These mushroom pakoras are little bites of heaven. Crisp on the outside, juicy on the inside and with just the right amount of spice.
Pakoras are a traditional Indian snack, typically made with chopped potato and onion.
These mushroom pakoras are a bit different from the most common pakoras you see in takeaways and supermarkets, instead featuring whole battered chestnut mushrooms.
They’re perfect for snacking on, or serving as an appetizer or side dish. And they’re also vegan and gluten-free.
Pakora batter is pretty much always made with chickpea flour (also called gram flour or besan), so that’s what I've used here. It’s mixed with spices like cumin, chili powder and salt and I like to add a bit of rice flour to the mix, which helps to create a light and crispy batter.
This recipe is super easy, even if you're not super confident with deep frying. You simply mix up the dry batter ingredients with water, coat your mushrooms and drop them in the hot oil, frying until golden brown.
Pakoras are really rather run to make, and they’re always a hit!
Read on for the full recipe, complete with step-by-step photographs. And if you’re looking for more Indian-inspired snacks, why not try my beetroot pakoras or kurkuri bhindi (crispy fried okra).
Ingredients
- 125 g (4.4 oz) chickpea flour
- 25 g (0.9 oz) rice flour
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) salt
- 1/4 tsp (0.3 tsp) freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) chili powder
- 1/4 tsp (0.3 tsp) ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) cumin
- 1/2 red chili finely chopped
- 300 g (10.6 oz) closed cup chestnut mushrooms
- vegetable oil to fry
Equipment
- Deep fat fryer or suitable high-sided saucepan
Instructions
Put the chickpea flour, rice flour, salt, coriander, chilli powder, turmeric, cumin and fresh chilli in a large mixing bowl.
Whisk together.
Measure 175ml (3/4 US cup) of water a little at a time, whisking until you have a thick, pancake-like batter - you might not need all of the water.
Leave to rest for 10 minutes.
Prepare the oil in your deep fat fryer or a large, high-sided saucepan. It’s no more than one third full to allow for safe expansion during heating and cooking.
Heat the oil to 180C (355F) or until a little bit of batter dropped into the oil bubbles.
Put a few mushrooms into the batter and turn so that they are well coated.
Don’t dip all of them at once as you’ll overcrowd the pan. Aim for 4-6 pieces at a time.
Lower the coated mushrooms into the oil slowly so that they don’t drop straight to the bottom and stick.
Fry for 8 minutes until crisp and golden, turning gently as needed.
Lift from the pan using a slotted spoon or straining spoon and place on a plate lined with kitchen paper to allow the oil to drain.
If you like, you can place the drained pakora on a baking sheet in a low oven to stay hot and crisp while you fry the rest of the batch.
Enjoy!
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Mushroom Pakoras
Ingredients
- 125 g (4.4 oz) chickpea flour
- 25 g (0.9 oz) rice flour
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) salt
- 1/4 tsp (0.3 tsp) freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) chili powder
- 1/4 tsp (0.3 tsp) ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) cumin
- 1/2 red chili finely chopped
- 300 g (10.6 oz) closed cup chestnut mushrooms
- vegetable oil to fry
Equipment
- Deep fat fryer or suitable high-sided saucepan
Instructions
- Put the chickpea flour, rice flour, salt, coriander, chilli powder, turmeric, cumin and fresh chilli in a large mixing bowl and whisk together.
- Measure 175ml (3/4 US cup) of water a little at a time, whisking until you have a thick, pancake-like batter - you might not need all of the water. Leave to rest for 10 minutes.
- Prepare the oil in your deep fat fryer or a large, high-sided saucepan. It’s no more than one third full to allow for safe expansion during heating and cooking.
- Heat the oil to 180C (355F) or until a little bit of batter dropped into the oil bubbles.
- Put a few mushrooms into the batter and turn so that they are well coated. Don’t dip all of them at once as you’ll overcrowd the pan. Aim for 4-6 pieces at a time.
- Lower the coated mushrooms into the oil slowly so that they don’t drop straight to the bottom and stick.
- Fry for 8 minutes until crisp and golden, turning gently as needed.
- Lift from the pan using a slotted spoon or straining spoon and place on a plate lined with kitchen paper to allow the oil to drain.
- If you like, you can place the drained pakora on a baking sheet in a low oven to stay hot and crisp while you fry the rest of the batch.
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Nutrition
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