Mike Wolfberg's Recipe for Pakoras

These are East Indian Deep-Fried Potato and Chickpea Flour Balls
This recipe is based on one from "The Cooking of India" in Time-Life Foods of the World Cookbooks Series.

1/2 cup chickpea flour

One place to get this is at The Natural Gourmet in West Concord, MA.

1/4 tsp. baking soda

 

5+ TBL. cold water

 

1 small onion

peeled, cut lengthwise in half, then sliced crosswise into paper-thin or slightly thicker slivers

1/2 cup peeled uncooked potato

Chop the potato, such as a P.E.I. potato, into pieces which are about 1/4 inch cubes.

3 - 6 TBL. (or more) chopped cilantro

Wash this well to get rid of grit.

1/2 - 1 tsp. ground cumin

Spice Islands brand is preferred.

1/2 tsp. ground hot red pepper

This can be found in an Indian grocery, such as India Tea and Spice in Belmont, MA.

1/2 - 3/4 tsp. ground coriander seeds

Spice Islands brand is preferred.

1 - 1 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds

Spice Islands brand is preferred.

1 - 1 1/2 tsp. lovage or oregano seeds, a.k.a. carom or ajwain,

This can be found in an Indian grocery, such as India Tea and Spice in Belmont, MA.

1/2 - 3/4 tsp. salt

 

vegetable oil for deep frying

I use Wesson vegetable oil or Mazola corn oil.

1. In a deep bowl, make a smooth batter of the flour, baking soda, spices, and water. Then add the cut potatoes and sliced onions, and mix well.
   
   
2. Pour 2-3 cups of oil into a wok, and heat over medium-high to high heat. For each pakora, use a pair of tablespoons: scoop up about 1 TBL. of the mixture in one spoon, and with the second spoon, scrape the mixture into the oil. Cook several at one time. Deep-fry, turning occasionally for about 4 minutes, or until they are golden-brown on all sides.
   
   
3. As they brown, remove the pakoras from the oil with a slotted spoon, and place them on paper towels to drain. Then place them into a serving dish lined with a paper towel.

PAKORAS is (as of March, 2006) an acceptable word for competitive Scrabble® in North America.