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The Indian Pakora (Fritters) is a fascinating snack food item. It is quick and easy to prepare. It offers a wide range of flavours for your taste buds. It has subtle regional variations that add exciting new dimensions to your culinary explorations. And the sheer variety that exists across India is absolutely mind-boggling!
It would be inaccurate – even erroneous – to look upon Pakoras as various ingredients randomly plonked in gram flour batter and then deep-fried. There are little tips and tricks and secrets that go into the making of each type of Pakora. The vegetables are treated differently, and so are ingredients like paneer, fish and meat. There is no one-size-fits-all way to make the perfect Pakora.
We will demonstrate this aspect in today’s post in which we will be making the ever-popular Gobi Pakora (Cauliflower Fritters). To get the authentic traditional flavour of these fritters it is essential to use cold-pressed Mustard Oil for deep-frying. These days many people use refined oils – but without Mustard Oil you will never be able to get the taste right. These recipes have been around for generations and back in the old days there were no refined oils.
So let’s get started – here are the ingredients that you will require.
Ingredients for Gobi Pakora
Cauliflower (Gobi): 1, large
Gram Flour (Besan): 60 grams
Corn Flour: 30 grams
Rice Flour: 2 tablespoons
Vinegar: 1 teaspoon
P Mark Mustard Oil: 7 tablespoons
Ginger-Garlic Paste: 1 tablespoon
Red Chilli Paste: 1 teaspoon
Curry Leaves (Kadi Patta): 5
Coriander (Dhania) Leaves: 1 tablespoon
Black Pepper: Half a teaspoon
Salt: 2 teaspoon
The quantities mentioned above are for preparing one plateful of Gobi Pakora, probably enough for two persons (depending on how hungry you are). Adjust the quantities proportionately to suit the number of servings that you require.
Preparation for Gobi Pakora
Wash and cut the cauliflower into large florets.
Coarsely chop the curry leaves.
Finely chop the coriander leaves.
Cooking Method of Gobi Pakora
Heat water in a pan and bring it to a boil. To the boiling water, add the cauliflower florets along with the vinegar and one teaspoon of salt. Let the cauliflower cook for around four minutes or so, and then turn the flame off. Drain the water from the cauliflower, and keep the florets aside.
Next, we are going to prepare the batter for your Pakoras. In a mixing bowl take the gram flour, corn flour, rice flour, ginger-garlic paste, red chilli paste, curry leaves, coriander leaves, black pepper and one teaspoon of salt. Also add a tablespoon of Mustard Oil and mix well. Add enough water to prepare a batter. For best results you should ensure that the batter does not become too thick, otherwise it will not coat the cauliflower florets properly.
Place all the cauliflower florets in the batter and ensure that every floret is well-coated in the batter. Keep the florets in the batter for at least 20 minutes.
Heat the remaining Mustard Oil in a pan on a High flame till the oil reaches its smoking point. When this happens, thin streams of white smoke will rise from the surface of the hot oil. Reduce the flame to Medium and start the deep-frying process.
Deep-fry the batter-coated cauliflower florets till they turn golden-brown in colour and become crisp. It is best to fry the cauliflower in batches to avoid getting them burnt during deep-frying.
Next, with all the fried cauliflower florets in the pan, turn the flame up to High and fry for a minute or so. Keep stirring as you do so. Then turn the flame off. This second round of frying is a technique used to ensure that the fritters are crisp and crunchy.
Your delicious Gobi Pakoras are now ready. Serve them hot with ketchup, mustard sauce or any chutney of your choice. Enjoy the lip-smacking delights of this traditional Indian snack food.
You can find more recipes at : https://www.purioilmills.com/recipes-in-english/
