Pakoda or pakora are a fried Indian tea-time snack. In South India, they are most commonly known as bajjis. Just about anything can be made into bajjis or pakoda. Most commonly potatoes, cauliflower florets, onions, paneer, etc are used.
Back home, my mom makes a mean cabbage and onion pakoda. These are my most favorite kind and super easy to prepare.I have no idea how pakoda came into being. Maybe a smart mom came up with these to feed picky eaters. Who knows!
Pakodas are very common all over India and can be found in homes, restaurants and road-side eateries. We have a soft corner for anything covered in batter, fried and crunchy, I guess! To make these Indian fritters, a goopy batter is made using chickpeas flour and water. The vegetables are sliced, dunked in the batter and deep-fried in oil.
Cabbage pakoda is slightly different. The chopped cabbage is mixed with the batter itself and then fried. This means the batter has to be fairly dry and so the resulting pakodas have a mind of their own shape-wise. My son calls them ‘spider crunchies’. Eww… boys!!!
You will need:
- Thinly chopped cabbage – 2 cups (tightly packed)
- Onion – 1 smallish, thinly sliced
- Chickpeas flour (besan) – 3/4 – 1 cup (use the super fine variety for best results)
- Red chili powder – 1/2 tsp
- Salt – 1 tsp or to taste
- Baking soda – 1/4 tsp
- Water
- Oil – for deep-frying
How to:
- Thinly slice the cabbage leaves and slice thin half-moons from the onions. Be careful not to use any of the thick white parts of the cabbage. Combine and season the vegetables with 1/2 teaspoon salt and keep aside.
- In a large bowl, mix the besan or chickpeas flour, red chili powder, remaining salt and baking soda. Add a little water to it and mix with a fork. You need just enough water to make the dry ingredients come together. The vegetables will let out some water, so the batter has to be fairly dry initially.
- Add the cabbage and onion to the batter. Mix thoroughly with a fork or use your hands for best results. If the mixture seems too wet, add more flour.
- Heat oil in a wok or deep pan. When it is nice and hot, drop a couple of small handfuls of the pakoda batter in it. Reduce the heat to medium-high and fry them till golden brown on all sides.
- Remove and place on paper towels for a few minutes before serving. Serve them as such (our favorite), with tomato ketchup or some mint-coriander chutney. Don’t forget a piping hot cup of chai or coffee to go with it!
Notes: Experienced cooks (read ‘moms‘) will have no trouble scooping and dropping the batter into the hot oil with their fingers. If you are squeamish about this step (like me), take a large forkful of the batter, and drop into the oil with another fork. Take care to slightly spread this pakoda batter while dropping into the oil, otherwise the edges will be burned easily and the center will not be properly cooked. Like Boy said, you are really looking to make them wiggly-shaped!
Make these for tea time or on a cold, rainy evening and watch your family gobble these down faster than you can say ‘pakoda‘!
Tell me, do you have a favorite kind of pakoda? Have you tried cabbage pakoda? Do try this recipe and let me know how it goes.
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Natalie says
My Mom in law makes fantastic pakora (pakoda) and I am looking to make some! I am so happy that I can look to your blog for ideas! These look awesome!
Anjana @ At The Corner Of Happy & Harried says
Moms are the best! Do try this recipe, it is an easy one to start with.
Alecia says
I have never heard of these, but I love things with cabbage and fried is even better! I can’t wait to try these. Thank you for linking up with Tasty Tuesdays last week. As one of the co-hosts, I will be featuring your recipe tomorrow on Tasty Tuesdays on my blog, Detours in Life. Stop by and grab a feature button when you get a chance.
Anjana @ At The Corner Of Happy & Harried says
Thank you very much, Alexia. And I hope you enjoy this recipe too!
Paula says
I am so adding this to my recipe list. I lovvvvvvvve Pakoras.
Paula
Anjana @ At The Corner Of Happy & Harried says
Thank you! Do enjoy them.
Lynda H says
Oh, I can’t wait to try these – I love pakora! Thanks so much for sharing!
Anjana @ At The Corner Of Happy & Harried says
If you do make this recipe, I’d love to know how it turned out. Enjoy!
Kathryn Griffin @TheDedicatedHouse says
Looks delish! Thank you for sharing this at the Make it Pretty Monday party at The Dedicated House! Hope to see your prettiness again on Monday at the bash! Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse
Anjana @ At The Corner Of Happy & Harried says
Thanks for visiting, Kathryn!
The Vulgar Chef says
A lot of noms right here i tell ya
Anjana @ At The Corner Of Happy & Harried says
Thank you. Do enjoy!
vaish says
yumm! I see myself making this over the weekend 🙂
Anjana @ At The Corner Of Happy & Harried says
Awesome, Vaish! Enjoy!!
aryana0821 says
My favorite 🙂
Anjana @ At The Corner Of Happy & Harried says
Awesome! Mine too!!
Ingeniousmrs says
wowww so yum yum perfect snack for winter :))
Anjana @ At The Corner Of Happy & Harried says
Thank you! It is perfect for cold, lazy evenings.
mysketchbookproject says
I have such an intense craving for pakodas right now! So glad I found your blog 😀
Anjana @ At The Corner Of Happy & Harried says
Please try this and let me know how it turns out. Welcome to my space. Hope you’ll stay!
Namrata says
Yum! I love pakode! Yes, anything covered in batter and deep fried till crunchy is an all time fav with all Indians! 🙂
Anjana @ At The Corner Of Happy & Harried says
We do, right?! Lol!!