Pakoras are the most commonly served Indian appetizer. Usually they are made of onions only but then to add variety , many people add carrots, cabbage, green peas... About 4-5 years ago my mum had prepared this sweetcorn pakoras and we liked them a lot , but that was the first and last time she made them. About a week ago , I had a desire to eat sweetcorn pakoras and when I asked my mum for the recipe, she had forgot......Now It was time for an experiment. i had prepared cabbage pakoras quiet a few times and so i had to just replace cabbage with sweetcorn..... This was easy. But I was also worried of all those extra fat that we would consume if I deep fry it. It then occurred to me of baking . This process will definitely take longer time but its safer and easy and you don't have to stand near the hob and wait for them to cook unlike deep frying.
The entire preparation for this recipe just took about 15 mins and while it was baking in the oven , i was happily relaxing watching TV. For people who love sweetcorn, this is really a treat.....
Ingredients
1 cup sweetcorn (I used frozen sweetcorns)
1 small onion finely chopped
1 tsp corrainder seeds crushed (preferably freshly crushed, do not powder it)
1/4 tsp salt
1 green chilli finely minced (optional), I did not use it because we do not like the chilli bits while eating.
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
1 - 2tbsp chickpea flour/ gram flour (the amount may vary depending on the quantity of water left after defrosting. I had about 1 tbsp water left after defrosting the corns.)
Method
Defrost the sweetcorns and do not discard the little water obtained after defrosting them. To this add chopped onions , salt, green chilli , red chilli powder and gram flour. Mix them thoroughly . The consistency should be crumbly mixture but when made a ball it should bind together. Grease a baking tray and spoon this mixture into lumps of 1 spoon each. Spray the top of these lumps with little oil and bake it for 30 - 40 mins or until golden brown and crisp at gas mark 6. this can served with coconut chutney or ketchup or just eaten without any dips. This recipe will make about 6 - 8 pakoras but varies depending on the size of your spoon.
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6 comments:
Hello, I've just found your blog through Susan's contest on fatfreevegan.com., and had to try this recipe for pakoras. I love that they are baked instead of fried, and they were so easy and delicious! I will definitely make these often as an easy appetizer. Thank you for a great recipe!
Kate
These sounded really great! But hubby had to add alot more flour to make it work, I think it was more like a cup than a tbsp. Can you confirm the flour measurement?
For others interested in making this, and unsure of what gram flour is -- via wikipedia, I found that gram flour is made from channa dal which is another name for chickpeas .. so look for "chickpea flour" at your local natural food store ..
Thanks for sharing this -- it has definitely inspired us to try again (still have more chickpea flour ..)
Hello Kate
Thank u for trying this recipe. Well Tammy says she had to add about 1 cup flour. Did u also have the same problem?
Hello Tammy
Thank u for trying my recipe. As u said, I have changed the flour from gram to chickpea flour. In india we call it gram flour and u can get these in Indian shops as gram flour, but as u said I shud have mentioned as chickpea flour also.
Well I am quiet sure the amount was 1-2 tbsp coz the amount of water left after defrosting the sweetcorn was about 1 tbsp . If u were using fresh corns then u jusy need to add 2 tbsp water so as to bind the flour.
Did u puree the sweetcorns?
Hi Varsha, we used regular frozen sweet corn kernels (from corn on the cob). Is that the same type of corn that you used?
We did not puree it; just used the whole kernels. Is pureeing it something that you did when you originally made it, or is that a suggestion for future? Seems like pureeing it would increase the amount of liquid (and need for flour).
It's interesting to see the difference name for foods! For example, some also call chickpeas as 'garbanzo' beans.
Hello Tammy
I used frozen sweetcorn kernels, they are available as kernels in frozen sections. Well i did not puree it. I enquired coz u had to use lots of flour. Also I have met people who dont like biting sweetcorns as the skin would stick to their teeth, in such cases pureed sweetcorn is an option.
But did u like the taste of the pakoras when u made it? Hey u can try with finely chopped cabbage instead of sweetcorns. Actually i replaced cabbage with sweetcorns in my recipe. Cabbage pakoras also tastes delicious. Again when u use fresh cabbage/ sweetcorn , u need to add some water to make flour bind with veggies. But i havent tried baking cabbage pakoras. If u want u can experiment. I have a cabbage at home , will try it soon.
Cheers
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