Paneer Pakora Recipe (Paneer Pakoda)
Paneer pakora, delectable fritters from India, feature Indian cottage cheese coated in a savory gram flour batter. These pakoras serve as a swift and delightful evening snack, boasting a delightful crunchy exterior that gives way to a tender, moist paneer interior.
Ingredients
- 125 to 150 grams Paneer (Indian cottage cheese)
- 1 cup besan (gram flour) – 100 grams
- 1 pinch turmeric powder
- 1 to 2 pinches red chili powder
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
- 1 to 2 pinches garam masala
- ½ teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain)
- ⅔ to ¾ cup water or as required
- salt as required
- mustard oil for deep frying, as required
- ½ to 1 teaspoon chaat masala for sprinkling
Instructions
Preparation
- Slice paneer into cubes or squares
- Add gram flour into a mixing bowl or vessel.
- Next add turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masala powder, asafoetida, carom seeds and salt. Mix well.
- Pour ⅔ to ¾ cup water in parts and mix well.
- Use a wired whisk to mix the batter. Make a thick flowing smooth batter without any lumps.
- Depending on the quality of besan, the water proportion will vary. You need to get a thick flowing batter. Thus add water bit by bit and mix until you get a perfectly thick flowing batter.
Frying
- Heat mustard oil or your preferred oil for deep frying in a kadai or pan. Keep the heat to medium or medium-high heat.
- To check if the oil is medium-hot, add a few drops of batter to it. If the batter droplets comes up on the surface quickly and gradually, the oil is ready for frying pakora.
- When the oil becomes medium-hot, add the batter coated paneer cubes carefully in the medium-hot oil.
- When one side is lightly golden, gently turn over the pakora with a slotted spoon. Continue to fry the paneer pakora until golden and crisp.
- Remove the paneer pakora with a slotted spoon. Place them on paper towels to remove excess oil.
- Serve hot paneer pakora sprinkled with some chaat masala paired with coriander chutney or tomato ketchup.
Nutrition
Calories: 330kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 13gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 439mgPotassium: 259mgFiber: 4gSugar: 3gCalcium: 202mgIron: 15mg
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