Veggie Pakora

I love Veggie Pakora! Whenever Adam and I went to the Mughal Gardens Restaurant in Baltimore (which was often), Veggie Pakora was the first thing that I ordered. I’m not too sure which chutney I prefer with them… the tamarind or the cilantro so I provided both for you here. I love both chutneys as well (notice a pattern). Enjoy!

• 1 ¼ cup garbanzo flour

• ¼ cup rice flour

• 2 teaspoon salt

• 1 ½ teaspoons curry powder

• 1 teaspoon cumin

• ¼ teaspoon baking powder

• 1 cup water

• 1 cup broccoli, finely chopped

• 1 cup sweet potato, peeled and finely chopped

• 1 cup zucchini, finely chopped

• 1 cup onion, finely chopped

• 1-2 Jalapenos, finely chopped

• ½ cup cilantro

Making the Veggie Pakora...

In a large bowl combine flours, salt, spices and baking powder. Add water to form a thick batter. Let the batter rest for 5 minutes.

Next, mix in all the finely chopped vegetables making sure everything is evenly coated by the batter.

In a heavy pot, heat the vegetable oil to 375 F. Carefully spoon a tablespoon of batter into the heated oil. Allow the pakoras to cook for a few minutes before turning; they should be golden brown on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and allow pakoras to drain on a dish towel before serving.

Serve warm with tamarind chutney or cilantro-mint chutney.

Making the Tamarind Chutney...

• 1 Cup tamarind pulp

• 2 Cups water

• ½ Cup brown sugar

• 1 Teaspoon ground cumin

• ½ Teaspoon salt

• 1 Teaspoon ground ginger

• 1 Teaspoon garam masala

• ½ Teaspoon cayenne powder (more or less to your taste)

In a small saucepan bring water and tamarind to a boil and let sit for 10 minutes. Strain and process the tamarind in a sieve to remove all the pulp from the seeds.

In a separate pan toast the cumin, garam marsala and ginger until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the tamarind pulp, sugar and salt and simmer for 10 minutes so the flavors combine. If the sauce is too thick thin it out with a few tablespoons of water.

Store the sauce in an airtight container in the fridge.

Serve with pakora or samosa.

Making the Cilantro-Mint Chutney...

• 1 Bunches cilantro

• 1 Bunches mint

• 1 Chopped jalapeno

• ¼ Inch ginger, peeled and chopped

• Juice of ½ a lime

• ½ Teaspoon salt

• 1 Teaspoon cumin

• 1 Teaspoon sugar

• ¼ Cup water (optional)

Pick the mint leaves off the stems... there should be twice as much cilantro as mint. Put the everything in the bowl, a food processor, or blender and puree until a thick paste paste is formed.

Use the water to control the desired consistency.

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