By Majida Rashid
Pakorras are all you need to enjoy a cold rainy season.
For a week I had been pondering about the recipe for my February column. My internal dialogue went like this: “Should I give another soup recipe? No wait, wait, I think a recipe for stew or bread would be better.” Having lived in Ann Arbor, I know that Michigan gets very cold. Hence the stew because it’s always satisfying in that cold and the aroma of bread makes the house cozy and welcoming for Michiganders.
But all that monologue flew away when a friend visited me yesterday. Granted that in Houston, where I live now, winters are clement, but it does get very chilly and we even had snow. Yesterday happened to be a rainy day and I wanted to make something special for my friend because she came after a while. I searched the pantry and found something that made me happy and took me back to my childhood.
Ask any Pakistani about the best snack to eat especially on a rainy day in winter and they will say Pakorras with Chai. Samosas are also popular but Pakorras are different. Pakorras always evoke an image of laughing with friends and enjoying tea or coffee inside the house while it’s cold and pouring outside. They are nutritious and easy to make. Besides, they are the right snack to brighten even a dull rainy or snowy day. While Pakorras are fried and served with tea or coffee, I think calling them fritters seems beneath them.
I enjoyed making them from time to time but stopped during COVID due to almost no socializing. So yesterday I fried fresh Pakorras and I thought of sharing the recipe in my February column because I always make the dish even if I have cooked it countless times over the years. The main ingredient is gram flour or baisan, as it is called in Urdu. It’s sold in Indian and Pakistani stores. Some Middle Eastern stores also carry baisan. The amount of water of you use depends on if the batter is fried on its own or used to coat a vegetable. The batter should be a little thicker when fried on its own and slightly thinner but thick enough to coat the vegetable slices on both sides. Warning: They are addictive.
Pakorras
Ingredients:
1 cup baisan gram flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Salt to taste
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds roughly crushed
1/4-1/2 teaspoon red crushed pepper
1/4 teaspoon garam masala, (optional)
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion (optional)
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh coriander leaves
2 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced into thin rounds and soaked in water
Oil for shallow frying
Instructions:
Sift the flour and the baking powder in a bowl.
Mix in the salt, ground cumin, pepper and garam masala.
Slowly pour some water, a little at a time, and mix with a fork.
Add more water and continue whisking until the lumps disappear.
The batter should be thick enough to coat potato slices.
For frying:
Heat the oil in a shallow frying pan.
Drop a little bit of the batter in the frying pan. If the batter swells right away the oil is ready.
Drain the potatoes, towel dry them and add them to the batter.
Coat them with the batter on both sides.
Fry potatoes individually until golden brown on both sides.
Remove and transfer onto a plate lined with paper towel.
Accompanying chutney
While Pakorras can be eaten with ketchup, it’s worth making fresh chutney. Blend together 1/4 cup of yoghurt, 8-10 walnuts, a few stems of chopped fresh coriander and mint leaves and salt and pepper to taste. Pour into a small serving bowl.
Serve with hot Pakorras and tea or coffee.
Serves: 2-3 adults
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Foodie Majida Rashid lives in Texas. Food and cooking are her passion. Her presentation about her love of food can be viewed on USA Today’s network: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0xi566VSPo – We Spread Love Through Food. @Frontiers_Of_Flavor. Her philosophical writing can be read at apakistaniwomansjourney.wordpress.com.
