Crispy Vegetable Pakoras

Crispy Vegetable Pakoras  

I’ve been neglecting my blogs this month. A lot of very sad things have been happening in our town, and I haven’t had much interest in cooking. But my daughter’s been cooking a lot, and here’s one of the recipes she’s cooked recently.  We don’t eat fried foods very often, but these are really good. Your house will probably smell like an Indian restaurant for a day or two, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

1 cup chickpea flour
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3/4 cup water
1 quart oil for deep frying
1/2 head cauliflower florets
2 onions, sliced into rings

1. Sift the chickpea flour into a medium bowl. Mix in the coriander, salt, turmeric, chili powder, garam masala and garlic.
2. Make a well in the center of the flower. Gradually pour the water into the well and mix to form a thick, smooth batter.
3. Over medium high heat in a large, heavy saucepan, heat the oil to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
4. Coat the cauliflower and onions in the batter and fry them in small batches until golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels before serving.

We use so much garam masala at our house that I buy it by the pound from San Francisco Herb Company. They have a good blend that’s only $4.00 a pound.