I imagine you remember the vegetable pakoras, one of the first Indian recipes I made and they were very popular. Today I present them to you with cauliflower, a tasty and quick-to-make variant, perfect to serve as an appetizer for an informal dinner with friends and family.
To prepare pakora, start with a batter made from chickpea flour, very cold sparkling water, and flavored with turmeric, curry, and paprika. Immerse the vegetables in it, which are then fried in plenty of seed oil. I used cauliflower for this recipe, but you can also use any vegetable you prefer.
In short, an aromatic street food that is easy and quick, ideal for celiacs because it is gluten-free. What do you say, shall we prepare it together? Then follow me into the kitchen, because the vegetable pakoras will be ready in a click!
If you’re interested in other Indian recipes, also read:
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Affordable
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Indian
- Energy 328.41 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 29.66 (g) of which sugars 4.18 (g)
- Proteins 8.28 (g)
- Fat 20.66 (g) of which saturated 2.83 (g)of which unsaturated 16.62 (g)
- Fibers 5.28 (g)
- Sodium 340.86 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 166 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 10.5 oz cauliflower
- 1 cup chickpea flour
- 1/3 cup rice flour
- 3/4 cup sparkling water (cold)
- 1 teaspoon curry
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- salt (to taste)
- pepper (to taste)
- seed oil (as needed for frying)
Tools
- Basin
- Hand Whisk
- Wok
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- 2 Spoons
Steps
First, clean the cauliflower. Then remove the outer leaves and cut the florets as small as possible. Alternatively, you can buy pre-cut cauliflower florets. Rinse them under water and drain.
Next, mix chickpea flour, rice flour, spices, salt, and very cold sparkling water in a basin. Then mix with a whisk until you have a smooth batter without lumps. You should get a soft but not too liquid mixture.
Then add the cauliflower florets to the batter. Separately, heat plenty of seed oil, and when it reaches the right temperature, use 2 spoons to scoop the cauliflower florets, drop them into the oil, and fry the fritters on both sides.
When the fritters are golden on both sides, drain them on absorbent paper and serve.
Variations and Tips
Pakoras are a fried appetizer that should be consumed immediately when still hot. It can be consumed for up to one day at most.
You can bake the cauliflower fritters in the oven at 356°F (180°C) for 10 to 15 minutes for a lighter version.
