Paneer Pakora
Battered Paneer Fingers
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Heat
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Serves
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Dietary Info
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Prep 10 mins
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Cook 10 mins
Crisp golden paneer cooked with a selection of spices in a gram flour batter, which is deep fried.
Hari says
Pakoras are one of India's most infamous snack dishes. Usually, they are a mixture of different vegetables all bound together with spices and gram flour. This style of pakora is a little simpler and more along the lines of a Japanese tempura dish, but still uses gram flour.
This was the pakora of choice for all kids when I was growing up. These golden discs of potatoes dipped into batter and fried were just amazing. The only thing that made them better (dare I say it) was smothering them in Heinz ketchup. Well, I was five! We would leave the mixed veg, spinach and chilli ones for the grown ups and feast on these.
Turning this into a slightly more adult version, I have cut out the ketchup and added a tang with some chaat masala. Don't just take my word for it, give it a go #tasty!
To get the main ingredients for my Pakora recipe, check our my curry kit here.
- Ingredients
- Method
- 120g paneer sliced into rectangles about 2cm wide. 14-16 slices
- 2 tbsp yoghurt, whisked
- 4 tbsp corn flour
- 2cm fresh ginger
- 1 green chilli
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp coriander, chopped
For Batter
- 100g gram flour
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp salt
- Pinch of baking soda
- Water
To Serve
- 1 tsp chaat masala
Method
Marinade
- Mince the green chilli and ginger in a blender.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the yoghurt, corn flour, salt, ginger, green paste and coriander. Mix all together until you get a paste.
- Add the paneer and coat with the yoghurt mixture. Set aside for one hour or more.
For Batter
- Heat a little oil in a small pan to deep fry the pakora on a gentle heat.
- In a second bowl, mix the gram flour, cumin seeds, salt and baking soda.
- Add water slowly to make a thick batter.
- To test that the oil is hot enough, put one drop of batter in the oil. The batter should form a small ball, sink and rise to the surface, but not change colour too much.
- Dip a marinated paneer slice into the batter so it is fully coated. Very carefully, slide it into the hot oil to start cooking. The pakoras will take about four to five minutes to cook. Turn it occasionally, until both sides are golden brown.
- Repeat with the remaining pakora in small batches. The pakora should be light and crisp. They are delicious when served with a sprinkle of chaat masala and a chutney.
Served with
Delicious when served as a starter or a nibble with imlee, which is a tamarind-based chutney. My children love these with just some plain old tomato ketchup to dunk into.
Nutritional information
| Typical values* | per Serving |
|---|---|
| Calories | 241 |
| Fat (g) | 12(pre-cooked) |
| of which saturates (g) | 6 |
| Carbohydrates (g) | 23 |
| of which sugars (g) | 1 |
| Fibre (g) | 2 |
| Protein (g) | 13 |
| Salt (mg) | 895 |
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