Paneer pakoras
Soft paneer encased in a crispy, spicy batter. It doesn’t get better than this!
Paneer Pakoras
Time: 45 mins | Difficulty: 3/5 | Recommendation: Dinner or make to share
Paneer pakoras are just the best! They’re a great restaurant appetizer, with a nutty batter full of cumin seeds and spices, surrounding the soft, spongey paneer. But did you know you can also make them at home?? You can find paneer at any Indian store, and honestly at this point probably even Whole Foods. And since it’s just you at home cooking, you find yourself with extra batter after frying up the paneer, you can add in something else and make new pakoras! E.g. onions, apples, zucchini flowers, even mushrooms…
Ingredients/tools:
Paneer (about half a block for one person plus leftovers)
About 1 cup chickpea flour
About 1 cup water
Vegetable oil
Spices
Garam masala
Chaat masala
Chili powder
Cumin seeds
Cumin powder
Turmeric
Ginger powder
Salt
Pepper
A wok or heavy bottomed pot
A big bowl
Metal slotted spoon
Tongs
Paper towels
Method:
Slice the paneer into squares that are about 1/4 inch thick.
Transfer to a small bowl and add garam masala, chaat masala, chili powder, and a touch of salt. Mix with your hands.
Make the batter: dump a cup of chickpea flour into a big bowl. Add in cumin seeds, cumin powder, chili powder, turmeric, ginger powder, salt, and pepper, and mix well. Slowly add in the cup of water, whisking until you get a pretty thick batter that slowly drops off the whisk as you hold it up.
Dunk the paneer squares in the batter and coat them fully. Heat some oil in the wok.
Fry the paneer in the hot oil, turning once when the bottom is starting to brown. Make sure to only fry three or four at a time, so the oil doesn’t cool down too much.
Drain on a paper towel. Enjoy with tamarind sauce or coriander chutney!