Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Pakoras
Pakoras (Deep-fried Vegetable Fritters)

Pakoras

Deep-fried Vegetable Fritters
Vegetarian●●●Origin Tamil NaduPrep 10 minutesCook 20 minutes

Crisp, golden onion fritters encased in a spiced chickpea batter. They are crunchy on the outside, tender inside, and packed with savoury warmth.

Batter spices

1.6 gMixed into the dry ingredients in step 1
01
Chilli powder · Lal Mirch Powder
1.3 g½ teaspoon
spice
02
Ground turmeric · Haldi
~0.3 g1 pinch
spice
Keep as ground spices; they go directly into the batter.

Everything else

01
Chickpea flour · Besan
250 g
flour
02
Baking powder
2 g½ teaspoon
other
03
Coriander leaf · Hara Dhaniachopped
0.3 g1 teaspoon
herb
04
Green chilli · Hari Mirchde-seeded and chopped
6 g1 chilli
vegetable
05
Onion · Pyazchopped or sliced
150 g1 onion
vegetable
06
Vegetable oil · Telfor deep-frying
to taste
oil/fat
07
Salt · Namak
to taste
salt

Method

  1. Combine 250 g chickpea flour, 0.5 teaspoon baking powder, 150 g onion, 6 g green chilli, 0.3 g coriander leaf, salt to taste, and the batter spices in a wide mixing bowl. Gradually mix in enough water to produce a dense, spoonable batter.
  2. Fill a deep, heavy pan or kadhai with vegetable oil and heat to 180°C (350°F); a cube of bread dropped in should turn golden brown within 30 seconds.
  3. Fry in manageable batches by dropping spoonfuls of the mixture into the hot fat. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until thoroughly crisp and richly browned.
  4. Lift out the cooked fritters with a slotted spoon, transfer them onto crumpled paper towels to drain excess grease, and serve immediately.

Don't have something?

Chickpea flour
  • Yellow split pea flour

    Use 100% of the weight. Many commercial gram flours are milled from split peas; performs identically in pakora batters and kadhi.

  • Cornstarch

    For crisping batters or binding cutlets: use 50% to 60% of the weight. Produces a very crisp shell but lacks the earthy, roasted nutty flavour of besan.

Baking powder
  • Baking soda

    Use 25% of the baking powder's weight (e.g. 1 g for 4 g) and add 2 g cream of tartar or 1 tsp lime juice per 100 g flour. Mix quickly and bake at once.

  • Bicarbonate of soda

    Same as baking soda: use 25% of the weight with an acid such as cream of tartar, lemon juice or yogurt. Expect a slightly soapy taste if overused.

  • Self-raising flour

    Replace the plain flour plus baking powder with the same weight of self-raising flour; omit added baking powder and reduce salt slightly.

Chilli powder
  • Red chilli powder

    Use 100% of the weight. Provides direct, sharp heat and red colour in equal measure.

  • Kashmiri chilli powder

    Use 150% to 200% of the weight if matching colour, but add a pinch of black pepper or hot chilli if you need equivalent fiery heat.

  • Cayenne pepper

    Use 75% to 100% of the weight. Offers a sharp, clean heat with slightly less earthy depth and less crimson colour.

Coriander leaf
  • Coriander

    Use equal weight finely chopped; this is the exact same fresh herb.

  • Mint

    Use half the weight finely chopped; provides vibrant green freshness, though the flavour profile becomes noticeably cooler and sharper.

Green chilli
  • Chilli powder

    Use 10 to 15% of the weight (about 1/4 teaspoon per chilli); imparts dry pungent heat and reddens the dish without the grassy crunch.

  • Dried red chilli

    Use 1 dried pod per fresh green chilli; snap in half and temper in hot oil for a deeper, toastier heat.

Ground turmeric
  • Ground ginger

    Use 50% of the weight. Mimics turmeric's warm, earthy, rhizome background, but provides none of the golden-yellow colour.

  • Saffron

    Steep a tiny pinch (0.1 g per 2 g turmeric) in 2 tbsp warm water; use to match the rich golden hue. Contributes an aristocratic, honeyed floral flavour rather than earthy bitterness.

Onion
  • Shallot

    Use equal weight, finely sliced. Shallots soften and brown faster, giving a slightly sweeter and more delicate base to curries.

  • Cabbage

    Use 80% of the weight, finely shredded and browned slowly with a pinch of asafoetida. Replicates the bulk and natural sweetness in gravies without allium.

Vegetable oil
  • Peanut oil

    Use 1:1 by weight. Handles high-heat frying identically and introduces a very subtle, pleasant nuttiness.

  • Ghee

    Use 1:1 by weight. Yields a much richer, authentic aroma and a glossy, heavier mouthfeel.

  • Mustard oil

    Use 1:1 by weight. Heat until smoking, then cool slightly before cooking to temper its intensely pungent, sharp mustard kick.

Similar dishes

Vengayya Pakora
Onion Pakoras
Vengayya Pakora tastes punchier with dried chilli heat and fresh coriander, but lacks the grassy heat of fresh green chillies and the earthy background notes of turmeric.
  • Same: Vengayya Pakora is also deep-fried in vegetable oil using a chickpea flour base seasoned with chilli powder, coriander leaf, and salt.
  • Different: Vengayya Pakora adds vegetable oil directly into the flour mixture and increases the chilli powder, but it omits the fresh green chillies and ground turmeric found in this dish.
Vengayya
Onion Fritters
Vengayya is much sharper and hotter from the heavy green chillies and pungent ajwain, with a more pronounced sweet onion flavour and less earthy batter.
  • Same: Both are onion fritters bound in a chickpea flour batter seasoned with green chilli and fresh coriander, then deep-fried in vegetable oil.
  • Different: Vengayya uses three times as many onions and green chillies and adds ajwain seeds, but it leaves out the chilli powder and turmeric used in this dish.
Onion Pakode
Onion Pakode tastes more onion-heavy and aromatic from cumin and fennel, with a semolina crunch and a light heat from bird’s eye chilli compared with this dish.
  • Same: Onion Pakode shares with this dish a deep-fried onion fritter made from a chickpea-flour batter seasoned with turmeric, chilli powder, green chilli, coriander leaf and salt.
  • Different: Onion Pakode adds coarse semolina, cumin seed and fennel seed, uses far more onion and less chickpea flour, and lacks the baking powder used in this dish.
Rajasthani Karhi
Gram (Chickpea) Flour & Yoghurt Curry
Rajasthani Karhi is tangy and spiced with earthy cumin, whereas this dish tastes savoury and rich from fried onions.
  • Same: Rajasthani Karhi shares chickpea flour, green chillies, chilli powder, and turmeric with this dish.
  • Different: Instead of deep-frying battered onions in vegetable oil, it simmers chickpea flour with plain yogurt into a liquid curry tempered with cumin seeds, garlic, and asafoetida in peanut oil and ghee.