Pakoras: A Savory Delight for Every Season

The name pakora is said to originate  from the Sanskrit word pakvavata, a combination of pakva “cooked”, and vata, “a small lump”, essentially a savory fritter from South Asia. 

The foundation of any pakora recipe is besan (chickpea flour) mixed with water to create a slightly thick batter. To make the end product crispy on the outside and fluffy inside, corn starch or rice flour can be added as well. 

Every household and vendor has their own spice and herb mix which they add to the basic batter, but generally it is flavored with a combination of either ginger paste, garlic paste, carom seeds, crushed coriander seeds, cumin, fresh coriander, red chili powder, crushed red chili, green chili, and salt.  

An assortment of vegetables such as onion, potato, spinach leaves, eggplant and even large green chilies, stuffed with a spicy and sour paste are coated with the pakora batter and deep-fried in hot oil. 

To get just the right size, seasoned pakora makers use their hands to layer the pakoras in the hot oil.

With a love for fried food in general, Pakistanis enjoy Pakoras at tea time, during the rainy monsoon season and they are a staple during the Islamic month of fasting, Ramzan, as part of iftar, when the fast is opened at sunset.