In Ramadan, pakora is a must for iftar, and a major hurdle to getting the pakora right is that I can’t taste if it has enough spices, especially salt. In my opinion, if the amount of salt is right in any of your food, it will taste delicious, no matter if other spices are a bit off. I have this simple pakora mix recipe, which has also tested several times; I’m sure you are going to like it as much as I do.
What goes into pakora mix
Chickpea flour/ gram flour
Chick flour, or gram flour, which is also called besan in Urdu, is the key ingredient for a pakora mix. I used 1 cup of chickpea flour, and the ratios I’m giving you are so easy to multiply, so you can make as much as you want and easily recreate the recipe.
Spice
A crucial ingredient is salt. For each cup of chickpea flour, add 1 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of red chilli powder, 1 tsp of crushed ground coriander, and 1 tsp of fenugreek leaves. This is my simple formula; you can add crushed chillies or omit fenugreek leaves; it’s entirely up to you.
Crispy pakora vs soft pakora
This pakora mix will give you crispy pakoras, that’s how I like it, but if you want soft pakora, then add 1/2 tsp of baking soda, which makes the pakora batter airy, and the pakoras will be soft.
How to use pakora mix
For every 1 cup of pakora mix, you will add about 3/4 cup of water to make a batter. Then cut any vegetables of your choice, such as potatoes, onions, green chillies, eggplant, spinach, or even cauliflower. Dip them in the batter and fry in hot oil over medium-high heat until nice and golden brown. Thinly sliced veggies take 5-6 minutes.
How to make mixed vegetable pakora with the pakora mix
If you want to make mixed vegetable pakora, you can thinly cut your veggies, then add the pakora mix. Mix it well and add a little bit of water to make a batter. I like more veggies and less flour, but again, it’s your preference. Check the pakora recipe for mixed vegetable pakora for more details.
For how long can I store the pakora mix
Besan has a very long shelf life; I usually store chickpea flour in an airtight container for 6-7 months in a cabinet. All the ingredients I have for pakora mix also have a long shelf life, plus these are dry ingredients, so you can easily store them for up to 6 months.
Variations in the pakora mix
As I mentioned earlier, feel free to add the ingredients of your choice, such as crushed chillies, baking soda, etc. Some people also like to add an egg in their pakora, which should be added right before frying the pakora.
More Recipes
Pakora Mix Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp crushed coriander seeds
- 1 tsp fenugreek leaves optional
- 1/2 tsp baking soda only for soft pakoras, see note
Instructions
- Sift your chickpea flour and then add all of the ingredients mentioned above. Mix everything and store in an airtight container.
- To make pakora, cut veggies of your choice.
- Make a batter of pakora mix with the water, slowly mix the water while whisking until you reach a consistency slightly thinner than a pancake mix batter.
- Dip your veggies in your pakora batter and fry until nice and crispy.
- Enjoy with green chutney.