Aloo pakora are soft melt-in-the-mouth fried potato fritters coated in a delicious, golden, crispy gram flour batter. Make this awesome vegan potato snack also known as potato bajji or aloo bajji in less than 30 minutes.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 5 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 3
  • Category: Brunch, Snacks
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 1 potato (- medium to large sized)
  • 1 cup gram flour ((besan or chickpea flour))
  • 2 tablespoons Rice Flour
  • ½ teaspoon carom seeds ((ajwain))
  • ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
  • ¼ teaspoon garam masala
  • 1 pinch asafoetida ((hing))
  • ⅔ to ¾ cup water
  • 2 to 3 pinches baking soda (- optional)
  • ½ to 1 teaspoon chaat masala powder (for sprinkling on the pakora)
  • salt (as required)
  • oil (as needed for deep frying)

Method

Making batter

  1. In a bowl take all the dry ingredients – besan, rice flour, carom seeds, red chili powder, garam masala powder, asafoetida (hing), baking soda (optional) and salt as required.
  2. Add water in parts and mix to get a smooth medium consistency. Whisk the batter with a spoon or a wired whisk for about 2 minutes to aerate it.
  3. Taste test the batter and add more salt or spices if needed.

Slicing potatoes

  1. Rinse, peel and slice the potatoes thinly into rounds. Do not cut the potato slices too thin or transparent or thick.
  2. Using very thin potato slices will cause the pakoras to crisp up while frying and you want the potatoes to be soft and tender when cooked. Thick slices would make up for undercooked potato after being fried.

Deep Frying

  1. Heat oil for frying in a kadai (wok) or pan on medium heat. The oil has to be medium-hot before you begin to fry.
  2. Dip each potato slice in the batter. Coat it evenly with the batter. Place the batter coated potato slice gently and carefully in the medium-hot oil.
  3. Batter coat 5 to 6 potato slices or more depending on the size of your pan and place them in the hot oil.
  4. When one side is light golden or golden, turn over the pakora with a slotted spoon. Fry the second side until crisp and golden. Turn over as needed a few times for even frying.
  5. Fry until golden and crispy. Using a slotted spoon remove them from oil and place on paper towels to remove excess oil.
  6. Fry the potato fritters in batches this way until golden and crisp. If you have leftover batter after frying all the potato slices, then slice more potatoes to use up the remaining batter.
  7. Serve aloo pakora hot or warm.

Serving Suggestions

  1. Enjoy aloo pakora with any of your favorite Indian dips like coriander chutney, tamarind chutney, mint chutney, coconut chutney, or ketchup.
  2. For a bright tangy flavor, sprinkle ½ to 1 teaspoon of chaat masala powder or a few pinches of black salt on the pakora.
  3. Serve these potato bajji as an evening snack with chai or coffee.
  4. I also serve these pakoras with the Mexican avocado dip guacamole and it is so yum. On occasions I make a pakora wrap filled with aloo pakora, guacamole and cilantro chutney.
  5. You could make burgers or sliders with these potato fritters or aloo bajji. I am sure you will love it with some mayonnaise, lettuce, cheese and ketchup.
  6. Pakora also pairs nicely with a raita. Make your favorite yogurt raita to serve these crispy fritters with.

Storage and Leftovers

  1. Pakoras are best eaten hot. After cooling they loose their crispy texture but the taste will be good.
  2. If you have leftover aloo pakoras, place them at room temperature for a few hours in a closed container or a covered bowl and try to eat them the same day.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.