Okra Pakora (GF, Vegan)
My grandma used to make Pakoras all the time. Here classics were potato, bread with chutney in the middle and chilli (which Mr B would eat till his eyes watered). She also used to make pakoras to use up the leftovers, as she hated waste, so we would get spinach or salad pakoras when the leaves were starting to wilt. Whatever she made them out of they were always delicious and addictive
I love Okra Masala but have always been intrigued by Okra Pakoras, so that is where I thought I would start. Okra is a scary vegetable for most cooks to use due to the slimy inside which appears the more you cook it. This is a great recipe as you use this as the moisture of the dish and the more the better!
A little known fact is that the inside is made of sugar and protein and similar to the inside of the Aloe Vera plant. It is also known for being high in vitamin c, vitamin k and folate. It is also known for harnessing a superior fiber, which helps with digestion and stabilises blood sugar. Who knew!
Serve this with any chutney you like, or organic ketchup for the kids!
Ingredients
- 10 Okra
- 2 green chilli’s
- 1 inch ginger, grated
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- 2 curry leaves, chopped
- ½ tsp. turmeric
- ½ tsp. Kashmiri red chilli powder
- ¼ tsp. hing
- ¾ cup chickpea/besan flour
- ½ cup rice flour
- ½ tsp. salt
- Oil for deep frying
Method
- Firstly clean and wipe the okra then chop into small pieces
- Add chilli, ginger, curry leaves, turmeric, chilli powder and hing
- Add the chickpea flour, rice flour and salt
- Combine all the ingredients, use your hands to squeeze the moisture out of the okra and bind the pakoras together
- Add a little water if more moisture is needed to form a batter
- Take a tablespoon of the mixture into your palm and shape into a ball
- Drop into hot oil
- Fry until golden brown
- Serve with chutney
