One of the (many, many) reasons why pakoras are the ultimate monsoon snack is that they’re crazily versatile. Because whether you dip a slice of aloo, chunk of gobi or leaf of palak into it, the fried besan batter ends up turning the whole thing into a phenomenal treat.
So, in the true Spoon fashion, we’ve collected a list of 10 pakora ingredients that aren’t traditionally used in making the snack, but taste insanely good nonetheless. Go on and try them out yourself; we guarantee the addictive taste. Happy frying!
1. Broccoli
Photo by Bhavya Bansal
Sadly, even after tons of experimentation we couldn’t figure out a way to make pakoras truly healthy. But hey, you can still pull off a calorie-controlled alternative by using broccoli florets the same way you would use a cauliflower. Just keep in mind that these are still pakoras, and don’t shovel too many like we did. *sheepish grins all around*
2. Chicken
Photo by Nilakshi
Dip marinated chicken into the batter and fry it up for a super-tempting Indian version of KFC’s fried chicken.
…Dotted with chaat masala instead of Colonel’s spice mix, these meaty pakoras are sure to send you into an instant food comma, so be prepared for it.
3. Maggi
Photo by Tarunima Kumar
All you need to do is cook up a pack of Maggi (or any other instant noodle variant) and leave it in the fridge overnight; it’ll be ready for all sorts of foodie experiments the next day.
4. Egg
Photo by Ria
Those of you who were thinking of frying entire eggs – don’t go there, really. We say this for two reasons. A) It simply cannot be done without burning your face and B) even if you (by some miracle of nature) pull it off, they won’t taste particularly good.
Here’s how you make legit egg pakoras: boil the eggs, let them cool, mash them together, and then go about the dipping-frying business.
5. Raw Banana
Photo Courtesy of malaviyaexim.com
If you love banana chips, you’ll love these too. Slice the bananas, smash them until flat, then dip and fry – you know the drill.
6. Nuts
Photo by Vrinda
Use almonds, cashews, groundnuts (or all of them) if you want to make the teeniest, nuttiest, yummiest pakoras ever.
7. Sweet Potato
Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia
This is the healthy (er…) alternative to aloo pakoras, and you can make them the same way you’d prepare the original ones.
#SpoonTip: Try using uber-spicy pakora batter for the mashed potatoes, it’ll really enhance the flavor.
8. Cheese
Photo by Simran Mathur
This pakora variant is definitely not for the faint hearted foodies. Try imagining a crunchy, fiery coating of spicy batter that cracks to reveal a flooding explosion of warm, silky, melting cheese. (Yep, we’d give up anything if we could have these every day.)
9. Fish
Photo by Nilakshi
Coat the fillets in a thicker-than-usual batter, and fry until you reach that golden perfection. Do keep pudine-ki-chutney ready, the fish pakoras taste best when you smear them with it.
10. Apple
Photo by Simran Bajaj
Having pakoras for dessert is a foodie daydream that you can now bring to life.
How? Just slice up your apples (lengthwise), then coat them with a thin layer of batter that has sugar and cinnamon added. Fry until crisp, and you can have them hot with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream, drizzled with chocolate syrup, fudge or caramel. W-O-W.