Description
A delicious snack made with paneer coated in a spiced chickpea flour batter and fried until golden and crispy.
Ingredients
Scale
- 250 grams paneer
- 1 cup besan (chickpea flour, gram flour)
- 2 tablespoons rice flour
- ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain)
- 1 teaspoon Kasuri methi
- ½ teaspoon salt
- oil (for frying)
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala powder
Instructions
- Rinse the paneer slab with water and wrap it in a kitchen towel. Press the slab using a weight for 10-15 minutes to remove any moisture. This step is very important for crispy pakoras.
- Cut the paneer into small cubes or rectangles. Keep the size of the pieces the same so that they fry evenly.
- Stir together chickpea flour, rice flour, chili powder, turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste, carom seeds, Kasuri methi, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Add water (approx ½ cup) little by little and whisk to make a thick but runny batter. The consistency of the batter is very important for perfect pakoras. It should be slightly thick to hold and coat the paneer cubes well.
- Let the batter rest on the counter for 10 minutes.
- Heat oil for frying in a pan over high heat.
- Once the oil is very hot, reduce the heat to medium.
- Add the paneer pieces to the batter and coat them well.
- Drop a few pieces in hot oil and fry on medium flame until nicely browned and crispy (6-8 minutes). Do not overcrowd the pan; fry the pakora in batches.
- Drain the pakoras using a slotted spoon on a plate lined with a kitchen towel. Sprinkle chaat masala powder all over the pakora and serve them hot.
- Note – For extra crispy paneer pakora, double fry them. Fry them on medium heat until lightly browned and drain on a plate. Now heat the oil again until it is very hot. Drop a few pakoras in hot oil and fry on high heat until nicely browned. The first frying cooks the covering but leaves some moisture in the oil, which can hamper the crispiness. When we heat the oil once again, all the moisture evaporates, and when the pakoras are fried a second time in very hot oil, they turn out very crispy and crunchy. Repeat with the remaining batch.
Notes
- Rinsing and pressing the paneer is crucial for achieving crispy texture.
- Ensure uniformity in the size of paneer pieces for even frying.
- Adjust spice levels to taste by varying the amount of Kashmiri red chili powder.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Snacks
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Indian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 1g
- Sodium: 300mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 25g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 10g
- Cholesterol: 20mg