Grated Potato Pakoras – Fritters

Pakoras are vegetables dipped in a very flavorful batter and then deep fried into these crispy golden nuggets of yumminess. These grated potato pakoras are like Latkes that tastes like French Fries. Who could say no to this ?

In south India it’s called Pakoda, these are mainly made as tea time snacks, pakodas are generally made with shredded or finely chopped vegetables unlike Bajji which are made with thinly sliced vegetables. This awesome snack or appetizer is easy to make and its extremely addictive, I bet you can’t just stop with one.

Let see how to make these ….

Ingredients

Small potatoes – 5 grated
Chickpea flour – 1 cup (or) Mix of 1/2 cup corn flour + 1/2 All purpose flour/( GF flour)
Chili powder – 2 teaspoons
Turmeric powder – 1 teaspoon ( optional)
Ground Black Pepper – 1/2 teaspoon
Baking soda – 1/4 teaspoon
Salt – 1 teaspoon
Oil for deep frying

Grate the potatoes, no need to peel the skin. Use the side of the grater that has slightly bigger holes, this gives you thicker strips (julienne) which is perfect of these types of fritters. You can also use your food processor or mandoline slicer if you don’t want to grate your knuckles in the process😄

Grated potatoes let out some water, no need to squeeze them out for this recipe, because it gives a lot of flavor. Just make sure your batter is not too thin.

Take a bowl, put all the dry ingredients and mix it well. Then add water slowly and bring it to a consistency that is slightly thicker than the pancake batter. Now add the grated potatoes and mix it well, the excess water from the grated potatoes will bring the batter to the right consistency. Set it aside and let the flavors meld.

We prefer chickpea flour (Channa dhal/ Besan) for the fritter recipes but you can also use a mix of corn flour and all purpose flour /gluten free flour to get the same texture and color. You can also use Shakthi’s Bajji mix which is available is Indian grocery stores.

Heat the oil. Put a tiny bit of batter to test, if it sizzles and floats to the top then the oil is ready.

Use a tablespoon and to pour the batter in the oil. Keep it in a medium flame and maintain this temperature throughout the process. This allows the pakodas to crisp up nicely, get the golden color and the insides get perfectly cooked. Deep fry them in batches, do not crowd the pan.

Drain them in paper towels before serving.

We use peanut oil or coconut oil for deep frying, since they can sustain high temperatures. You can also use canola oil or olive oil.

Doesn’t that look amazingly crispy, oh my the smell of fried potatoes is out of this world.

I like to serve these pakoras with the traditional Indian dips like Masala chili – sweet and spicy sauce and the tangy – mint and coriander chutney. You can use ketchup, barbecue sauce or apple sauce the choice is limitless.

I just can’t wait any more….Let me dip it in the tasty sauces and take a bite…..Mmm…it is so crunchy and yummy !

Make sure you make a big batch, it disappears so fast😋

Don’t let your hubby or your kids taste the pakoras while you are frying it. I’m warning you, there won’t be anything left for you by the time you finish the whole batch. It is that good ! 😀

We all have potatoes in our pantry. So next time you have a craving for some munchies try these pakoras. They are very easy to make and it gets ready in minutes.