Recently, my little sister (7) tried asparagus while on a trip to the coast, and liked it for the first time. It was, of course, battered & fried in something, but we didn't know what, so my mom asked me to come up with a recipe. Just days later I visited The Sudra for the first time, immediately decided to write a Mindful Eater's Guide post about it (not up yet), and realized the answer, Pakora! Pakora is a chickpea-battered & fried vegetable dish found all over India, and I'm kind of hooked now.

I've had pakora before, usually at indian buffet restaurants, not knowing exactly what it was, and after I started making it last week, I have to say I'm kind of hooked. You can use a wide variety of veggies, you can season the batter in any number of ways, and while it's not the healthiest things I've made (by a wide margin), it's a great option to fill that fried-comfort-food part of the food pyramid :-)

Just a note: this dish calls for soy sauce, or preferably a non-soy alternative like the recipe I posted yesterday

Photography by @kerrismiles

Making The Batter

Ingredients

• 1 Lb. Garbanzo Bean/Chickpea/Gram Flour
• 1/2 to 1 Cup Water (I also used a splash of hemp milk this time)
• 2-3 Tbsp. Seasoning Blend (I chose berbere this time)
• 1 Tsp. Baking Soda
• Salt & Pepper to taste
  
  
  
  
  

  1. Combine your dry ingredients in a medium to large mixing bowl

  
  
  
  

  2. Slowly add water (a couple tablespoons at a time) while mixing well

  
  
  
  

  3. Continue adding water and mixing until the batter has an even, thick consistency, then set it aside

  
  

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  The Veggies

  obviously vegetable choice is totally up to you; these are just what I used last night. I would recommend veggies that hold their consistency under heat, while also not needing to be cooked much

  • 1 Stalk of Broccoli
  • 1/2 Head of Cauliflower
  • 1 Vidalia Sweet Onion
  • 1/2 Lb. Mixed Mushrooms
  • 1 block of soy-free tempeh (from The Cultured Bean here in Portland)

  
  
  

  1. Chop asparagus & mix into your batter

  
  
  
  

  2. Dice onion & mix into your batter

  
  
  
  

  3. Cut the peels of your broccoli stem and cut the insides into sticks, mix into your batter

  
  
  
  

  4. Chop broccoli florets & mix into your batter

  
  
  
  

  5. Admire the colors while you begin preparing cauliflower :-)

  
  
  
  

  6. Chop cauliflower & mix into your batter

  
  
  
  

  7. Chop tempeh & mix into your batter

  
  
  
  

  Ooooh those mushrooms are so pretty! It sure is nice to be back in Cascadia

  
  
  
  

  8. Chop mushrooms & mix them into your batter

  
  
  
  

  9. Mix it all together very well, trying to get all vegetables coated

  
  

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  Frying them up

  For this recipe, I used a mix of refined coconut oil & red palm oil (both organic of course)

  1. in a large frying pan, scoop enough oil to cover the pan ~ 1/4 of an inch, bring to medium heat

  
  
  
  

  2. Scoop your battered vegetables into the pan, trying to break them up into small, bite-sized pieces (be careful of hot oil splatter when adding)

  
  
  
  

  3. Once I started this process, I began working on my sauce, as each batch of Pakora in the fryer takes a few minutes

  
  
  
  

  4. When you can see the lower (submerged in oil) half of the batter is turning golden, flip them over

  
  
  
  

  5. After being flipped, they should only need another minute or so to be done

  6. Remove from pan & place on a paper towel to soak excess oil

  7. Repeat steps 2-6 until you're out of battered veggies ( I turn the oven to its lowest setting and keep my finished Pakora there)

  
  

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  Thai-Inspired Peanut Sauce

  Ingredients

  • Soy Sauce Alternative (like the one I just posted the recipe for yesterday, or Coconut Aminos)
  • Peanut Butter
  • Dijon Mustard
  • Sesame Oil
  • Ground Ginger
  • Garlic Powder
  • 1 drop Lemongrass Essential Oil
  • 1 drop Cumin Essential Oil

  
  
  

  1. Combine "soy sauce", sesame oil, and essential oils in a small saucepan over medium-low heat

  
  
  
  

  2. Add peanut butter

  
  
  
  

  3. Add your mustard

  
  
  
  

  4. Whisk it all together and remove from heat

  
  
  
  

  5. ENJOY!

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