A nutritious and flavorful vegetable filling wrapped in bread, dipped in a chickpea batter then baked till crisp, this is a lighter version of a popular Indian snack that is traditionally deep-fried.
Read Tina's full post and watch her great video on how to make the little packets here.
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 4-5 curry leaves, optional
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
- 140 grams (5 ounces) yellow onion, chopped
- 50 grams (1.7 ounces) green bell pepper, chopped
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon ground red chili/paprika
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- 20 grams (0.7 ounces/ 2 stalks) curly kale, chopped
- 20 grams (0.7 ounces/ 4-5 large leaves) spinach, chopped
- 60 grams (about 1 small) carrot, grated
- 200 grams (7 ounces) Idaho® potatoes, boiled, peeled and mashed
- Salt, to taste
- 2-3 stalks fresh cilantro, chopped
For the batter
- ½ cup chickpea flour
- 1 tablespoon rice flour
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon ground red chili/paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons water
- Salt, to taste
Notes: Skip the chickpea batter, if you’d like, brush with oil and bake for 10 minutes.
- 12 slices white bread
- ¼ cup water
- Vegetable oil, for drizzling
Directions:
- Make the filling: Heat the vegetable oil in a medium pan. Once hot, add curry leaves and when they stop sputtering, add grated ginger, chopped onion, bell pepper and a pinch of salt.
- Cook until the onions are translucent and soft.
- Add the ground spices, chopped kale, spinach and grated carrot. Continue to cook until the vegetables are cooked and the spices are fragrant.
- Stir in the mashed potato, season with salt to taste. Adjust seasoning, adding more spices if necessary.
- Remove from heat and stir in the chopped cilantro. Let cool.
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Position the oven baking rack to the lower-middle position. Line a large baking tray with silpat or foil.
- Shape the pakora: Trim the edges of the bread slices. Use a rolling pin to roll them flat.
- Place about 1 ½ tablespoon of filling in the center of the flattened bread. Brush a little water around the edges to moisten.
- Bring up all the edges to the center, over the filling, and pinch the sides to form an ‘X’.
- Repeat until you run out of filling.
- Make the batter: In a bowl, combine the chickpea flour, rice flour, vegetable oil, ground turmeric, ground red chili, baking soda and salt. Add water and using a whisk, stir to create a thin batter without any lumps.
- Dip the bread pockets into the batter and place on the prepared baking tray. Drizzle each with a little vegetable oil.
- Bake in the preheated oven at 425°F for 20 minutes, or until the bread pakoras are crisp and golden brown on the tips.
- Let cool on the baking tray for 5 minutes before serving warm with hot chai, ketchup and mint chutney.