Taking a picture of this one was a little tricky – mainly because Kenny kept eating them! He’s a Glasgow boy and Glasgow has vibrant community of people from India. This has fed into a strong tradition of Indian food that has developed almost separately from the rest of the UK. Now that we live in London, Kenny misses so many Indian dishes that you just can’t get down here, most of all Pakora Sauce!
Traditionally, pakora batter is made from Chickpea flour so is both gluten free and vegan. The challenge was to remake Kenny’s favourite Pakora sauce so that it was both vegan and tasted the same. We got there by using a mix of vegan yoghurt, vegan creme fraiche, and several cupboard staples. This isn’t traditional indian cooking – this is a dish that developed almost exclusively in Glasgow but I think it’s time we embraced the food of our Scottish cousins. Pakora food truck anyone?
- Makes: Serves 4 (as a side)
Ingredients
For the Pakora Sauce:
- 100ml Ketchup
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Mint Suace
- 1 Tsp Chilli Powder
- 100g Vegan Yoghut
- 3 Tbsp Vegan Creme Fraiche
- Water (as needed)
- Salt, to taste
For the Cauliflower Pakoras:
- 100g Chickpea Flour
- 2 Tbsp Cornflour (optional)*
- 1 Cauliflower
- 1 Medium Onion
- 1 Large Red Chilli, finely diced
- 8g Fresh Ginger, Finely Diced
- 1 tsp Fennel seeds
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 1 tsp Turmeric
- 4 curry leaves, chopped
- 2 tbsp Fresh Coriander, finely chopped
- 1 tsp Salt
- Water (as needed)
- Oil (for deep frying)
Directions
Start with the sauce so this can mellow in the fridge while you throw together the pakoras. Mix together all the ingredients and add enough water so that it’s slightly thinner than double cream. Stir well and place in the fridge till needed.
Trim your cauliflower into small florets and very thinly slice your onion before placing to one side. In a large bowl whisk together the chickpea flour, salt, spices, and coriander leaves. Very gradually, add cold water until you have a consistency similar to pancake batter or slightly thicker than single cream. This will likely take around 180ml of water but add gradually as this can change depending on your chickpea flour batch. If you get a little over eager and it becomes a little too runny, then feel free to add a little extra flour to bring it back.
Add the cauliflower and onions to the batter and mix well. Once they are fully coated allow the batter to sit to one side for about 10 minutes.
Heat your oil to just over 180C and add small spoonfuls of your pakora mix for about 5 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Don’t over crowd your pan as this will cause the temperature of your oil to drop and the pakoras to become greasy.
Serve with the sauce as a side, starter, or snack!
Notes
Pakora are very flexible and you can turn almost any vegetable into Pakora. If you don’t have any cauliflower to hand then why not have a dig around in your fridge for some unloved veg and use that?
* Cornflour will help the mix thicken and cling to your veg but if you don’t have any to hand then you should be OK to skip this.
Allergy Notes; This is one of those joyous recipes that should be vegan, gluten free and soy free. We tend to use oat based creme fraiche but check both this and your vegan yoghurt to make sure it doesn’t contain any allergens you’re vulnerable to.
One Comment
Liz Edwards
A very good pakora recipe. It worked well with cauliflower and I imagine it would be just as good with other vegetables. Sauce could do with being a little hotter and a little less acidic, but that’s personal choice. We loved it!