Broccoli pakoras

The secret to Adam's crispy pakoras? A besan-based batter that uses the juices from the chopped vegetables and just enough water to make a thick batter. The less moisture in the batter, the crunchier the pakora!

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Series. Cooking. Rated PG.

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The Cook Up with Adam Liaw

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Ingredients

• 2 green chillies, thinly sliced
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup roughly chopped broccoli florets
• 1 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
• 1 tsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• ¼ tsp ajwain seeds (carom seeds)
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• ¾ tsp salt
• 1½ cups besan (chickpea flour)
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• Vegetable oil, for deep-frying

For the mint, coriander and tamarind chutney

• 3 coriander plants, whole
• 2 cups mint leaves chopped
• 1 cm x 2 cm piece ginger, peeled
• 3 green chillies
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 2 tsp tamarind paste
• 1 tsp sugar
• Salt, to season

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine the chillies, onion, broccoli, garlic and ginger paste, kasuri methi, cumin seeds, ajwain seeds, turmeric, salt, besan and baking powder. Mix well to combine. Massage to release some juices from the onion and broccoli and add a few tablespoons of water, if needed, to make a very thick batter.
2. In a large saucepan, heat enough vegetable oil to deep-fry to 170˚C and use wet hands to add small balls of the broccoli and onion batter to the oil. Fry for about 7 minutes, or until browned and crisp, then use tongs to transfer to a wire rack to drain of any excess oil.
3. While the pakoras are cooking, blend the ingredients for the chutney in a food processor. You can add a few tablespoons of water if needed to help blitz the mixture.
4. Serve the pakoras with the chutney.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.