Palak Pakoda Recipe

That rainy noon, I was seriously craving for crispy palak pakoda, and thought of putting it up on the blog for all my lovely friends to enjoy it too. The Palak (Spinach) I used is, from my personal mini garden that I’ve made in all my balconies at home. Touchwood, it’s so beautiful and mesmerizing and the most amazing thing is I don’t even have to step out to make my cravings wait… Pheewwww…!!!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups spinach leaves (palak), washed and chopped
• 1 cup chickpea flour (besan)
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2-3 green chilies, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon ginger, grated
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain)
• 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• A pinch of asafoetida (hing)
• Salt to taste
• Water, as needed
• Oil, for deep frying

Instructions:

1. Prepare the Batter:
   • In a large mixing bowl, combine the chickpea flour, chopped onions, green chilies, grated ginger, cumin seeds, carom seeds, red chili powder, turmeric powder, asafoetida, and salt.
   • Add the chopped spinach leaves to the mixture.
   • Gradually add water to the mixture to form a thick batter. The consistency should be thick enough to coat the spinach leaves but not too runny.
2. Heat the Oil:
   • In a deep frying pan, heat oil over medium heat. The oil should be hot enough for frying, but not smoking.
3. Fry the Pakodas:
   • Once the oil is hot, drop spoonfuls of the spinach batter into the oil. You can shape them roughly with your hands or a spoon.
   • Fry the pakodas in batches, making sure not to overcrowd the pan.
   • Fry until they are golden brown and crispy on all sides. This should take about 4-5 minutes per batch.
   • Use a slotted spoon to remove the pakodas from the oil and drain on paper towels to remove excess oil.
4. Serve:
   • Serve hot with mint chutney, tamarind chutney, or ketchup.

Enjoy your delicious and crispy Palak Pakodas!