Aloo pakora is a popular Indian deep-fried crispy snack made using thinly round potato slices, coated with a spiced gram flour batter, and then deep-fried until crisp. You can serve it as a tea-time snack, party appetizers, lunch box treats or as a side dish.
In India, we prepare a wide variety of pakoras like Onion pakora, Bread pakora, Paneer pakora, Mirch pakora, Spinach pakora, Moong dal pakora and many more.
About this Recipe
Aloo pakora is a gluten-free, quick, and easy snack recipe with basic minimal ingredients, easily available in every household.
In North India, Aloo Pakora is popularly known as aloo bajji or bhajiya. Some people call them potato fritters. It has a crispy layer on the outside and soft texture inside.
The best time to enjoy them is winters and monsoon which are never complete without having pakoras. In fact, recently I made Aloo Pakora during this rainy season and served it with green chutney and masala chai on the side. These potato fritters are easy to make and get ready in no time, even a beginner can make it with so much ease.
Generally, aloo pakora is deep-fried but if you are looking for a healthy version, then you can bake or air-fry these too. The deep-fried pakora has a better texture as well as taste.
Here I am sharing the step-by-step process to get the right texture and consistency of the batter so that each potato slice can be coated completely with the batter and how they should be puff up while frying.
Ingredients
The main ingredient to make this fritter is potato (aloo) of course. You can use any variety of potatoes with high starch content. Do not use potatoes with a gluey texture. Choose medium to big size potatoes for making pakora.
The second ingredient is gram flour (besan) which is flour made from husked chana dal or black chickpeas, also known as chickpeas flour. The batter for this recipe is made with besan and a little amount of rice flour. It helps in giving a crispy texture to pakora.
Few spices and herbs are also used to give this aloo pakora a spiced flavor like red chili powder, turmeric powder, chaat masala, salt, green chili coriander leaves, and also used carom seeds (ajwain) which gives nice aroma and also helps indigestion.
Oil- for deep frying – Use any vegetable oil with a high smoke point but for me, rice bran oil is the best for deep frying.
Serving Suggestions
Serve aloo pakora with mint chutney, coriander chutney, tamarind-date chutney, or any other chutney of your choice or ketchup. It can serve as an evening snack with a cup of hot tea or coffee or as a side dish too.
You can use these fri犀利士 tters to make a sandwich, by stuffing in between pav, buns, or bread, smear some green chutney, butter.
You can also make a wrap (roll) by stuffing pakoras in whole wheat roti or paratha, along with green chutney, and some thinly sliced onions.
If you are a beginner and want to know how to make this awesome snack Aloo Pakoda at home then this recipe is for you?
Learn how to make Aloo pakora following this simple recipe that you must try!
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Aloo Pakora
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Aloo Pakoda or aloo bhajji or Bhajiya are potato-based Indian fritters, dipped in gram flour with spices and then deep-fried. A delightful combination served at tea time. Potato fritters are an awesome snack loved by all age groups, especially in winters or monsoons. Here is the step by step recipe….
Ingredients
- 2 medium size potatoes
- 2 cups gram flour or chickpea flour
- ¼ cup rice flour
- ½ teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain)
- Salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 pinch asafoetida (hing)
- 1 teaspoon red chilli flakes
- 2 green chilli chopped
- ½ teaspoon baking soda (optional)
- 4 tablespoons finely chopped coriander
- 1 cup water or as required
- 2 teaspoon chaat masala for serving
- Oil- for frying
Instructions
To make Aloo Pakoda
- Take 2 medium size potatoes.
- Peel them and cut the potato into thin round slices.
- Put them into water.
- Meanwhile, prepare the batter.
Making Batter
- Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl – gram flour, rice flour, salt, carom seeds, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, green chilli, asafetida, red chilli flakes, and finely chopped coriander.
- Mix everything well.
- Now gradually add water in batches to make a medium consistency lump-free ribbon-free batter.
- Whisk the batter with a spoon or a wired whisk for about 2 minutes.
- Heat a good amount of oil in a frying pan. While oil is hot, take 2 tablespoons of hot oil into the batter and mix well.
- Now transfer all potato slices on a cloth, drain them out from the water, and pat them dry with a kitchen towel.
- Put few potatoes slices into the prepared batter and coat them evenly with the batter.
- Carefully, drop it gently in the medium-hot oil and fry well, until they puff up and become golden brown and crispy from both sides.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove them from oil and transfer them on paper towels to remove excess oil.
- Repeat the same process with the remaining slices. Fry them in batches.
- Serve them hot with green chutney or ketchup. Sprinkle some chaat masala for a tangy and spicy taste.
- Enjoy your Aloo Pakora.
Notes
- Choose the potatoes with high starch content for this recipe. Avoid using potatoes with a gluey texture.
- Do not cut the potato slices too thin or transparent or thick. Making thin potato slices will cause the pakoras to crisp up while frying.
- The pakora batter should have a medium consistency. Make sure the batter is not too thin or runny, or too thick.
- Avoid adding asafoetida (hing) in the batter, If you have gluten intolerance.
- You can use any vegetable oil with a high smoke point but to me, rice bran oil is the best for deep frying.
- Additionally, you can add more flavors to your pakora by adding herbs like mint, curry leaves, garlic paste, or ginger paste.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Appetizers & snack
- Cuisine: Indian
