.
- Frying in small batches means you can control exactly how crisp each piece turns out, rather than relying on an oven’s guesswork.
- A good recipe for using up potatoes sitting around the kitchen before they go soft.
- The spice level is entirely adjustable, so it can be mild enough for kids or sharp enough for anyone who wants heat.
- Pairs with almost any chutney or dipping sauce you already have on hand, so there’s no pressure to make something extra from scratch.
What are Potato Pakoras Made of?
They are made with potatoes, gram flour (chickpea flour), and spices.
Technically, you can use any potato. However, I find red-skinned Desiree, Maris Piper, or King Edward are good choices. Not only do they have the texture and taste that make for tasty pakora, but they are also easy to find at a reasonable price.
Unfortunately, when it comes to flour, you have to use gram flour, also called besan or chickpea flour. This is the main flour for the recipe. You can not substitute it with any other type of flour because your potato fritters won’t be the same as pakoras. It is this flour that makes pakoras, in my opinion.
And you also need a little bit of plain flour/ all-purpose flour or rice flour for the batter.
You only need the spices you usually use in Indian/Pakistani cooking: ground cumin, ground coriander, red chili powder/red chili flakes/cayenne pepper, and salt.
You can add extra spice by chopping fresh chilies if you like.
How To Make Potato Pakora
When it comes to cooking potatoes, I don’t peel them anymore. So, I 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 make nicely crispy pakoras with a bit of bite.
Once you cut the spuds, rinse them again, then soak them in fresh water while you make the batter. This will help the potatoes look golden without turning grey from oxidation.
Put the gram flour, chapati flour (rice flour), all spices, and salt in a mixing bowl. Then, finely chop the coriander leaves and fresh chilies if using. Put them in the flour mix and stir well.
Then, add the water little by little to the flour mixture as you whisk and mix it. Aim to make a smooth batter without any lumps, with the consistency of heavy cream or double cream. You may need less or more water, depending on the consistency.
Next, heat the oil in the frying pan or a wok. Make sure it’s neither too hot nor too cold.
Drain the potato slices and put them in the batter. You can do this several times simultaneously to ensure all the pieces are coated well with the batter.
Fry the potatoes until golden and 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.
I’m sure you know how to fry stuff, so I don’t think I should bore you with the details of frying these potato pakoras. 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 is to fry a drop of batter in the old-fashioned style. The oil is too hot if the batter fries quickly and rises to the surface. You may want to turn it down. Later, you may need to turn it up again to maintain a consistent temperature.
After making pakoras so many times over the years, I’ve noticed that the thickness of the potato slices, the consistency of the batter, and the oil temperature are key to making crispy potato pakoras.
Best Dipping Friends for the Pakoras
You don’t need anything to enjoy these savory treats. But if you want to add more flavor and enjoy them in a fancier way, you can eat them with a dipping sauce.
Traditionally, pakoras are eaten with tomato chili chutney, imli sauce, or mint yogurt sauce. But I often serve them with tomato ketchup and shop-bought chili sauce.
Thank you for reading this aloo pakora recipe. I hope you’ll be trying it soon. When you do, please share your thoughts in the comments below (leave a reply box). I appreciate it.
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Thank you, and all the best.
Aloo Pakora: Crispy and Spicy Potato Pakora
Equipment
- 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
Devy founded So Yummy Recipes to share her love of food after exploring various cultures and cuisines for more than two decades. Her mission is to help others easily recreate traditional and non-traditional food with readily available ingredients. Her works have been featured in Reader’s Digest, Al Jazeera, MSN, Yahoo, Bon Appétit, and more.
